Jazz has a long and distinguished history in Texas. Like most genres of music developed here, the music has its roots in many cultures. That is why you really should go to at least one of these festivals. The fest in Brownsville will provide an opportunity to hear all the types of Jazz music as it developed south of the border and then migrated to Texas.

Brownsville 12th Annual Latin Festival

October 9-12, 2008
Various venues in and around Brownsville, Texas

Brownsville Texas is celebrating its 12th Annual Brownsville Latin Jazz Festival with more Grammy Award Winners and Nominees than ever, the World Salsa Dance Champions, free music clinics, free dance lessons, art shows, after-show jams and the premier Salsa dance event of the Rio Grande Valley! Bring the family, stay the weekend, have great ticket and hotel discount packages! Call 956-831-9590 for more info.

Gary Nicholson has produced two Grammy winning records and many poplar records.  In 2006, Nicholson was nominated to the Nashville Songwriter’s Hall of Fame. Over four hundred of his songs have been recorded in various genres including country, rock, blues, folk, bluegrass, and pop by such diverse artists as BB King, Garth Brooks, Fleetwood Mac, Bonnie Raitt, Ringo Starr, Willie Nelson, Etta James, John Prine, Dixie Chicks, Stevie Nicks, Emmylou Harris, Keb Mo, George Jones, the Neville Brothers, Waylon Jennings, Del McCoury, Guy Clark and so many more. In addition to his Grammy winning records with Delbert McClinton, who has recorded twenty five of his songs, he has produced records for The Judds, Wynonna, Pam Tillis, T Graham Brown, Chris Knight, and others.

Click HERE for more information.

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Come Dance! 2008

Totally Free Event

Butler Dance Education Center
501 W. 3rd St.
Austin  TX  78701

Think you can dance? Want to try? Ballet Austin hosts a day of free dance classes of all types — modern dance, tap, flamenco, hula, jazz, Broadway theater style and yes, ballet. The 40-minute classes start on the hour beginning at 2 p.m. and 5 p.m

There’s also ongoing previews of the family-friendly show Not Afraid of the Dark and a special ‘Nutcracker’ room decked with sets and costumes from the holiday spectacular and ready for your early holiday photo opportunity. Bring the camera and lots of film!

Other things to do in the neighborhood:

Austin Children’s Museum

201 Colorado St, Austin, TX 78701
Near the intersection of Colorado St and W 2nd St
(512) 472-2499 www.austinkids.org

Tuesday - Saturday: 10am-5pm
Community Night Wednesdays: 5-8pm
Sunday: Noon-5pm

Adult: $5.50
Children 2 yrs.and up: $5.50
Children 12-23 months: $3.50
Children under 12 months: FREE

Zilker Park/Barton Springs/Botanical Gardens

Swim Fees
Senior    $1.00
Adult     $3.00
Junior (12-17)   $2.00
Child (11- under)   $1.00
Parking fee at Zilker  $3.00 (March through September)

Bring the family to Austin early and and stay the day.  Picnic in Zilker Park.  Hike or bike the trail around Lady Bird Lake. Swim in the sacred waters of Barton Springs. Ride the train around Zilker Park. Rent a canoe on :Lady Bird Lake.

Austin Duck Adventures

Monday and Tuesday: 2 PM
Wednesday through Friday: 11 AM & 2 PM
Saturday & Sunday: 11 AM, 2 PM & 4 PM

All public tours depart from the Austin Visitor Information Center at 209 E. Sixth Street
Adults - $25.95 + tax
Children (2 and Under) - Free
Children (Age 3-12) - $15.95
Seniors and Students - $23.95 + tax

Bob Bullock State of Texas Museum

Visit the Bob Bullock State of Texas Museum and see The Dark Knight: The IMAX Experience.  Come see Batman six stories high as he fights the Joker and crime in Gotham City.

See the Bats!  See the Bats!

When and Where To See the Congress Avenue Bats:

The best bat views are in August when the young pups join their mothers in the nightly flights. It can take as long as 45 minutes for all the bats to exit the bridge. Flights normally occur around 8 to 8:30 pm but could be earlier or later. Call the Bat Hotline at 416-5700 ext. 3636 for times. In addition to lining up on the sidewalks along the Congress Avenue bridge there are other safer and popular spots for bat-watching:

• Austin American-Statesman public viewing area on the Southeast end of Congress Avenue.
• Cruises on Town Lake are another way to see the bats. Lone Star Riverboat and Capital Cruises offer bat-watching cruises.
• Watch the bats from the Shoreline Bar & Grill, T.G.I. Fridays (in the Radisson Hotel), or the Four Seasons Hotel.

Doesn’t it shound like a great weekend for the family.  Do as much or as little as you wish.  Spend all the time indoors to beat the heat or cool down naturally in Barton Springs.

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Well, summer is drawing to an end. Sleepy San Marcos has gone from about 40,000 people to over 70,000 in a matter of days as the Texas State University - San Marcos students move back into town.

Another sign that summer is ending is the Austin City Limits Music Festival has published the tentative line up of musicians to perform September 26-28 at Zilker Park on Lady Bird Lake.

Sampling of Musicians - there are 130 acts featured on eight stages at the 7th annual Austin City Limits Music Festival - Beck. Robert Plant & Allison Krauss. The Foo Fighters. Erykah Badu. The Raconteurs.

Click image to see complete lineup on ACL website.

Austin CVB’s exclusive ACL Festival travel package offers music fans a chance to both save money on their tickets and secure a hotel room in Austin before the entire city sells out.

RV Parks in Austin:

Austin Lonestar RV Park- 5 miles south of downtown on the East side of I-35.

Austin Oak Forest RV Park - 10 minutes from downtown Austin, the University of Texas and the State Capitol. Located east of IH-35 by Decker Lake.

Emma Long Metropolitan Park - on Lake Austin. Some RV slips available. Camping, swimming. Located off FM 2222.

McKinney Falls State Park - Southeast of Austin on Onion Creek. Water and electric sites available. These are not pull through sites and an RV with 2 slides may not fit. Call park for information.

Plum Creek RV - Large sites. Located on IH-35, 12 miles from Austin and 4 miles from San Marcos.

Campground America - in case I missed some!

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Today it was announced that Willie Nelson and special guests will perform the final concert at The Backyard on Sunday, October 26.

The Backyard is located in the heart of the Texas Hill Country in a natural, open-air setting in the shade of 400 year old live oaks. The multilevel decks, fish ponds and plaza meant The Backyard was always more than just another Austin venue for live music. It will soon join the historic ranks of Armadillo World Headquarters, the Stiner Ranch, South Park Meadows and Soap Creek Saloon, which were fantastic places for concerts in Austin that are gone but not forgotten.

Tickets go on sale Saturday, July 19, at 10:00 a.m. The first 400 ticket buyers will receive the “early bird price”; a portion of all proceeds will be donated to a charity to be announced soon. Ticket prices range from as low as $60 (Early Bird price) and up to $350 (Golden Circle price).

Tickets will be available at GetTix, by phone at 1-866-443-8849, and at various outlets including Waterloo, RunTex and the UT Co-Op.

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Willie Nelson, God love him and let him live to be 100 years old, is holding his annual Willie Nelson Picnic in Selma, which is just outside San Antonio. I do not know where he gets the energy, but if you have a chance to see him, go.

There are still tickets available, click here.

Fri, 07/04/08
12:00 PM
Verizon Wireless Amphitheater
Selma, TX

From Austin/San Marcos/New Braunfels
- Take I.H. 35 South toward San Antonio
- Take Exit 174A Selma/Schertz (FM 1518)
- Go through intersection of Evans Rd. and turn right on Retama Parkway.
- Turn right on Lookout Road and follow it to Amphitheater entrance

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