What to do in austin with toddlers

It irks me ever so slightly when I meet someone who tells me they've visited Austin and they had fun on Sixth Street. In fact, I'll probably roll my eyes or blush with embarassment. News Flash: Locals HATE Sixth Street! That's where we go when we're in the mood to witness a bar fight, relive the pleasure of drip drying over a dirty toilet, and hop over the vomit of a bachelorette wearing a neon wig as we walk down the strip looking for the next joyous encounter with a toothless man swinging a wallet on a chain. Theres a reason it's nicknamed "dirty six". Locals, and parents, value much more about Austin than the party scene. I feel blessed I get to raise my boys here because there's SO much to do with littles in this city. 

So, what do you do in Austin with littles?

Outdoor:

• Austin Nature and Science Center
• The Wildflower Center
• Zilker Bark, Zilker Park, Zilker Zephyr
• Barton Springs
• Pease Park
• Butler Park
• Park for All Abilities
• Mayfield Park
• Splash pads
• Austin Botanical Gardens
• Austin Zoo

Storytimes with toys/gardens/interactive play:

• Austin Public Library
• Book People
• The Thinkery

Indoor (gyms, museums, playscapes)

• Rolly Pollies
• Catch Air
• Locomotion
• Hoppin House
• We Rock the Spectrum
• My Gym
• Little Land Play
• Locomotion
• Almost Grown
• Mt Playmore
• The Coop
• Austin Aquarium

Restaurants with play structures:

• Phils Icehouse
  
• Hat Creek Burger
  
• P Terrys
  
• North by Northwest
  
• Abels on the Lake
  
• Lucys Fried Chicken (Burnet and Lake Travis)

Coffeehouses for Littles:

• Cosmic Coffee (chickens, garden, fountains, sand, logs)
• Brentwood Social Club (trainable, toys, books)
• Cherrywood Coffeehouse
• Almost Grown Play Cafe (coffee, Wifi, toys)
• The Hive (toys, play structures and childcare)

Creative Classes:

• Figment Playgroup
• Austin Tinkering School
• Heartsong
• Smudge
• Art Garage
• Little Yoga House
• Imagine That

Outdoor Art

• Spark Park
• Hope Outdoor Gallery 
• Laguna Gloria
• Murals around town 

Short Drive outside town:

• Dinosaur Park, Bastrop
• Sweet Berry Farm, Marble Falls
• McKenna Childrens Museum, New Braunfels
• Doseum, San Antonio
• Cameron Park Zoo, Waco