Butler Trail updates: New bathrooms, a new deck, floating islands and cheese for a cause

A new deck and rain gardens has opened near the Four Seasons Hotel. Photo courtesy The Trail Foundation

And now, some updates about the Butler Hike and Bike Trail, which for the moment remains open …
• First, you’ve got one more spot to pee, people. The new Festival Beach restroom has opened, replacing a crappy (sorry) facility at Edward Rendon Sr. Metro Park.
• You’ve also got a new place to take a different kind of break. A new deck has opened on the north side of the river, next to the Four Seasons Hotel. The unofficially-named Brazos Bluffs area features bench seating, rain gardens and behind-the-scenes infrastructure to prevent erosion. The project cost $438,000, according to Heidi Cohn, executive director of The Trail Foundation.
• Antonelli’s Cheese Shop will host a virtual cheese tasting on July 17, with a portion of proceeds benefitting the Trail Foundation. The “Cheese 1010: The Seven Styles of Cheese” class will costs is $40. Participants will pick up their cheese plates curbside the day of the event. (Wine pairings are also available.) The hour-long class will be followed by a 15-minute question and answer session, all done via video conferencing.
• Notice those floating islands of vegetation at the east end of Lady Bird Lake? Those aren’t lily pads, they’re wetland structures that provide habitat for plants and animals, and help with carbon sequestration, water quality and temperature regulation. The foundation installed the structures in February.

A new restroom has opened on the Butler Trail at Fiesta Gardens. Photo courtesy The Trail Foundation