Barton Springs--A Jewel of a Pool with Burgers and Treats

The Carful of Kids love the pool, they love a natural pool even better. It's been hot in Austin lately so we want to take a dip in the legendary Barton Springs Pool to cool off but first, the kids are hungry and I know a great place nearby.

We head to 1624 Barton Springs Road to an Austin original--Shady Grove. Nestled in a grove of pecan trees since 1992, it has become an Austin icon. It is open from 11 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Queso makes everything better!

Shady Grove serves family-friendly fare for kids and adults and should not be missed. The carful of kids grab a small queso to start and follow-up with a round of burgers for the table, complete with fries and onion rings.

I have been on a burger quest lately and the Shady Grove Burger is a serious contender. With a juicy patty in-between sizable toasted buns with all the fixings like lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles with the mustard and mayonnaise on the side--it's a mouthful and so worth it. The onion rings and french fries are cut on-site to accompany the burger perfectly.

The menu features classic dishes like Chicken Fried Steak, Frito Pies, Chili Dogs and for the vegetarians--a Hippie Sandwich along with a selection of salads and sandwiches. The best seating is outside and even on the hottest of days, it's pleasant with the shade of the pecan trees and abundant fans.

A Burger and a Beer with a side of Frings.

Barton Springs Pool (2201 Barton Springs Rd.) is located in the center of the Austin action in Zilker Park.  It is open year-round from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., from 5 a.m. to 8 a.m. is unguarded swim for the lap swimmers. Admission is charged from late April until October 31; the admission for adults is $ 4, juniors--ages 12 to 17 is $ 3, children under 12 is $ 2 and babies are free. It is closed on Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. for cleaning and during flash flood events.

Barton Springs Pool is three acres in size and fed by the Main Barton Springs; it's on the channel of Barton Creek. The water temperature ranges from 68F to 72F and the depth is anywhere from 0 to 18 feet. It has a more rustic feel than its neighbor 2.5 miles away Deep Eddy Pool.

The Indians of the area originally discovered Barton Springs, then Spanish explorers built a temporary mission nearby in the 17th century. It was named in 1837 by William Barton who settled and developed the area. The last private owner, Andrew Zilker gifted the area to the City of Austin.

Barton Springs Pool has lights for night swimming.

The City of Austin increased the size of the pool by damming the springs and building sidewalks during the 1920s. A bathhouse modeled after the Deep Eddy Pool Bathhouse, complete with a courtyard, was built in the 1940s.

Barton Springs Pool is home to the Barton Springs Salamander you can learn about them and the aquifer that supplies the water to the springs at Splash!, a free exhibit located next to the pool. Open Tuesday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday noon to 5 p.m., this exhibit is geared towards school-aged kids.

The carful of kids paddle around and the oldest son waits in line for his turn at the diving board. The carful of kids enjoy the late afternoon and before too long it's dark.

The carful of kids load up and decide it's time for ice cream, well frozen custard to be exact. Sandy's Frozen Custard and Root Beer at 603 Barton Springs Rd. is a drive-thru serving up burgers, corndogs, fries and along with their frozen custard concoctions for over a generation.

The kids order a root beer float a piece and I go for the old stand by--vanilla custard in a cone. My cone of custard has the same taste and mouth feel as the homemade ice cream that my mom used to make back in the 80s. YUM!

Sandy's is a busy place and it's well worth the wait to get through the drive-thru on a busy summer night. Sandy's has a walk-up window and picnic tables if you would prefer to eat there.

Know before you go: During the summer, the Zilker Hillside Theater hosts an evening summer musical from Thursday to Sunday that is a well attended Austin tradition. Parking at Zilker Park is congested during the weekends and there is a $ 5 charge to park.

Topless sunbathing is permitted in Austin and sometimes there are topless sunbathers at Barton Springs Pool. As a Mom of two boys, it has been my experience that they are fairly discreet and lay out on the hillside farthest away from the family area near the shallow end.

Water shoes are recommended because the bottom of the pool is slippery.

Food and coolers are prohibited but you can bring in resealable drinks in plastic containers.

Deep Eddy Pool--an Oasis in the Heart of Austin

At Deep Eddy next to the Lap Lanes

The Carful of Kids live around Austin, Texas, and we love the city: it's a fabulous place and everyone we meet on our travels LOVES Austin. But if there is one thing that I could change about ATX it would be the sizzling summers. That's not going to happen so we like to hang out in the water, preferably a natural pool.

At the edge of the wading pool, waiting to go in.

The Austin area is home to several natural pools and swimming holes, everyone has their favorite. There is the popular one--Barton Springs Pool, it's awesome and everyone visiting Austin is there right now.

The carful of kid's favorite is more a locals hangout, Deep Eddy Pool (401 Deep Eddy Avenue, open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., March 14 to October 31 for the wading pool, year-round for the lap pool). The admission for adults is $ 4, juniors--ages 12 to 17 is $ 3, children under 12 is $ 2 and babies are free.

What I love about Deep Eddy Pool is the old Austin vibe and of course the beautiful fresh water. Thanks to a recent remodel to the pool, it has a zero-entry wading pool, great for the kids.

The zero-entry wading pool, great for all kids.

Deep Eddy Pool is the oldest swimming pool in Texas. It is on the National Register of Historic Places and it was named after the large boulder on the Colorado River that runs through Austin. The boulder was responsible for creating an eddy that early residents used to swim in.

The beautiful mosaic was added in a recent remodel.

In 1915, A. J. Eiler, Sr. bought the land on the Colorado River next to the boulder and constructed a pool with a 35-foot deep hand-dug well that supplies the fresh water to the pool. A few years later a resort was established at Deep Eddy Pool.

Families and Lap Swimmers swim in peace, side-by-side.

In 1935, the City of Austin bought the property but a flood destroyed the property just two weeks later. A bathhouse was constructed by the Works Progress Administration during the Depression, it's still in use today after a recent restoration.

The water at Deep Eddy Pool is the draw for most swimmers because it isn't treated with chlorine, fresh water is pumped into the pool every other day. The temperature ranges from 65F to 75F, it takes a couple of minutes to adjust but quite refreshing on a hot summer day.

Because it's Texas.

Deep Eddy Pool hosts movie nights throughout the summer. There is a concession stand and a few picnic tables, though food is not allowed next to the pool. There is plenty of grass around the pool for spreading out your beach towels.

If you are headed to Austin in the summer and need to cool down for a bit, stop by Deep Eddy Pool. You can make it a day or stay a few hours, it's one of the unique features of ATX that locals and visitors alike love.

Up Next: Another Austin Swimming Hole

Inner Space Caverns with the Carful of Kids

So it's been raining in Texas for months and everything I have planned to do with the carful of kids has been rained out. We love to spend time exploring our outdoor world and there is one place that never gets rained out--A Cave.

The carful of kids love caves and we stop at the caves that we pass on our road trips. But somehow we have never visited Inner Space Caverns in Georgetown, Texas, so we headed over there recently to check it out.

Wonder why Inner Space Caverns is conveniently located on Interstate 35? It was discovered in the Spring of 1963 by the Texas Highway Department while they were drilling core samples to see if the ground was staple enough to support an overpass.

While drilling one of the holes, the drill bit suddenly dropped 26 feet. Something must be down there.

Word traveled and the Texas Speleological Society was selected to do the survey. In November of 1963, the first explorers were lowered down the 6-inch wide hole through  solid limestone into the cavity below. Within a few weeks, 7,000 feet of the cave was discovered and surveyed.

Inner Space Caverns opened to the general public in the summer of 1966. Its been a popular destination for school-age kids ever since.

This is a great tour for the carful of kids because it is relatively short at a little over an hour. The temperature inside the cave is a moderate 72 degrees year-round.

The carful of kids get a great tour guide and have a hard time not running down the steep ramp to the cave below. Of course, we are told to walk, maybe next time.

We walk from room to room with ease and it is not at all claustrophobic. The cave is well lit and none of the kids on the tour have any issues with the dark.

Look good, It's a BAT.

The tour guide tells us about the formation of the geological features and how water is responsible for forming the stalactites and stalagmites. This cave is a living cave so the carful of kids can't touch the formations since it will kill their ability to grow. 

About half way through our tour, the tour guide stops short and shines his flash light a few inches above our heads. To his delight, the carful of kids spot a BAT, yes, a tiny, little bat. The kids on the tour go WILD trying to climb over each other  to see it. 

The tour guide moves the tour along and the bat remains unharmed. He gathers the group in another room and gets our attention.

FLICK, he turns off the lights in the cave. Wow. Black. The kids start to howl like kids, in the dark, underground. Before it gets too crazy, he turns the lights back on and I'll admit, I'm a little relieved.

At the end of the tour, we walk by the exhibit displaying all the prehistoric animals they have found in Inner Space Caverns. I won't spoil the surprise but if you have a dinosaur-loving kid, then this is a must visit.

Inner Space Caverns is a great half-day stop for the carful of kids. There is a gift shop and a small snack stand and it is an easy drive up I-35 from Austin, about 25 miles from the center of the city.

Inner Space Caverns, located at 4200 South I-35 Frontage Road, is open from 9 a. m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and 10 a. m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. For the kids 4 to 12, admission is $ 11.95 and for the adults, it's $ 19.95. Inner Space Caverns is NOT wheel-chair accessible, so that means no strollers either.

Know before you go: The trails are wet in spots, wear tennis shoes for the best traction. The temperature is a mild 72 degrees year round.