Thankful for Austin's Natural Treasures

My family spent a lot of time over this holiday weekend exploring nature in Austin.  We are thankful to live in a City with so many areas for children to connect with the natural environment. Give my two sons access to rocks, sticks, and water outdoors and they can entertain themselves joyfully for hours. Some of our favorite natural treasures in the City (or nearby):

Red Bud Island, City of Austin

Lost Creek greenbelt

1. Barton Creek Greenbelt (and also along Lost Creek).  The Lost Creek dam down from the Hill of Life, since it still has water, is one of the best spots in the winter along the Greenbelt. My kids can spend hours down there playing in the creek.
2. Austin Nature Center. Just a mile from downtown, kids can dig in the sand, see rescued wild animals, and go on a short hike.
3. Westcave Preserve. A beautiful trail leads to a stunning cave. Must take a tour to visit.
4. Mayfield Park and Nature Preserve: Peacocks (!), beautiful ponds, and an easy hike down to the lake.
5. Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve: Several trails that are especially beautiful in the fall. Lovely hike to a pool with a small waterfall. 
6. McKinney Falls. My sons can spend an entire day here exploring the different waterfalls and other water features.
7. Lady Bird Lake Hike and Bike Trail (especially the outcropping where the ducks gather).
8. Red Bud Island (as long as there are not too many dogs there, but this park is usually overrun with dogs).

Providing natural playspaces for children--whether directly in "the wild" or recreated in a park--is a big topic of conversation in Austin now.  For example, parents in several neighborhoods (such as Brykerwoods and Barton Hills) are actively exploring ways to make their neighborhood park playspaces connect more with nature. There are lots of inspiring ideas out there on how this can we done.  One of my new favorite blogs on playground design is Playground Designs Blog.  And here is another great blog post on this topic.