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Beyond Austin: Hill Country & Small Town Texas for Families
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items Austin gets all the attention (and all the traffic, the crowds, and the prices to match.) But some of the best family experiences in Central Texas are anywhere from 30 minutes to a few hours outside the city, in small towns and Hill Country gems that...
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Outdoor Activities
Outdoor Activities
Don't let anyone tell you Austin is the only city worth visiting in Central Texas. Georgetown's downtown square was voted the most beautiful town square in Texas and once you see it you'll understand why. Historic limestone buildings, independently o...
Downtown Georgetown — The Most Beautiful Town Square in Texas
A good farmers market tote is non-negotiable and this Lands' End canvas pocket tote is the one. Sturdy enough to actually carry produce, big enough for a full market haul, and the exterior pocket means you're not fishing around for your wallet while ...
Medium 5 Pocket Open Top Canvas Tote Bag - Lands' End
This one is a proper day trip and worth every minute of the drive. Johnson City is the kind of small Texas town that feels completely untouched by the Austin boom: great restaurants, charming shops, and Johnson City Coffee Co., which alone is reason ...
Johnson City + LBJ State Park — History, Longhorns, and the Best Coffee in the Hill Country
Texas sun is not playing around and neither is this sunscreen. Supergoop PLAY is our go-to for any outdoor day: fast absorbing, water and sweat resistant, and actually stays on through a full morning of chasing kids around a working farm. Works for t...
Supergoop! PLAY Everyday Lotion SPF 50 Sunscreen
If you're taking little ones to any outdoor destination on this list (and you should) their heads need protection just as much as their skin. This SwimZip sun hat has UPF 50+ protection, an adjustable fit so it actually stays on a toddler head, and i...
SwimZip Wide Brim Sun Hat UPF 50+ Kids
A sun hat that actually looks good while doing the job. This Sloggers wide brim hat has UPF 50+ protection and the earth braid style is the kind of hat that makes you look like you planned your outdoor outfit when really you just grabbed it on the wa...
Sloggers Women's Wide Brim Braided Sun Hat UPF 50+
About 90 minutes from Austin and worth every minute of the drive. Inks Lake is one of those places that looks like a postcard and feels like a secret even though it absolutely is not. Book your campsite or cabin well in advance because this one fills...
Inks Lake State Park — Texas Parks & Wildlife Department
A family lake day means hauling a lot of stuff and the last thing you need is a cooler that weighs as much as a toddler before you've even packed it. This RTIC Ultra-Light keeps ice for days, holds 52 quarts of snacks and drinks for the whole crew, a...
RTIC Ultra-Light 52 Quart Hard Cooler 52 30% Lighter Hard Sided Coolers
Population: 3. Attitude: everything. Luckenbach is one of those places that has absolutely no business being as legendary as it is, and yet here we are. Founded in 1849 as a German trading post, almost forgotten, and then immortalized forever when Wa...
Luckenbach: Everybody's Somebody in the Smallest Town in Texas
Krause Springs has been owned and operated by the Krause family since 1955. Over 70 years of one Texas family sharing their 115-acre slice of Hill Country with the public, and it shows in how well loved and cared for the property is. About 30 miles w...
KRAUSE SPRINGS | Texas Swimming Hole & Campgrounds
A good waterproof blanket is the unsung hero of every outdoor family day and this NEMO Victory Patio Blanket is the one. Waterproof on the bottom so you're not sitting in wet grass or on damp rocks, soft on top so it's actually comfortable, and it fo...
NEMO Victory Patio Blanket | REI Co-op