Parks Near South Austin Homes
When you’re shopping for a new home, you’ll probably think that your new yard will keep you so busy that it won’t matter if the area includes attractive parks or other recreational facilities. However, you can only do so much yard work before you need a break and a change of scenery. Although you may decide that you would drive quite a distance to spend time in a nice area, the reality is that most people only visit parks on a regular basis when they’re right around the corner. When you choose one of the new homes in South Austin that are carefully designed and built by Milestone Community Builders, you’ll be minutes from several carefully-planned parks.
McKinney Falls State Park
Named for one of the first colonists who moved to Texas with Sam Austin in the early 1820’s, McKinney Falls State Park consists of 744.4 acres of land that includes the preserved ruins of its namesake’s homestead. If you enjoy camping, this area features a variety of screened shelters with bunk-beds and 84 campsites with water and electricity. Hikers will love the ¾-mile-long interpretive hiking trail, the 3.5 miles of paved trails, and the 4 miles of trails used for both hiking and biking. McKinney Falls also includes an educational center, a youth group camping area, and a small amphitheater. If you take advantage of every fishing opportunity that comes your way, try your luck in Onion Creek. Whether you prefer live bait or artificial lures, this waterway is the natural habitat for several varieties of bass, catfish, crappie, and sunfish. Before dropping your line, check with the park officials for the current daily limit and size restrictions. Of course, if you practice catch-and-release, there’s nothing to worry about.
Zilker Metropolitan Park
Known as “Austin’s Most Loved Park,” Zilker covers 351 acres inside South Austin and offers a wide variety of activities to its visitors. During the holidays, crowds gather to watch the lighting of the Zilker Holiday Tree. This 155-foot-tall Christmas tree can be seen for miles as its 3,309 multi-colored lights brighten the dark sky. Swimmers paddle for hours in the spring-fed waters of the Barton Springs Pool. With a year-round temperature of 68 degrees, it’s easy to see why. While you’re at the park, enjoy a ride on the Zilker Zephyr, a miniature train, or paddle a canoe in nearby Town Lake, recently renamed as Lady Bird Lake. Learn a little more about the local flora at the Zilker Botanical Gardens that includes both the Taniguchi Oriental Garden and the Austin Area Garden Center. If you’d like to know more about the South Austin water system, the Splash Environmental Exhibit will tell you all that you need to know about the local Edwards aquifer. Concerts held at the Zilker Hillside Theatre feature all musical styles from Jazz to Country, and this venue also hosts musical presentations and Shakespeare in the Park. To round-out the cultural aspect of the park, the Umlauf Sculpture Garden and Museum displays the sculpture collection of artist Charles Umlauf. Additional activities include an annual kite festival, hiking, biking, picnic areas, volleyball, disc golf, and off-leash areas for your favorite pup! Zilker Metropolitan Park definitely has something for every resident of South Austin homes.
Lady Bird Lake
Located in South Austin, Lady Bird Lake is named after one of the nation’s most beloved first ladies. Officially a reservoir on the Colorado River, Lady Bird Lake was once neglected and polluted. In the ‘70s, the Austin mayor partnered with the former first lady to establish the Town Lake Beautification Project to clean up this waterway and create a network of hiking and bike trails along the shorelines. When Lady Bird died in 2007, the city quickly decided to rename Town Lake in her honor. In addition to the land activities on the Lady Bird Lake Hike and Bike Trail, water enthusiasts can kayak, canoe, and row on the lake itself. If you don’t own your own non-motorized boat, rentals are available. During the warmer months of the year, visitors flock to the Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge that spans the lake to watch the dramatic sight of hundreds of Mexican Free-tailed bats streaming out into the night to feed. Lady Bird Lake is the home of the world’s largest urban colony of this particular species of winged mammal. This park also hosts a dog park, fishing opportunities, and a variety of musical events including the Austin City Limits Music Festival and the Austin Reggae Festival.
Landscaping for Your New Home
When you purchase a new home, you’ll be able to plan your landscaping to fit your personal sense of style. If you choose an older home instead, you’ll be stuck with what the previous owner found attractive, or you’ll have to go through the labor-intensive process of completely removing everything before you start over. While this may seem easy on the surface, simply cutting down a tree or a bush doesn’t remove it from your yard. Without eliminating the roots, most shrubbery simply grows back. Why take on someone else’s landscaping mistakes when you can make your own choices for about the same price with a new home? The new home experts at Milestone Community Builders can help you make the perfect choice in Southbridge , their new South Austin homes development.
