Driskill Hotel tours highlight history

Driskill Hotel tours highlight history

Driskill Hotel tour

The Driskill Hotel offers a daily history tour for $10. Photo courtesy Driskill Hotel

The iconic Driskill Hotel is now offering history tours to the public.

The guided tours start at 4 p.m. daily and cost $10 for the public. They’re free to overnight guests.

Participants gather under the iconic lobby dome and move throughout the 189-room hotel, which opened in 1886 at the corner of Sixth and Brazos streets. The excursions highlight the lesser-known history of The Driskill, from the days when horse-drawn buggies dropped off guests on the dirt road out front and it was one of the tallest buildings in sight.

“When Jesse Driskill opened the hotel, he envisioned the landmark would rival the palaces in New York, Chicago, St. Louis and San Francisco,” general manager Markus Puereschitz said in a press release. “Austin continues to exceed expectations as a popular destination, so we’re excited to share a piece of its history with locals.”

Read more: Soaking in Austin’s history at the iconic Driskill Hotel

Details of the Driskill Hotel tour

Tour participants will learn about the famous barbershop that operated inside the hotel in 1909 and the gold-leaf-framed mirrors that once belonged to Emperor Maximillian and his wife Carlotta of Austria. They’ll see the recently reopened Driskill Grill, where President Lyndon B. Johnson and Lady Bird had their first date in 1934, and the Jim Hogg Suite, where the couple awaited the results of LBJ’s 1964 presidential reelection run. 

Book a tour here.

The property also offers a self-guided art tour so visitors can explore the hotel’s art collection at their own pace. 

The Driskill is located at 604 Brazos Street. Private tours for larger groups are also available with 72 hours notice. For more information email sales@thedriskill.com.

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Meet the new baby porcupines at the Austin Nature and Science Center

Meet the new baby porcupines at the Austin Nature and Science Center

porcupine

One of two new baby porcupines meets the press during during its presentation at the Austin Nature and Science Center on Sept. 13, 2022. Pam LeBlanc photo

Porcupines, known as porcupettes, look vaguely like prickly little potatoes when they’re born.

They’re smaller than a fist, and already covered with quills, which harden within a few hours of birth.

But as the weeks pass, they grow into lumbering, vegetation-munching rodents with eyes the size of thumb tacks and toenails that help them cling to trees.

porcupine

This porcupine is about four months old and weighs 6 pounds. Pam LeBlanc photo

They’re oddly cute, as I discovered this morning, during a visit to the Austin Nature & Science Center, which unveiled a pair of four-month-old North American porcupines that will be introduced to the public this Sunday.

Just one, a male, made an appearance today. The female is still acclimating to its new home. Both were born in Minnesota.

The as-yet-unnamed, 6-pound bundle of quills I met emerged from a plastic dog carrier the size of a large suitcase, nibbled bits of lettuce, sweet potatoes and apples, chewed on a leafy branch, and all but ignored the small crowd of journalists who gathered to admire it.

Porcupine facts

Porcupines, it turns out, are the second largest rodent in North America, weighing in behind the North American beaver. When the center’s new porcupines are full grown, they’ll weigh about 12 pounds each.

porcupine

The new porcupine munches lettuce at a press event on Sept. 13, 2022. Pam LeBlanc photo

Porcupine sightings are becoming more common in the Austin area. The species is slowly spreading into Central Texas, as the climate warms and they look for more reliable sources of water.

Help name the porcupine babies

The public is invited to help name the center’s new babies, either by suggesting a name online or by visiting the center this Sunday, which is Austin Museum Day. Members of the Friends of the Austin Nature and Science Center will be collecting donations to make improvements to some of the center’s animal shelters.

porcupine

The Austin Nature and Science Center will unveil its two new baby porcupines on Sunday, Sept. 18, 2022. Pam LeBlanc photo

The center’s goal is to educate the public about nature and natural places, and get people excited about what’s living in their own backyards. It offers programs and exhibits, including a sand pit where kids can dig for dinosaur “bones,” a honey bee hive, and a trading post where kids can bring in natural treasures and swap them for others.

The center also cares for rehabilitated wildlife like owls and hawks that can’t be released to the wild due to their injuries.

The porcupines will join the Small Wonders Exhibit, where visitors can also see an assortment of snakes, lizards and other reptiles.

The Austin Nature and Science Center is located at 2389 Stratford Drive, just south of the pedestrian bridge under Loop 1 (MoPac.).

porcupine

The two new porcupines at hte Austin Nature and Science Center eat rodent blocks and fresh vegetables. Pam LeBlanc photo

 

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Deep Eddy closes Sunday for two weeks of spring cleaning

Deep Eddy closes Sunday for two weeks of spring cleaning

deep eddy

Deep Eddy Pool will close Jan. 4 for repairs. Photo courtesy city of Austin

Heads up, swimmers.

Deep Eddy Pool, that chilly oasis where horses once dove off diving board and a man once ate bananas underwater, will close from April 10 until April 24 for annual spring cleaning.

The pool will reopen April 25 for normal hours.

In the meantime, check the city’s pools and splashpads website for information about the city’s other aquatic facilities.

Besides Barton Springs, at 2131 William Barton Drive in downtown Austin, my favorite alternative is Big Stacy Pool at 700 E. Live Oak Street. But hours are tricky at pools right now due to a shortage of lifeguards.

Related: Deep Eddy’s colorful past includes diving horses

Barton Springs is open from 5-8 a.m. daily for “swim at your own risk” sessions without lifeguards. The pool is closed the rest of the day Mondays and Wednesdays and is only open from 8-10 p.m. Thursdays.  Lifeguards are on duty from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Related: Seven swimming holes and natural spots to splash into near Austin

Big Stacy is open for lap swimming from 6-9 a.m. weekdays. It’s closed for programming Monday through Thursday mornings from about 9 until noon, then opens for recreational swimming from noon until 8 p.m. weekdays and until 7 p.m. weekends.

 

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Deep Eddy closes Sunday for two weeks of spring cleaning

Deep Eddy closing Jan. 4 for repairs

deep eddy

Deep Eddy Pool will close Jan. 4 for repairs. Photo courtesy city of Austin

Heads up, swimmers.

Deep Eddy Pool, 401 Deep Eddy Ave., will close starting Jan. 4 for mechanical repairs on a well pump. Normal operating hours are expected to resume Saturday, Jan. 8.

That doesn’t mean you have to ditch your swim workout. Barton Springs (which makes a great spot for a Jan. 1 dip, by the way), Bartholomew, Stacy, and Springwoods pools will remain open during the Deep Eddy closure.

 

Barton Springs Pool, 2201 Barton Springs Road. Open 5 am-10 p.m. daily except Thursday, when it closes from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. for cleaning.

Bartholomew Pool, 1800 East 51st Street. Open 12:15 p.m.-8 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Big Stacy Pool, 700 E. Live Oak Street. Open 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

Springwoods Pool, 13320 Lyndhurst Street. Open 3-8 p.m. Monday through Friday and noon to 7 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.

For more information, call the Deep Eddy Pool hotline at 512-974-1189 or go to AustinTexas.gov/Pools

 

About Pam

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Stop by Chaco bus for custom sandals – or free refurbs

Stop by Chaco bus for custom sandals – or free refurbs

Chaco bus

The Chaco Roving Repairs bus is parked on South Congress Avenue. Pam LeBlanc photo

Sewing machines were whirring and scissors snipping when I stepped into the Chaco Roving Repairs bus in downtown Austin on Thursday.

The vintage bus, where you can get your old Chaco sandals refurbished for free or buy a new pair of custom Chaco sandals, is parked in front of the Church on South Congress, 1511 S. Congress Ave., until Sept. 26.

If your old Chacos need some loving, you should stop by. Hours are noon to 6 p.m. daily, except Wednesday, when the bus moves to Speedway Plaza at the University of Texas. Longhorns can drop by from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. that day.

The bus itself has more than 170,000 miles on it, but not all of that comes from the Chaco Fit for Adventure Tour. Chaco bought the bus, which delivered kids to schools in the 1990s, and equipped it with everything needed to assemble and repair sandals. It’s been on the road since June, with stops in Denver and Nashville to serve sandal afficionados.

Zane Yelzick Chaco

Zane Yelzick fashions straps for a new pair of sandals. Pam LeBlanc photo

full service chacos

No shoes needed to get your new Chacos. Pam LeBlanc photo

A new custom pair of Chacos

Zane Yanzick, part of the Chaco field crew, whipped up a custom pair for me in about 20 minutes. The timing couldn’t be better. I’m heading out next week for a 15-day rafting trip on the Grand Canyon with some friends who finally pulled a permit after a 25-year wait.

I also watched Yanzick refurb a well-worn pair that was getting some new straps. (Sadly, the pair had no-longer-available special edition Smokey Bear straps, which made my heart beat harder.)

“A whole sandbar came out of that one,” Yanzick said as he dumped out a few spoonfuls of grit. He’s also dealt with customers who needed replacement straps on sandals chewed by dogs and others who just wanted new colors on their feet.

pam new chaco sandals

I’m taking my new custom Chaco sandals on a 15-day rafting trip through the Grand Canyon. Pam LeBlanc photo

My custom pair features black straps with the word Chaco embroidered in rainbow colors. Customers get to pick separate webbing for the main straps, heel straps and side straps, plus a buckle in their choice of colors.

A new custom pair costs $100. The factory is back-logged right now, so this is a great deal. Basic repairs, including new straps or minor sole fixes, are free on existing shoes.

For information or to book an appointment, go here.

 

 

 

 

 

About Pam

I’m Pam LeBlanc. Follow my blog to keep up with the best in outdoor travel and adventure. Thanks for visiting my site.

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