A Nanny’s Guide to Austin

1-Tell us a little bit about you and your nanny family. How old are your charges?

Hey y’all – I’m so excited to share my favorite city – Austin, TX!  I was a nanny in New England for many years and moved here 7 years ago.  My current nanny kiddo is 4.5.  I’ve been with him full time since he was 6 weeks.

Check out my nanny IG: your_virtual_nanny or my kid-friendly adventures in Austin TX: @youratxnanny

2- What are some of your favorite parks to visit? What makes them special?

NK has loved being outdoors ever since he was a baby, so we explore A LOT!  We pack picnics for most of our outdoor adventures and have so much fun!  Check out @youratx nanny for more photos and recommendations!

1. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center – no matter the season, there’s always beautiful colors!  We love walking along the trails and especially love lunch on their outdoor patio.

2. The Children’s Alliance Garden –  Our NEW favorite park that just opened.  This beautiful new playground is located in my favorite downtown park, Butler Park.  The view of downtown is gorgeous!  You could spend the entire day in this area – playground, splash pad, picnic, walk around downtown or the lake.

3. Mueller Lake Park and surrounding area – Another place that we could spend all day at.  The Thinkery, many restaurants, bakery, coffee shop, playground, beautiful park and walk along the lake (great for bikes and kites), ducks, etc.  We always get lunch to go from Bao’d up and have a picnic.

4. Zilker Park – a great place to set up a picnic, blow bubbles, fly kites and dog watch!  The view of downtown is beautiful and there are MANY trails along the river nearby.  Check out Lou Neff Point for a beautiful view!

3-Share some of the kid friendly restaurants, cafés, ice cream stores, etc. that you frequent.

1. Ski Shores Cafe on Pearce Road (there are multiple locations) & County Line BBQ on 2222  (there are multiple locations): BOTH restaurants are on the lake and have turtles and fish to feed from the dock.  They’re both kid friendly and casual.

2. Bao’d Up, Mueller – a favorite place to get to go food for a picnic in the nearby park

4-Share some of the places to explore nature in your area.

1. Bull Creek – by far our favorite place to explore.  We love Lower Bull Creek because of the waterfall, but the entire area is a beautiful hike!

2. The Pennybacker Bridge – a short but steep hike with an incredible view of the 360 bridge and lake

3. Capital Cruises bat boat tour – this is on the top of my list for when I have visitors because not only are the 1-2 MILLION bats incredible, the sunset and view of downtown from a boat is magical.  My kiddo LOVED the boat and even got to steer for a bit!

5-Share any kid friendly places like museums, libraries, bookstores, fun hidden gems that no one knows! 

1. Austin Public Library, downtown, W Cesar Chavez St – the rooftop garden is absolutely gorgeous (another favorite spot to bring visitors).  The children’s floor is great too – there’s an entire library dedicated JUST to children’s books and there’s a beautiful screened in porch to read with your little one! 

6-Plan a day for a nanny who is visiting your city with nanny kids.

Bring a stroller or bikes, because you could cover so much of the city in one day.  I’d plan your day around ending up at the bat boat near the Congress Bridge at dusk.

1. Start at the downtown library – grab a coffee at their adorable cafe on the first floor, head up to the rooftop garden to enjoy your coffee while the little’s run around.  Then head down to the children’s floor.  Find some books and bring them to the screened porch off of the kid’s library on the 3rd floor.  Enjoy the view!
2. Head to Trader Joe’s (0.2mi) and grab a few snacks for a picnic, then head over to the Pfluger Pedestrian Bridge (0.2mi).  Take in the beautiful view of the city and lake from the bridge, and continue across heading towards Doug Sahm Hill Summit (0.6mi).  
3. Walk up the small hill (Doug Sahm Hill Summit), there you’ll see another favorite view of downtown.
4. Head back down the hill to Liz Carpenter Splash Pad (0.1mi) then to The Alliance Garden Park (0.1mi) where there are multiple playgrounds.

** So far, you’ll only need to spend money on food/coffee.

5. From there, you  can explore some more or head back to the car.  There are so many great restaurants and activities neary.  Make sure you’re keeping an eye on time so  you can get to the bat boat on time.  
6. For the bat boat, park near Mathias Shores on Lady Bird Lake and take the trail along the lake going east, headed to Capital Cruises (0.2mi).  If you have time, this is a beautiful walk and it goes for miles.
7. Check the boat website out for reservations, bat flight time and bat “season.”  March to November is the best time of year.
8. Feel free to reach out for other recommendations!  @youratxnanny