The Ultimate Guide To Moving To Austin With Kids

Moving can be scary, stressful, and exhausting. Add kids into the mix and it’s even harder. Fortunately, you’ve come to the right place. This guide was created to help ease the anxiety of moving to a new city with kids. Here’s the ultimate guide to moving to Austin with kids.

The Ultimate Guide To Moving To Austin With Kids

What Austin is Known For

Here are a few things you need to know about living in Austin.

Tacos (specifically breakfast tacos) are a way of life. There are countless lists out there on where to find the best ones.
BBQ is the other food of choice out here. When people come to visit you now that you live here, be prepared to take them out for tacos and BBQ. Do your research ahead of time so you can bring them to your favorite spots!
Fire ants. They are everywhere. Always look down if you are anywhere outside. Teach this to your kids as soon as possible.
Bluebonnets are a thing. They bloom sometime in the spring possibly as early as February and as late as April. You will see people pulling over on the side of the road just to take pictures among the flowers. You will become one of these people.
Invest in mosquito repellent.
At some point you should take a road trip just to experience a Buc-ee’s. It’s hard to explain, but it’s something like a giant gas station, grocery store, food court, and department store. They boast having the cleanest bathrooms and you will get hooked on their beaver nuggets.
Austin is the live music capital of the world. Central Market is a great place to go for live music with kids, because they also have a playground.
Bats! Austin is known for having over a million bats living under the Congress Ave bridge and seeing them emerge is a very Austiny thing to do. You can book a bat cruise to see them from the water (this includes a tour as well), or stand with everyone else on top of the bridge and look down. The bats are there March-October. Go here or here for more info.

Family Fun in Austin

Ready to explore? Start with our list of 50 Fun Things To Do in Austin With Kids.
One of our family’s favorite weekly adventures is heading out on a local hike.
When you get hungry, find a restaurant or brewery with a playground so you can relax while the kids play.
The Most Unique Playgrounds in Austin
If the weather isn’t cooperating, here are some fun places to play indoors in Austin.
If you have older kids, here’s what to do with teens in Austin.
Have a birthday coming up, but not sure where to have a party? Here’s our birthday party guide.
Babies, toddlers, and preschoolers can all have fun at these spots in Austin. Here’s another fun day out with your toddler.
Food + Fun Pairings for when you want to go out to eat after a fun adventure.
Kid-friendly spots at the Domain.
Meet up with your mom friends for a kid-friendly play date at one of these local coffee shops.
Dinosaur lovers will have fun at these spots around Austin.

More Family Fun in Austin

Day trip ideas
Cidercade is fun for the whole family and only costs $10 for all-you-can-play arcade games.
H Mart is a whole kid-friendly experience (with some great food!)
Barton Springs and Deep Eddy are two famous Austin pools you need to check out.
Here are the waterparks, swimming holes, and splash pads to check out in the summer.
Tips on hiking the Barton Creek Greenbelt with Kids and where to find rope swings in Austin.
Visit the country’s largest indoor waterpark.
SOUTH CONGRESS is a (deserving) tourist trap that you have to experience if you live here. Snap a family selfie at the famous “I Love You So Much” mural at Jo’s Coffee. Have lunch at Home Slice (they give kids free balls of dough to play with while you wait for your food). Then stroll up the street for a treat from Big Top Candy Shop.
Head to Lady Bird Lake (Town Lake) and Zilker Park for a fun day in Austin. You can SUP, kayak, or even ride a retro boat on the water. Stay to play at the playground at Zilker, have a picnic, or (eventually) ride the Zilker Eagle mini train. The Austin Nature & Science Center and Zilker Botanical Garden are also at Zilker Park.

The Ultimate Guide To Moving To Austin With Kids

Eating Out in Austin- Austin Restaurants With Playgrounds

Here are all the best Austin restaurants with playgrounds– perfect for eating out with kids!
Here’s another list of all the breweries with playgrounds.
For local and fresh fruits and veggies, check out our Austin Area Farmer’s Market Roundup.
Where Kids Eat Free
Coffee shops that are fun for kids (and great for play dates!)
Food + Fun Pairings for when you want to go out to eat after a fun adventure.
Ice Cream Tour of Austin
H Mart is a whole kid-friendly experience (with some great food!)
Museum of Ice Cream

Seasonal Austin Fun

SUMMER– One of our favorite things about summer in Austin is the free Zilker Summer Musical. On really hot days, nothing cools you down better than a dip in Barton Springs or Deep Eddy. Here are the waterparks, swimming holes, rope swings, and splash pads to check out in the summer. Pick your own peaches! Here’s our Summer Bucket List and Free Things to do This Summer.
FALL– Fortlandia usually comes back to the Wildflower Center in the fall. Every September you can visit most Austin museums for free on Austin Museum Day. ACL is every October and kids get in free with an adult ticket. Here are our tips for ACL. The Chalk Walk, Creek Show, and the Texas Book Festival are three free fall festivals. Oktoberfest can be kid-friendly here in Austin. Here’s our guide to all the nearby pumpkin patches and our fall events guide.
WINTER– Here’s our ultimate guide to the holidays in Austin. The Trail of Lights is a must-do. And here are some experience gifts you can give your kids to reduce clutter and help you explore our city even more!
SPRING– The Rodeo Austin and the Sherwood Forest Faire are two spring time events that are fun for kids. Austin FC soccer and Round Rock Express baseball games both start back up in the spring. ABC Kite Fest and Pecan Street Festival are fun spring festivals. You can begin picking strawberries in the spring (some years it’s as early as the end of Feb, but it usually begins in March). And don’t forget to take pictures in the bluebonnets!

Daytrips from Austin

Here’s a great round up of fun places for a day trip or weekend getaway from Austin. Don’t forget to stop at Buc-ee’s if there’s one on the way!

Free Things To Do With Kids in Austin

Here’s our full post on all the free fun you can have with kids in Austin.

Volunteer! Giving back is free and feels so rewarding- especially with kids.
Visit an Austin Farmers Market.
Where kids eat free.
Austin Nature & Science Center
Free community nights at the Thinkery are Sundays from 3-5 p.m.
Kids get in free at Austin City Limits Festival with an adult ticket.
The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center has free admission on Lady Bird Day in July. They also have free Nature Nights in June.
Every September you can visit most Austin museums for free on Austin Museum Day.
The Bullock Museum has free admission on the first Sunday of every month.
Home Depot has free kids DIY workshops on the first Saturday of each month.
See the free Zilker Summer Musical in July.
See the bats from the Congress Ave bridge.
Ride your bike along the Brushy Creek Trail and visit all 6 playgrounds.
Visit the Central Public Library and go to a story time Tues-Fri mornings.
See the real dinosaur tracks in Leander.
Try the dirt jumps at 9th Street BMX or Elizabeth Milburn Park in Cedar Park.
Hit up all three: Visit the peacocks at Mayfield Park, visit the outdoor art museum at Laguna Gloria (free on Thursdays), and climb Mt Bonnell.