Lakeway, Texas is a quaint vacation town that’s nestled quietly between scenic Lake Travis and the wild Colorado River. As a holiday spot, Lakeway is perfect with sun, sand, surf, as well as long nature hiking trails that mark the land around this Texan jewel. Accordingly, the town itself is packed with attractions for kids, adults, and retired seniors. The vacation rentals in Lakeway are both spacious and beautiful, and great when you want to unwind and relax. Take a look at some of the most popular things to do while you’re enjoying the city of Lakeway.
1. Have Breakfast With the Carleen and Miranda
Cousins Carleen Rubio and Miranda Valenta operate a little breakfast shop in Lakeway, right off of the 620, where regulars and tourists crowd in for authentic homemade meals all morning long. Cafe Lago offers fresh-brewed coffee, baked goods, and a raft of fresh Mexican cuisine that changes by the day and by the mood of the chef. Make it a point to swing by at least a few times during your stay, and you can become a regular yourself in no time.
2. Learn to Paint at Painting With a Twist
Schedule a family afternoon, or a fun evening out with just the grownups, at Painting With a Twist, Lakeway’s local art shop/instructional studio. Students at Twist get all the materials they need to craft a masterpiece, along with helpful tips on technique and style notes. No grades are given at the end, however; this is nothing but fun and creative play for everyone.
3. Shop the Lone Star Farmer’s Market
Lone Star Farmer’s Market is one of the principal attractions Lakeway offers visitors. Here, you can pick up produce so fresh, it still has dirt on it. The local economy is heavy on the small farms you thought disappeared in the ’80s, so there’s a wide variety of low-volume, very personalized market sellers hawking highly seasonal goods. Check in every morning to find something different on display, and try to snag at least one fresh watermelon if you’re in town for the summer.
4. Discover a New Favorite Beer at Oasis Brewing Company
From Thursday to Sunday each week, Oasis Brewing Company offers tastings and tours of its Lakeway facility. Up on the third floor of its stately headquarters, guests can experiment with various low-alcohol brews that are formulated to keep the dry mouth and headaches associated with heavy malts to a minimum. While you’re experimenting, you and your companions can enjoy good food and good company while gazing out over the expanse of Lake Travis, which is essentially next door to the brewery.
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5. Visit the Movies Under the Stars
Movies Under the Stars offers open-air movies in the evening for guests who bring their own refreshments and furniture. Admission to the events, which are held in Lakeway City Park, is free, as is the popcorn. Features are always family-friendly, so you can bring kids of any age. Settle in around the edges of the viewing area with your lawn chairs, or spread out a blanket in the middle area, which is set aside for evening picnickers.
6. Enjoy a Dive-In Theater at Lakeway Swim Center
Kids love movie nights, and they also love swimming. The Lakeway Swim Center has both bases covered with daily “dive-in theater” events, mostly geared toward kids ages 8 to 16. Admission is $3 per person, and snacks are available inside the event center.
7. Try Some Moonshine at Crystal Creek Distilling
Moonshine is an honored tradition across the South, and Crystal Creek Distilling keeps that tradition alive in Lakeway. Drop by with the over-21s in your group, and you can enjoy samples of locally produced white lightning, or pick up a bottle and make the short drive back to your vacation rental in Lakeway.
8. Dinner and a Show, All Under One Roof at Moviehouse and Eatery
The classic date night is dinner and a movie, which is why Moviehouse and Eatery is such a popular attraction in Lakeway. Here, under one roof, couples can enjoy hearty American cuisine, notably burgers and pizza, before strolling over to the theater section in the sure knowledge that they won’t be late for the first reel.
9. Pick Up Some Toys at Learning Express Toys
Hill Country Galleria hosts one of the gems of local shopping: Learning Express Toys, a local toy store that specializes in educational toys, live demonstrations, and fun for all ages. Swing by with the kids — all of them — and turn them loose inside the store. You’re almost guaranteed to find a few fun things you can’t leave without, and the kids will return home to your vacation rental in Lakeway as tuckered out as if they’d spent the afternoon at a theme park.
10. Salt Therapy at Austin Salt Caves
In the 19th century, it was discovered that salt miners were almost abnormally healthy relative to their communities. Today, salt therapy is a popular attraction for people of all ages and health conditions. Austin Salt Caves, in Lakeway, recreates the environment of a salt mine for visitors who want to experience the effect for themselves. Regular spa treatments are available, as is the chance to just relax between artificial walls of mined salt, where you can relax by the hot tub for as long as you want.
11. Master a Sport Nobody Knows About Yet at Aquafly Austin
Sometime during your stay, make the short trek from your vacation rental in Lakeway to nearby Austin to learn a new sport nobody’s made famous yet: aquaflying. As practiced by Aquafly Austin, this works by putting you in a life jacket, taking you out to a safe spot on the lake, and then physically levitating you on a skateboard-sized platform that sprays high-volume water through powerful jets underneath. You and the kids will definitely fall over into the lake several times, but once you get the hang of it, it’s easier than skiing and as fun as flying.
12. Take a Hike, Then Jump in a Lake With Lake Travis Zipline Adventures
Lake Travis Zipline Adventures is everything a local attraction should be: fun, friendly, exciting, relaxing, and great for families who want to try something different. Check in with the desk at this local company, and Captain Dan will take you all on a hike up the hill to one of the company’s zipline stations. Ideally, it will be a warm day and you’ll all be hot and sweaty when you crest the hill, where you hook in to the line and zoom down to the lake, where your ride ends and your swim begins.
13. Sail Away With a Rental From Outbound Sailing
Rent a boat with Outbound Sailing, and you’ll be spending the day cruising Travis Lake aboard a beautiful 40-foot yacht piloted by Captain Tim, who possesses encyclopedic knowledge of the lake and its surroundings. Gently glide past bird sanctuaries, protected bays, and even a few celebrity homes — which Tim can point out to you as you pass — and return after a few hours with stories to tell the friends you’re meeting for dinner that evening.
14. Go Biking in the Lake With Austin Water Bikes
Austin Water Bikes offers equipment rentals and quick lessons for novices who want to get out for a bike ride across the clear lake water with their families. For the uninitiated, water biking is a lot like regular biking, except your craft has paddles instead of wheels. The activity is a lot of fun, but it looks a bit silly while you’re doing it, so you can get some great pictures for Dad’s social media profile.
15. Take a Ghost Tour in a Hearse With Haunted ATX Hearse Tours
Plenty of cities have haunted histories, but very few can boast of a tour that takes visitors from one to the other inside of an actual hearse. Sign up for a trip with Haunted ATX Hearse Tours, which is headquartered in Austin but operates throughout the Lakeway area, and your family party can spend a warm October night communing with Austin’s departed spirits in the only coach that seems appropriate to the occasion.
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