16. Ben Fisher
City: Austin, TX
Category: Parks & Recreation
Address: 600 Carrie Manor St.
Description: This park is in eastern Travis County and has picnic and barbecue facilities, hiking trails, and sports courts. The landscape east of Austin is called Blackland Prairie, and much of it is fertile farmland. Parks in this area have undulating hills, meadows covered with wildflowers both spring and fall, and large pecan trees. Pecan harvesting is a favorite fall pastime.
17. Bob Wentz Park at Windy Point
City: Austin, TX
Category: Parks & Recreation
Address: 7144 Comanche Trail
Description: This 21-acre LCRA lakeside park has barbecue pits, picnic sites, hiking trails, playgrounds, a swimming area, showers, and a boat ramp for sailboats. It is popular among Windsurfers and scuba divers.
18. Cypress Creek
City: Austin, TX
Category: Parks & Recreation
Address: 13800 Bullick Hollow Rd.
Description: The landscape in this LCRA park on Lake Travis retains its wild character, but there have been some additions, including barbecue pits and picnic areas. The park offers access to the lake for swimming and primitive camping.
19. Dink Pearson Park
City: Austin, TX
Category: Parks & Recreation
Address: 3011 Lohman Ford Rd.
Description: Dink Pearson is a lakeside park with picnic and barbecue facilities, access to the lake for swimmers, and a boat ramp.
20. Fritz Hughes
City: Austin, TX
Category: Parks & Recreation
Address: 3100 Fritz Hughes Park Rd., Lake Austin
Description: This is a good spot for family picnics but is not suitable for swimming. The park has picnic and barbecue facilities plus a playscape.
21. Hippie Hollow
City: Austin, TX
Category: Parks & Recreation
Address: 7000 Comanche Trail
Description: This is an Austin landmark. (Its formal name is MacGregor Park, but nobody calls it that.) This clothing-optional LCRA park is open to individuals age 18 and older and is particularly popular among gay sun seekers. You can swim in the lake, sunbathe on the park’s beach and rocks, or hike on the trails (shoes recommended). Admission fees. Day use only.
22. Little Webberville
City: Austin, TX
Category: Parks & Recreation
Address: 100 Water St.
Description: This Colorado River park 20 miles east of Austin, near the community of Webberville, has both picnic and barbecue areas. The park also has playscapes and a boat ramp. It is a popular entry point on the river for kayakers and canoeists.
23. Mansfield Dam
City: Austin, TX
Category: Parks & Recreation
Address: 4370 Mansfield Dam Park Rd.
Description: On Lake Travis, just west of Mansfield Dam, this county park offers picnic and barbecue facilities, swimming, a boat ramp, and overnight camping facilities. It is a short walk to the dam, which offers a close-up view of engineering feats in Central Texas. The dam is also a favorite place for hawks and other birds of prey to ride the thermal wind currents.
24. Pace Bend
City: Austin, TX
Category: Parks & Recreation
Telephone: (512) 264-1482
Address: 2501 Pace Bend Park Rd.
Description: This 1,000-acre-plus park (sometimes called Paleface Park) has equestrian facilities, trails, campsites, picnic and barbecue facilities, plus swimming in the lake.
25. Richard Moya
City: Austin, TX
Category: Parks & Recreation
Address: 10001 Burleson Rd.
Description: This park is a favorite spot for family picnics, particularly on Mexican-American holidays and birthdays, when the smell of fajitas cooking and the sound of piñatas being whacked fill the air. Portions of the original downtown Congress Avenue Bridge, ca. 1884, now span Onion Creek in the park. This day-use park is only 20 minutes from downtown and is a popular location for baseball and softball tournaments.
26. Sandy Creek
City: Austin, TX
Category: Parks & Recreation
Address: 9500 Lime Creek Rd.
Description: Another rugged hillside park on Lake Travis, this park has hiking trails, offers access to the lake for swimmers and boaters, and has primitive camping facilities.
27. Selma Hughes Park
City: Austin, TX
Category: Parks & Recreation
Address: 11921 Selena Hughes Park Rd.
Description: This is the site of a popular boat ramp on busy Lake Austin. There are picnic facilities with barbecue pits.
28. Tom Hughes Park
City: Austin, TX
Category: Parks & Recreation
Address: 12714 Hughes Park Rd.
Description: Swimming is the popular attraction in this small county park, which is open in daylight hours only.
29. Webberville
City: Austin, TX
Category: Parks & Recreation
Address: 2305 Park Lane
Description: This large and popular county park is 3 miles east of Webberville in eastern Travis County on the banks of the Colorado River at the Travis/Bastrop County line. There are picnic and barbecue facilities, hiking trails, playscapes, a boat ramp, ballfields, sports courts, and equestrian facilities. The large picnic pavilions can be reserved for gatherings by calling the Travis County parks reservations number at (512) 473-9437.
30. Windmill Run
City: Austin, TX
Category: Parks & Recreation
Address: 7306 Kirkhaven Lane
Description: Windmill Run is a neighborhood park near the Windmill Run subdivision in Oak Hill, with picnic and barbecue facilities, hiking trails, and ballfields.