Four different ecosystems – post oak savannah, blackland prairie, east Texas piney woods and riparian – meet at this 1100-acre park, 13 miles southeast of Austin Bergstrom Airport. As well as a natural science center and hiking trails, it holds a canopy-level zipline (www.ziplostpines.com).
McKinney Roughs Nature Park
Central Texas
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
Bat Colony Under Congress Avenue Bridge
19.02 MILES
Austin is known as the capital of Texas quirk, so it shouldn't be surprising that it's a city tradition to sit on the grassy banks of Lady Bird Lake and…
19.18 MILES
Completed in 1888 using sunset-red granite, Texas’ state capitol is the largest in the US, backing up the familiar claim that everything’s bigger…
20.75 MILES
This 350-acre park is a slice of green heaven, lined with hiking and biking trails. The park also provides access to the famed Barton Springs natural…
19.5 MILES
Whatever you do, don't call it 'Texas University' – them's fightin' words, usually used derisively by Texas A&M students to take their rivals down a notch…
Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum
19.3 MILES
Big, glitzy and bursting with high-tech interactive exhibits, this showcase museum celebrates the story of the Lone Star State, from its earliest…
Lyndon Baines Johnson (LBJ) Library & Museum
18.99 MILES
Devoted to the 36th US president, who launched his political career in Austin, this museum is still attracting the crowds more than 50 years since he left…
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
24.95 MILES
Anyone with an interest in Texas' flora and fauna should make the 20-minute drive to the wonderful gardens of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center,…
19.23 MILES
A big university with a big endowment is bound to have a big art collection, and now, finally, it has a suitable building to show it off properly. With…
Nearby Central Texas attractions
1.38 MILES
Prehistoric creatures walk the earth once more at the Dinosaur Park, halfway between Austin Bergstrom Airport and Bastrop. Well, they don't exactly walk,…
8.28 MILES
The best reason to visit this park on the banks of the Colorado River is the splash pad (9am to 7pm), a children's play area with water features you can…
3. Bastrop Museum & Visitor Center
8.61 MILES
Stop by for walking-tour maps and brochures, and take a whirl through the museum while you're at it. Exhibits spotlight the history of the building –…
10.96 MILES
This beautiful state park, 1 mile east of Bastrop, suffered a serious blow back in 2011, when wildfires damaged 96% of its nearly 6000 acres of forest…
5. Ann & Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail & Boardwalk
17.37 MILES
You can gaze at the downtown skyline from a series of photogenic boardwalks on this scenic 10-mile trail, which loops around Lady Bird Lake. Shorten the…
18.11 MILES
Revitalized in the 1990s, the state's official cemetery is the final resting place of key figures from Texan history. Interred here are luminaries…
7. George Washington Carver Museum
18.17 MILES
On 19 June 1865, slaves in Texas were freed pursuant to the Emancipation Proclamation – 2½ years after it was signed by President Lincoln. This day is now…
18.24 MILES
This huge, red, box-like building north of downtown inspires young minds with hands-on activities in the realms of science, technology and the arts. Kids…