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Likely Texas' best known street, the seven
block's of 6th Street between Congress and IH 35
are certainly Austin's entertainment center.
With a little help from it's many like-minded
sister streets, 6th Street is the heart of
Austin's live entertainment scene and the
capital of third coast music.
Sixth Street (formerly known as Pecan Street) is
lined with many historical houses and commercial
buildings dating from the late 1800's and early
1900's. The storied old buildings now house
numerous bars, a host of live entertainment
venues, tattoo parlors, art galleries, casual
cafes, upscale restaurants, and the elegant
Driskill Hotel. Live music of every genre
abounds. From jazz, blues, and country to rock,
hip-hop, beat, progressive, metal, punk and
derivations of these, there's something to whet
everyone's musical palette. Great food is a
staple on Sixth Street, featuring such regional
staples as chili, ribs, and Tex-Mex plus steak,
seafood, Cajun-cooking, and deli.
Sixth Street draws an eclectic bunch including
endless streams of mostly single UT students,
the YUP's, the burb's, some interesting street folk, and
lot's of out of town visitors. It's not uncommon
to spy some celebrity type taking in the sights
on 6th. From film folk to politicians, to music
men and women, Sixth Street rubs elbows well.
Dress code, yeah right. You'll see cowboys and
punks, surfers and suits. On Halloween anything
goes, and during Mardi Gras, everything goes!
Going West from the entertainment area, West
Sixth Street offers another surprise with
antique stores, art galleries, hair salons,
restaurants, and lot's of eclectic shops.
Sixth Street is Austin's entertainment
showpiece, and deservedly so. Great events like
the Austin Mardi Gras celebration, SXSW, The
Republic of Texas Bikers Rally, the Pecan Street
Festival and Sixth's Street infamous Halloween
celebration all make for great times with great
people.
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Within Zilker Park's 358 acres, lies one of
the crown jewels of Austin, Barton Springs Pool.
Three acres in size, the pool is fed from under
ground springs and is on average 68 degrees year
round. Over the years, Barton Springs Pool has
drawn people from all walks of life, from
legislators who have concocted state laws there
to free-spirited topless sunbathers who turned
heads in the seventies. Even Robert Redford
learned to swim at the pool when he was five
years old while visiting his mother's relative
in Austin. Today, Barton Springs still attracts
a diverse crowd of people.
Millions of years ago Barton Springs, the fourth
largest natural springs in the state, was
created as a result of a land shift that created
the Balcones Fault.
Named in honor of Andrew Jackson Zilker.
"Colonel Andy", as friends called him,
donated the land now known as Zilker Park. In
1884, at age 18, Zilker, who had left his native
Indiana to seek his fortune, came to Austin with
only 50 cents in his pocket and got a job at an
ice plant, which he eventually bought. He then
became the first Coca-Cola Bottler in Austin.
Shortly after Zilker bought the land in 1901, he
built a small concrete pool and amphitheater for
members of his Elks Club organization, at the
site of one of the three springs, where people
had gathered for centuries.
Native Americans called them the Sacred Springs
and came there to heal their wounds. Spanish
friars believed to be the first European
settlers in the Austin area set up three
temporary missions at the springs in 1730-31
before they moved to San Antonio. In 1837,
William "Uncle Billy" Barton, built
his rustic cabin on a tract of land which
included the springs. Since he owned several
adjoining tracts, the area came to be known as
the "Bartons". He named the three
springs after his daughters Parthenia, Eliza and
Zenobia. The largest spring became known as the
main spring at Barton Springs Pool. Another
spring feeds the Elks Amphitheater pool that
Zilker built near the present day Barton Springs
Pool. A third spring bubbles up from the Sunken
Garden on the east side of the park.
Between 1917 and 1934, A.J. Zilker donated his
land along the south bank of the Colorado in
stages, to the Public Free Schools of Austin on
the condition that the city of Austin buy the
tract from the public schools for inflated
prices. School officials placed money from the
sale in a trust fund for manual training for
what is known today as the
school-to-work-program.
Barton Springs Pool has been a popular swimming
hole for decades, but even more people showed up
once it became part of a city park in 1917. In
1929, workers enlarged the irregular-shaped pool
to 1,000 feet long by building a concrete lower
dam and sidewalks on both banks. In 1932, the
city added an upper dam. Over the years the
springs has been the site of a flour mill, a
source of drinking water for many citizens and a
popular location for baptisms, family picnics,
social gatherings, musical performances, fishing
and swimming.
Many approach a dip in Barton Springs Pool's
chilly 68 degrees water with a religious zeal.
Devotees relish swimming in the roomy expanse of
spring water, framed by century-old pecan trees.
Those who plunge down under the diving board to
look at the main spring, which pumps an average
of 27 million gallons of water a day, say that
the pulsating action reminds them of a steady
heartbeat.
In 1943, Jean Parker was the first women
lifeguard at Barton Springs. Members of the
Texas Pool and Beach Association decided at the
conclusion of their annual conference of park
and recreation authorities to allow women to
lifeguard, because most eligible men had entered
the armed forces. This was the beginning of the
change from the traditional "big husky
lifeguards watching over the flocks to beautiful
girls gracing the lifeguard towers over the
nations pools."
Beverly Sheffield, who served as director of the
Austin Parks and Recreation Department from
1946-1973, swam at Barton Springs for 73 years,
longer than any of today's regular swimmers. He
began when he was 10 years old and on into his
80s, Sheffield continued to go the pool three
days a week, weather permitting until his death.
In 1992, 2 University of Texas scientists, filed
an emergency petition seeking federal protection
of the Barton Springs salamander. Zoologist,
Mark Kirkpatrick and his geologist wife, Barbara
Mahler, prepared the petition under auspices of
the Save Barton Creek Association and The Hill
Country Foundation. This petition was filed with
the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services, which has
authority to list wildlife under the federal
Endangered Species Act. In 1998, the U.S. Fish
and Wildlife Service named the Barton Springs
salamander as an Endangered Species.
The only known surface habitats of the Barton
Springs salamander (Eurycea sosorum) are
located in Barton Springs pool, Eliza Springs,
Old Mill Springs (Sunken Garden) and Upper
Barton Springs. The salamander is lung less and
relies on a pair of conspicuous red gills
located behind the head for efficient gas
exchange. Currently the City of Austin and the
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are working
together to support operation of the pool while
protecting this species.
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Taller than the US Capitol, the Texas State
Capitol and Capitol Grounds are one of the most
popular tourist attractions in the capital of
Texas and a favorite spot for the locals as
well. Other nearby sights within easy walking
distance include the Governor's Mansion and the
new Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum.
The Texas State Capitol looks South down
Congress Avenue. 11th Street runs East-West past
the front gates. Colorado and San Jacinto
Streets border it to the West and East.
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The Texas Hill Country is a beautiful 14,000
square mile area in the heart of Texas. You'll
want to visit each of the region's 45
cities/areas.
Imagine a place where crystal clear streams and
towering oak & cedar trees meet the majesty
of the hills. Add to the beauty, a place where
visitors are always greeted by a friendly
"howdy y'all" and you have found the
wonder of the Texas Hill Country. It's is a
little slice of heaven offering breathtaking
beauty and a relaxing atmosphere. The Texas Hill
Country is truly just like a whole other state.
This beautiful area welcomes 5 million visitors
annually. It's easy to see why people keep
coming back again and again. The Texas Hill
Country offers unparalleled diversity. In the
spring, roadsides and open fields are dotted
with colorful wildflowers, from the Indian
Paintbrush to the Texas state flower, the
Bluebonnet. (In Hill Country, Texas Shows Its
Colors, New York Times - Apr 15, 2004). Autumn
brings vibrant reds, oranges and yellows as
leaves announce the start of a new season.
Summer is a time for tubing down the river,
boating on one of the many area lakes or
enjoying an outdoor barbecue. Winter is mild
with a touch of cool air, ideal for viewing the
thousands of Christmas lights residents display.
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