3 Best Sights in Austin, Texas

Across from Zilker Park, this botanical garden has more than 28 acres of horticultural delights, including butterfly trails, bonsai and Japanese gardens, and xeriscape gardens with native plants that thrive in an arid southwestern climate. It's a lovely urban oasis that is best enjoyed outside the peak of Texas summer heat. There are also various family-friendly programs and hands-on learning opportunities here, as well as a lively seasonal calendar of special events and festivals.

This 43-acre complex, founded in 1982 by Lady Bird Johnson and actress Helen Hayes, has extensive plantings of native Texas wildflowers that bloom year-round (although spring is an especially attractive time). The grounds include a visitor's center, nature trails, an observation tower, elaborate stone terraces, and flower-filled meadows. Seasonal calendars include various family-friendly and educational events that are free and open to the public. 

This pleasant space at the south end of Zilker Park houses 53 of Charles Umlauf's sculptures in the house where he lived and worked. Umlauf, who taught at the University of Texas Art Department from 1941 to 1981, created an incredibly diverse body of work that ranged in style from realistic to abstract, using such materials as granite, marble, bronze, wood, and terra-cotta. His subjects were equally wide-ranging, from religious figures and nudes to whimsical animals and family groupings. Visitors can admire the works in the verdant beauty of the surrounding gardens, which also hosts special events and community happenings, like food festivals, live music, outdoor yoga classes, and free family days, in addition to a coveted register of weddings.