Free Austin, Free Fun Austin, Free Stuff Austin And Free Things Austin

The Austin City Limits studio recently moved from it's long time home at Studio 6A (which held less than 400 fans) on The University of Texas campus to a new facility at the W Hotel called the Moody Theater. ACL had its final taping in Studio 6A with Lyle Lovett on November 8, 2010. The Moody Theater is a three-story venue that will contain 85,000 square feet of studio space with a capacity of 2,700 people located at the corner of Lavaca and Second streets adjacent to the W Hotel. Besides Austin City Limits television show tapings, the Moody Theater will host 60 to 100 ticketed shows per year. The free Austin City Limits Tours on Friday mornings have been discontinued at this time. The free Austin City Limits admission for television show tapings will be limited to about 800 fans to keep the more intimate atmosphere of the old studio. Tickets for tapings are free, but getting on the guest list requires connections to sponsors, staff or acts, or winning drawings on the austincitylimits.org blog. Any announcements regarding ticket availability and giveaways for the public will be posted on the ACL blog approximately one week before each taping. Free beer will no longer be handed out during tapings of Austin City Limits, one of the famous perks for the old TV audiences. State liquor laws covering the new commercial facility will no longer allow free beer, however bars selling alcoholic beverages will be open during ACL tapings. The garage under the building is for W Hotel guests and condo residents only. Concert-goers must use streetside spaces and parking garages. The City Hall garage, AMLI apartment garages and a state garage are all within easy walking distance and mapped on the ACL Live website at acl-live.com.

The Austin Museum Partnership is an organization of Austin-area museums collaborating for the mutual benefit of the public and the museums. The Austin Museum Partnership has sponsored a free, city wide Annual Austin Museum Day every year in Austin since 1998. Participating sites include art and science museums, historic sites, history museums, nature preserves, natural habitats, botanical gardens, the University of Texas library and art repositories, the LBJ Presidential library, a children's museum, a museum about Texas music, the Texas State Capitol. The 2011 Annual Austin Museum Day is scheduled for Sunday, September 23, 2012.

The free Austin Recovery Recovery Enrichment Workshops are on the second Saturday of each month and are open to all members of the Austin community. National and local speakers present on topics related to addiction and recovery. Refer to the Austin Recovery website for the schedule of speakers and topics. Austin Recovery is a non-profit alcoholism and drug treatment center offering affordable treatment for addiction problems.

One of the iconic fun free things to do in Austin is to watch the world's largest urban bat colony fly out from under the Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge at dusk. The Congress Avenue bridge is one of three bridges linking the downtown area to South Austin across the Colorado River or what is sometimes referred to as Town Lake or more recently renamed Lake Lady Bird. Each night from mid-March to November, approximately a million or more Mexican free-tail bats emerge from under the bridge at dusk to blanket the sky as they head out to forage for food. The bats generally emerge before dark, but may fly late as the time of year and weather conditions affect bat emergence times. July and August are the best times to see the most dramatic flights when new born pups first begin to forage with their mothers. It is possible to view the bats from the bridge, but the bridge itself is a high traffic throughfare. The best way to see the bats is to bring a blanket or lawn chairs to the free Austin Bat Observation Center located at the Austin American Statesman offices at 305 South Congress Avenue on the southeast side of the bridge where there is a viewing area and an educational kiosk. If parking is not available at the Austin American Statesman, additional parking after 6 PM is located at Texas Department of Transportation offices located around the corner off Riverside Drive. Bat Conservation International Bat Interpreters are present Thursday through Sunday nights in the months of June, July and August. Please remember to look, but DON'T TOUCH THE BATS. Bats are free wild animals and like all free wild animals, they may bite in self-defense if handled.

Thursdays from 10 AM to 5 PM is FREE DAY at the Blanton Museum of Art. The Blanton Museum of Art is the largest art museum in Austin and features a substantial permanent collection of important works of art as well as traveling collections from around the world. Some of the free things to do at the Blanton on Thursdays include over 30,000 square feet of permanent and traveling collections and exhibits. The Blanton Museum of Art at The University of Texas at Austin is one of the foremost university art museums in the country, and has the largest and most comprehensive collection of art in Central Texas. The Blanton features modern and contemporary art from both the United States and Latin American including the Mari and James A. Michener Collection of 20th-Century American Art Modern and the Barbara Duncan Collection of Latin American Art. There is also a notable collection of paintings of the American West.

The Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum is named after former Lieutenant Governor Bob Bullock, who was the driving force behind the establishment of the museum. It tells "The Story of Texas" with three floors of permanent, traveling and special exhibits on the history, traditional culture and popular culture of Texas including sports, business, performing arts and technology. It also features a "Texas Spirit Theater," which showcases movies filmed in Texas and the special effects show, "The Star of Destiny," a multimedia experience of the history of Texas narrated by the character of Sam Houston. It is also home to Austin's only IMAX theater, and plays "Texas: The Big Picture," a large-format film, as well as current commercially released movies. During the summer, there is a annual free concert series called "Music Under the Star" presenting popular Austin performers on the Lone Star Plaza under the 35-foot-tall bronze star. First Saturdays of the month are FREE admission at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum from 2 PM to 6 PM.

The City of Austin BMX and Skate Park for skateboarders and BMX bicyclists (small, maneuverable bikes designed for spinning and doing tricks) is Austin's newest park and opened in June of 2011. The BMX and Skate Park is 30,000 square feet and features a skate bowl, a large plaza with streetscape elements, shade structures, unisex restroom and skateable public art pieces. The Austin skate park project was funded by 2006 Bond Election and designed by New Line Skateparks from British Columbia, Canada. The skate park is designed for all skill levels. Use of helmets and pads is encouraged. Admission is free. The City of Austin BMX and Skate Park is open from 5 AM to 10 PM daily.

Free Fun In Austin is a website run by a mother of four named Heidi with a degree in theatre arts. She does an excellent job of posting free things to do in Austin including food, events and coupons. Most of her notices come from her Facebook page so be sure to "Like" Free Fun In Austin there.

Every morning between 5 AM and 8 AM swimming is free at Barton Springs Swimming Pool at Zilker Park but there is no lifeguard on duty. One of the best fun free things to do in Austin is the free swim from 9 PM to 10 PM at Barton Springs Pool. From 9 PM and 10 PM there is no charge for swimming at Barton Springs Swimming Pool at Zilker Park and lifeguards are on duty. For the evening swim, the best time to get to the swimming pool and find a convenient parking spot is about 8:30 to 8:45 PM. When the lights at the entrance flash on at 9 PM that is the sign that pool admittance is now free. During the summer, there is usually local music on the night of the full moon and the pool area is full of Austinites howling at the moon during free swim between 9 PM and 10 PM.

Ruta Maya Coffee House in South Austin offers free yoga classes with any $3 miniumum purchase from the cafe every day of the week except Sunday including Happy Hour Yoga at 5:30 PM on Monday and Wednesday and free Saturdayyoga 10 AM on Saturday mornings. All classes welcome all levels of students and use a unique approach which addresses each person at their own level of flexability. It is highly recommended that you bring a yoga mat, however a limited number are available at the cafe.

Keeping Austin Free is a blog style website that updates on a regular basis with current free events and activities in the Austin area. Information on free stuff to do in Austin ranges from free kids shows to free food coupons to free admission to films, concerts and theater events.

There's an old folk tale in Austin that if a couple walks up the 100 stairs to the top of Mount Bonnell they will fall in love, the second time they will get engaged, and the third time they will inevitably get married. Regardless of the actual statistics, Mount Bonnell is the oldest tourist attraction in Austin, and has been enjoyed by generations of Austinites since the 1850s. A great view of Austin, it is a bit of a hike, so be sure to wear appropriate shoes.

Taking place on a Saturday and Sunday in both the Spring (May) and the Fall (September) on East 6th Street in downtown Austin between Congress Avenue and IH-35, the Old Pecan Street Festival has been a family tradition event for more than thirty years featuring arts and crafts exhibitors, vendors, music and multicultural performers in the middle of Sixth Street in downtown Austin. Admission is free. Artisans from all over the United States display and sell homemade arts and crafts at this juried arts and crafts festival. Local musicians provide entertainment on five stages. Sponsored by the Pecan Street Merchants Association, the Old Pecan Street Festival selects several local non-profit organizations each year to benefit from proceeds. the Old Pecan Street Festival is the largest art festival in Central Texas attracting more than 300,000 per event. Pecan Street refers to original name of Sixth Street. When the street plan for downtown Austin was first laid out, north-south streets were given the names of Texas rivers in the order in which they appeared on the Texas map and the east-west streets were given the names of native trees. Years later, numbers replaced the tree-named streets and what was Pecan Street became today's 6th Street. The 2011 Fall Old Pecan Street Festival is scheduled for the weekend of September 24 and 25. The 2012 Springs Old Pecan Street Festival is scheduled for the weekend of May 6 and 7.

The Astronomy Department at the University of Texas sponsors free public star parties on the top roof of Robert Lee Moore Hall at the southeast corner of Dean Keeton and Speedway every Wednesday night while UT is in session. Take the elevators at Robert Lee Moore Hall to the 17th floor and then follow the signs to the stairs up to 16 inch telescope used for teaching undergraduate astronomy majors and for graduate student projects. Parking is available at nearby UT parking garages for $3 after 6 PM. Viewing times change throughout the year so check the website first or call (512) 471-5007 for current times. If the weather seems questionable call (512) 232-4265 approximately thirty to fortyfive minutes before the scheduled start time to find out if the viewing is cancelled. A typical night will include a planet or two, binary stars, star clusters and some of the brighter nebulae.

Located five miles southwest of downtown Austin, Sunset Valley is a small community of less than two miles square located close to the intersection of West Gate Boulevard and Highway 290. The Sunset Valley Arts Commission sponsors a series of summer concerts that take place twice a month in June, July and August in the the backyard of Sunset Valley City Hall at 7:30 PM on Sunday nights. The 2011 free music in Austin features Wendy Colonna Band on June 5; Butch Miles Jazz Express on June 19; John Arthur Martinez on July 10; John Mills Times Ten on July 24; Son Y No Son on August 7; and Vitera on August 21.

The Texas Military Forces Museum is a free military museum located at Camp Mabry. The Museum focuses on Texas Military Forces from 1823 and the first militia musters in Stephen F. Austin's Colony to the present day in 5 different main exhibits, each of which highlights different parts of the Texas Military Forces story.

Unplugged at the Grove is a free, all ages Austin outdoor music series that runs each Thursday night from April to September at Shady Grove restaurant on Barton Springs Road adjacent to Zilker Park. Sponsored by KGSR Radio for over sixteen years, Unplugged at the Grove has presented some of Texas most accomplished musicians. Tables fill up fast, but folding chairs and blankets to sit on the lawn are okay to bring into Shady Grove for the free Austin concert. Parking available in the Shady Grove parking lot, but do not park in the nearby neighborhoods. It's always a good idea to get there early for this free thing to do in Austin to get a good parking spot and a good seat. The 2012 free music in Austin series includes April 12, Bruce Robison and Kelly Willis; April 19, Hudson Moore; April 26, The Gourds; May 3, Carolyn Wonderland; May 10, Dirty River Boys; May 17, Slaid Cleaves; May 31, James McMurtry; June 7, Dale Watson; June 28, The Wheeler Brothers; July 5, Uncle Lucius; August 2, Quiet Company; August 9, Ed Jurdi and Gordy Quist Of The Band Of Heathens; August 16, Cari Hutson; August 23, Nakia ; August 30, Hot Club Of Cowtown; and September 6, Cody and Willy Braun Of Reckless Kelly.

A traditional free thing to do in Austin every summer is to take the family out to the Zilker Hillside Theatre summer musical. The Zilker Hillside Theatre is located in Zilker Park across the parking lot from Barton Springs swimming pool. The stage is located in a natural amphitheater under a stand of 100 year old pecan trees and in addition to the summer musical features numerous locally produced musical and dance oriented events including the Austin Symphony and Shakespeare in the Park. Admission to events at the Zilker Hillside Theatre is always free but there is a $3.00 fee to park in the Zilker Park parking lots. Most events start at 8 PM and blankets can be placed on the hillside after 6 PM. Theatre goers may bring a picnic or other refreshments, but alcohol is not permitted in the park. The 2011 Zilker Theatre Production Summer Musical is "Footloose." The free summer musical will open on Friday, July 8 and will be presented on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through Saturday, August 13. Performances of the free Zilker summer musical start at 8 PM.