10 Outdoor-Inspired Austin Activities

Who goes to Austin to stay inside? Check out these 10 outdoor-inspired Austin activities that will leave you craving more of the Lone Star State.

Grab a kayak and head out onto the Colorado River with Live, Love, Paddle. The company offers kayaks in all shapes and sizes with single and tandem rentals, canoes, and paddleboards. They offer several tours including a daytime photo friendly Urban Kayak tour, a full moon night tour with live music on Lady Bird Lake's only island, and special event tours to see fireworks on the 4th of July.

In the heart of Austin, is the Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail, an urban path that meanders along the water's edge and passes by skyscrapers, neighborhoods, ball fields and cultural attractions. With more than 2.6 million visits a year, the 10-mile trail is Austin's most recognized and popular recreational area. The Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail, named for a former Austin mayor and his wife, is a natural gem in the heart of the Texas capital.

Grab a basket of your favorite summer snacks, bring some Frisbees, and enjoy the afternoon at Zilker Metropolitan Park, located in south Austin, at the juncture of Barton Creek and the Colorado River. It comprises more than 350 acres of publicly owned land. It is named after its benefactor, Andrew Jackson Zilker, who donated the land to the city in 1917.

Relax and watch the sunset along the river, taking in the skyline of the city on the boardwalk. The Boardwalk, which was constructed in 2014, can be accessed at several points: the northeast corner of the American-Statesman parking lot, off the Riverside Drive sidewalk at Blunn Creek, from the northeast corner of the Riverside and IH35 intersection and at International Shores Park, 1820 S. Lakeshore Blvd. You can also access it from the Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail loop.

A shady and secluded sidestep off of the lakeside trail, Peace Point within Town Lake Metropolitan Park is the perfect place to pull out your yoga mat and practice your Pranayama while enjoying the breeze of the river winds. Enjoy stretching and practicing mindfulness alone, or bring a friend. It's also a nice place to sit and chat taking a break from your walk.

Visit this art-inspired HOPE Outdoor Gallery, a community paint park located at 11th & Baylor St. in downtown Austin. This educational project is managed by the non-profit HOPE events and was officially launched in March 2011. It is the only paint park of its kind in the USA and was developed to provide muralists, arts education classes and community groups the opportunity to display large-scale art pieces driven by inspirational, positive & educational messaging.

Located in Zilker Park, Barton Springs Pool measures three acres in size and is fed from underground springs with an average temperature of 68-70 degrees, making it ideal for year-round swimming. Over the years, Barton Springs Pool attracts a diverse crowd of people and has seen record-setting numbers of visitors nearing 800,000 in recent years.

Bull Creek District Park is a 48-acre city park in Austin. Created in 1971, it is named for Bull Creek, the stream which passes through it and provides the focal point of the park's primary attractions of swimming, hiking, and fishing. It's a serene green space featuring an assortment of trails plus wildlife sightings & dog-friendly areas.

Grab some friends and head over to take a ride on Zip Lines! This awesome 3-hour guided adventure includes a total of 5 zip lines ranging from 300 feet to over 2800 feet. While waiting between each zip, you will enjoy amazing views of Lake Travis and the Texas Hill Country! Following the excursion, you can enjoy time on the private beach, so be sure to pack a lunch and make a day of it!

Walk along Austin's East end and discover outdoors murals from local artists. It feels like nearly every block of Austin has some giant expression of creativity blasted against its walls for the world to see.

Most murals appear suddenly, in places you wouldn't expect: on a downtown high-rise, against the backside of a coffee shop, in an abandoned alleyway behind a dumpster. It's part of Austin's murals' mystique and glory.

"When You're Strange" is located at 1310 E. 6th St.