photo by David Brendan Hall
If there is such a thing as a quintessential mom-and-pop tubing experience, River Forest Haven is it. Southeast Travis County's natural beauty takes the spotlight here. It starts with the winding, wildflower-specked drive down to this Del Valle slice of heaven. After parking in the scrub forest and hanging out on a sandy river beach, you can take your self-guided, roughly hourlong float down a stretch of the Colorado River. You'll get an eyeful of lush trees hanging over the water and the occasional wall of stratified red rock. Keep your eyes peeled for sunbathing turtles. They abound. A tubing pass for adults is $15, only $10 for kiddos, and you'll burn a lot less gas than you would driving down to San Marcos or New Braunfels. The 30-acre property also has space for your RV or tent so you can keep the fun going when the crickets start singing.
River Forest Haven
1300 Man O War Dr.
Del Valle
512/710-8751
riverforesthaven.com
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After losing in the championship game of the rescheduled 2020-21 NCAA tournament and a surprising home defeat in the quarterfinals of the 2021 NCAA tournament, the Texas Longhorns volleyball team clearly came into 2022 with eyes locked on a national championship. Captained by fifth-year outside hitter and 2022 AVCA Division I National Player of the Year Logan Eggleston, UT suffered just one loss on its road to earning the top overall seed in the NCAA tournament. From there, the rock-steady team dropped only three sets in the entire tournament before sweeping Louisville in the final. That victory earned the program its third NCAA (fourth national) championship – its first since 2012.
texassports.com/sports/womens-volleyball
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Marianna Singletary celebrates Texas Volleyball's National Championship win Courtesy of Texas Athletics
photo by James Renovitch
On the edge of the Mueller development lies a shiny new concrete wonderland for the skateboarder, BMXer, scooter rider, or roller skater looking to get their blood flowing. Like most things at Mueller, the park is convenient (i.e., parking, bathrooms, and shade) and family-friendly, with parents often helping their children up some of the steeper inclines, but there are still areas where more seasoned riders can show off. Take a break to watch dogs romp in the nearby park or get even more zen at the pond and see why it's such a birding hot spot. Just don't let the air hitting your face as you skate mislead you – it's hot out there! Stay hydrated!
Southeast Greenway Skate Park and Pump Track
3730 Manor Rd.
muelleraustin.com/park-events
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After a dormant decade, Austin’s Tree of the Year program returned in 2022. The effort, a partnership between planting/education nonprofit TreeFolks and the city’s Parks and Rec Department, brings focus to the hunkiest trunks and most beautiful branches in town. And why not? After all, marveling at great trees is one of life’s simple pleasures. Through nominations, followed by public voting, honors are awarded in the categories of Unique Tree, Story Tree, Schoolyard Tree, Small Tree, and Large Tree. Winning in the latter, most esteemed group was the extraordinary Sorin Oak on the St. Edward’s campus, which is believed to be over 250 years old.
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Image via austintreeoftheyearawards.org
Britton Orrange Photography / The University of Texas at Austin
After years of student orgs such as Longhorn Gaming providing a space for gamers on campus largely via their own independent efforts, UT-Austin unveiled the Alienware Longhorn Esports Lounge on the main level of the Texas Union last August, with the stated goal of creating an “elite gaming environment for students to train and compete at the highest level.” Equipped with 10 powerful Alienware desktop gaming stations – we're talking premium systems complete with customized chairs – three laptop stations, and a multiplayer Xbox Series S console area, the lounge is available to anybody with a valid UT ID. It marks a massive breakthrough for esports culture on the Forty Acres, with the best still to come – a 3,300-square-foot esports arena is currently under construction in the Texas Union Underground. But don't fret: The bowling alley isn’t going anywhere.
Alienware Longhorn Esports Lounge
2308 Whitis Ave.
universityunions.utexas.edu
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Sherry Leetham, aka Sherry Shamrock, wants everyone to live their cheer dream. For anyone who's been on pep squad or just wanted to be, she’s created a unique product that puts some zing into your workout routine. These blingy fitness accessories offer the resistance of a 1-pound weight along with the flair of a sparkly set of pom-poms. Not sure what to do with them? Sherry provides inspiring CheerKamp videos that will rally even the most reluctant exerciser. Go team!
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via website
photo by John Anderson
Eastside pools bulked up centrally with the addition of Mueller Lake Park cooldowns Ella Wooten and John Gaines, but the best ungentrified secret east of Eden remains Dottie Jordan. Old Austin dwells in its modest, intimate size – not to mention the satellite kidlet wader – as well as the deep neighborhood locale, and that O.G. charm necessarily means running into familiar faces there at every turn. Trees provide natural shade in the shallows, especially that one perfectly placed pecan, while the deep ends bronze in the sun. The parking lot’s just right, as is the bike rack, and so’s the price: your endless gratitude for Dottie Jordan Park and all its downhome facilities.
Dottie Jordan Park
2803 Loyola
austintexas.gov/department/dottie-jordan-pool
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The 2022-23 Texas Longhorns men’s basketball Elite Eight berth capped the program's most successful campaign since its last Elite Eight run in 2008. Yet the long-awaited return of burnt orange to the second weekend of men's March Madness unexpectedly occurred under Rodney Terry. The assistant coach capably took the helm when then-head coach Chris Beard was suspended in December and subsequently fired. Shortly after the NCAA tournament – and after coaching for months with the uncertainty of an interim distinction – Terry rightfully received a multiyear contract to become UT's permanent head coach. How'd he celebrate? By nabbing his first big transfer portal prospect: bucket getter Max Abmas from Oral Roberts University.
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Courtesy of Texas Athletics
photo by John Anderson
The first time a skyscraper dwarfed the Texas State Capitol, everyone knew that the infamous Capitol View Corridors were just going to become increasingly ridiculous. Now the Texas Capitol Mall gives the seat of Texas democracy the vista it deserves, with a flourishing public green space from MLK to 16th Street finally connecting UT-Austin's Forty Acres to the Capitol Complex. It's all part of the 2016 Texas Capitol Complex Master Plan, overseen by those guardians of Austin’s architectural history at the Texas Facilities Commission. Why, you'd almost think you're in a real state capital.
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It’s not easy winning a national championship in any sport (just ask Kansas State), but winning two in one day is something special. That’s what the Austin Blacks did on June 4, sweeping the USA Club Rugby National Championships in both Men’s Division 1 and Division 3 – the third title in six years for the D3 squad, but a first for the D1 team. Founded in 1967 as the first club in the Southwest, the Austin Rugby Club remains one of only two clubs in the U.S. with their own clubhouse and grounds (30 acres in East Austin) – in no small part due to the efforts of the late Alan Sharpley, a longtime player, club president, and the first head coach for the University of Texas Rugby Club.
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