The Great Outdoors in Austin, Texas

Austin in the summertime - hot, sunny, and wide open skies. Fortunately, Austinites have tons of summer options for getting their bodies moving and their minds refreshed. Sure, it's tempting to sit at home in front of the air conditioner all summer long, but when you consider what is available at your fingertips for little or no money, you'll want to jump up from that couch in no time.

The Great Outdoors

Barton Springs Pool is an excellent place to cool off when the Texas sun is just too much. A $3 admission fee gives you access to a clean, natural pool that is always 68 degrees. Popular online reviews rank the pool as #1 on the list of Austin things to do. After all, who wouldn't want to take a dip in the pool where a five year old Robert Redford first learned to swim?

For those of you who want more of a challenge, Austin is home to several scenic hiking trails.

There are also plenty of camping and canoeing options available.

Oddities

Have you ever played frisbee golf - as in, golf with a frisbee? Ever even heard of it? I hadn't until I came to Austin, but it's available at places like Zilker Park.

For the inner exhibitionist in you, there is also ... ahem ... a nude park, which is appropriately termed Hippie Hollow. I won't link to it so my article doesn't get flagged, but you are free to find its website on Google.

Freebies / Overall Wellness

The Ruta Maya Coffee House on South Congress Avenue offers free yoga classes with the purchase of a coffee. You can stretch out with about forty other people - these classes are quite popular, as you might imagine - on your mat and feel the burn and relaxation for an hour, then sit back and sip an iced latte. Fabulous.

In addition, studies have shown meditation to be extremely beneficial to one's health. It decreases stress and anxiety, lowers blood pressure and cholesterol, improves flow of air to the lungs (which, in turn, makes for easier breathing), and a host of other important things. The Austin Meditation Center, located on Rio Grande Street by the University of Texas campus, offers free classes for beginners as well as free sessions for practitioners. (On Sundays, there is a vegetarian dinner before the meditation session!) The only thing you will be charged for at the AMC is a seminar on vegetarian nutrition ($25) and the yoga classes, which range from $6-10 per class. Still pretty affordable!

The Bats

If there's one thing Austin is famous for besides the live music, it's the bats, and if you haven't heard about them, let me tell you. Austin is home to the largest urban bat colony in North America. There are approximately 750,000 bats that hang out underneath the Congress Avenue bridge downtown. Each evening at dusk, people gather around to watch them all fly out in search of food. It's a great way to end your active day, watching the dark creatures fill the sky and hearing their wings flap in a beautiful rhythm.

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*Check out this great list of 101 Things to Do in Austin.

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April D. Boland is a freelance writer and editor.  Originally from New York City, she now resides in Austin, Texas where she enjoys reading, writing, soaking up culture and taking advantage of the beautiful outdoors that she never had back home.  She is the founder and editor-in-chief of Della Donna, a webzine for women for which she heartily accepts submissions.  Her published work can be found at her website, AprilBoland.com, and she blogs about writing at These Words.