Your guide to activities and fun things to do with your preschoolers, toddlers and kids in austin, TX

Wild-Connections Butterfly Farm & Nature Center

by Nicole Basham

May 24, 2009

It seems as though our weekends fill up quickly with birthday parties, spending time with my parents and errands, so it seems a rare weekend that we take advantage of the events I write up for Thursdays' Out and About feature. This three-day weekend finally afforded us a chance to visit a place I had been curious about for a while: Wild-Connections Butterfly Farm & Nature Center.

Wild-Connections was created in 2004 to reconnect children with their natural environment, in hopes of instilling a love and interest in protecting it. The property has a nice shady area with ponds and native plants for picnicking, an education center, hiking trails, a gift shop, and of course, the Butterfly House. Until the end of May, Wild-Connections is open 10-4 Tuesday-Saturdays. Then it will re-open in late September. Admission is $4 (plus tax) per person for everyone over 2. Group tours for 15 or more are available by reservation.

 

We headed out on Saturday, hoping to get there around the time they opened. The farm is located a few minutes from the Nutty Brown Cafe (not too far past the turnoff for the Austin Zoo), off 290 heading towards Johnson City. It took us about 20 minutes to get there from North Central Austin.

You check in at the gift shop, and the Butterfly House is only a few minutes walk away. Cut up cantaloupe is near the door to entice the butterflies to feed, but we didn't have any luck (doubt that my son stood still long enough for that, anyways!) The House is pretty amazing and teeming with all sorts of butterflies. The flora is impressive and we also spotted some caterpillars. I have been to some hot/humid indoor butterfly exhibits, so this was nice in comparison, although it is not shaded, so I can see why they close during the summer.

 

 

 

There are also a few turtles in the House, and while we were there, one laid eggs and spent a long time painstakingly covering them up!

 

 

 

We then checked out one of the hiking trails, but by then it was pretty warm and my son had no interest in walking, so we headed back to the Education Center. One room had some wildlife samples out for viewing and some stamps and crayons out for crafts. It might have been an age thing, but my son was most interested in trying to play with the toy insects in the gift shop. And after hearing the owner stress the importance of kids being out in nature, I felt just a little sheepish!

Had we been more prepared, a picnic on the grounds would have been pleasant, or even a stop at the Nutty Brown (we haven't been) or another eatery on the way back in town. But we headed home, and will look forward to visiting again next year, when my son will be another year older and more interested in all that Wild-Connections has to offer.

 

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East Side Finds

by Nicole Basham

April 27, 2009

Austin's "Upper East Side" (I had never heard of the name until I saw it on a bumper sticker) has garnered a lot of attention, particularly since folks started moving into the Mueller development. But don't forget, there is a lot more to East Austin than Lake Park! Here are just a few things you should check out:
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How Sweet It Is: Strawberry Picking at Sweet Berry Farm

by Nicole Basham

April 06, 2009

Now that I'm a parent, I find I am discovering some of the coolest places in Austin. One of these places is Sweet Berry Farm, billed on its website as a "Pick Your Own Berry Patch". If you have any free days coming up and time to drive to Marble Falls, you and your preschooler/s are bound to have a great time!

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Twice the Fun!

by Nicole Basham

March 17, 2009

Wow, talk about a 180 in terms of the weather, huh? Hope you are enjoying your Spring Break so far! For ideas of things to do around town this week, you can check my Monday post.

Tuesday is List Day here at Savvy Source, and today I'm bringing you some ideas for "two-fers": two places relatively closeby you can visit in the course of a morning or afternoon.  Read more...

Hidden Gem: Mayfield Park

by Nicole Basham

March 09, 2009

Although Central Market may be Austin's WORST kept secret for family-friendly fun, there are many places off the beaten path where you can enjoy a pleasant outing with your preschooler/s. For this reason, I decided to start an occasional series on this blog called Hidden Gems. Today's Hidden Gem is actually quite close to Central Market North, although it seems worlds away.

Any guesses yet? I'm referring to the urban oasis that is Mayfield Park,

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Wildflower Center Free in January

by Nicole Basham

January 20, 2009

If you are looking for a post on the inauguration, you can find mine here . Tuesday is List Day here at Savvy Source, and today's list is *supposed* to be about places to play inside during this midwinter day.  But in light of this week's sunny and warmer weather, I bring you a recommendation of an outdoor place to play:  the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center .  Did you realize that  Read more...

Holiday traditions: Choose-and-cut your own Christmas tree farms

by Jonathon Morgan

December 02, 2008

The music in stores in October, the "late holiday" catalogs before Thanksgiving....these things seem to stress me out during the holiday season rather than make me excited. The thing that really gets me in the holiday spirit is the scent of a Christmas tree in the house. I read an article last week about the decline in purchases of Christmas trees from farms and charity groups, as  Read more...

Put your thinking cap on: places that inspire imagination

by Julie Holden

October 14, 2008

Sometimes, the topics we're tossed here at Savvy are real stumpers. This week I'm mulling over "places that inspire imagination." There's the obvious, such as the Austin Children's Museum , which strives in every which way to get a kid's brain a-workin'. But where have I seen children at their most excited and imaginative? The first thing that pops to my mind is, of course, the  Read more...

Get out of the house this weekend!

by Nicole Basham

June 27, 2008

It's really, really hot -- so I can understand the temptation to stay cooped-up inside with the air conditioning. But chances are, by the end of Saturday morning cartoons the cabin fever will set in and you'll be looking for ways to escape the madness. Fortunately there's plenty going on this weekend -- something, I think, for every disposition. Here's a few of the highlights: The Watermelon  Read more...

Eat well, eat local, eat sustainable food!

by Nicole Basham

June 19, 2008

Eating right keeps getting more and more complicated. First you only had to avoid processed food, then you were supposed to start keeping an eye on your fruits and veggies -- just to make sure they weren't modified, going bad or worse -- and now there's talk about eating "sustainable" food (which, believe it or not, is different than produce that's merely "organic"). And if we can't keep it  Read more...