Zilker Park
2100 Barton Springs Rd, Austin, TX
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Zilker Park was donated to the city of Austin in 1917 and 1932 by businessman Andrew Jackson Zilker, and its 350 acres along the Colorado River have since become the central gathering space for Austin's outdoor recreation and festival culture, hosting everything from casual picnics to some of the city's largest annual events. The park is home to Barton Springs Pool, a naturally spring-fed swimming pool maintaining a consistent temperature of around 68 to 70 degrees year-round regardless of the outside weather, drawing swimmers even during Austin's notoriously hot summer months and cooler winter days alike. Zilker Park hosts the Austin City Limits Music Festival every October, one of the largest annual music festivals in the country, along with the Trail of Lights holiday event each winter, giving the park a role as Austin's default outdoor venue for the city's biggest recurring cultural events. For a Austin attractions list, Zilker Park is the essential "the city's backyard" entry — 350 riverside acres donated in the 1910s and '30s, now home to a naturally spring-fed pool that stays swimmable year-round and one of the largest music festivals in the country each fall.
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