Austin, Texas, is known for its unique appeal. From the hippie vibe to the new Silicon Valley feel, Austin, Texas, offers a variety of activities for people of all ages! Austin is, no doubt, one of the best places in Texas to experience Southern Hospitality!
Due to COVID, some locations may be temporarily closed or limited. Please check their site prior to attempting to go to their spot.
Wonderspaces
Wonderspaces is a beautiful, interesting, and interactive space for those into modern art. With only four locations in the United States, it’s a place one would be lucky to see!
Due to COVID, we were unable to interact with some features. One display was being worked on and was not open to the public. Despite the setbacks, several other displays were open! They were kind enough to let us know they would be offering tickets via email once they open back up 100%, so we could fully experience the displays.
They had several stunning exhibits that were piquing my interest. The only thing I wish they added to each exhibit was a description for each piece. The Illegal Art exhibit was stunning, but I wanted to know more about it. You can find more information online, but it would have been handy to have this in person as well. It may be that they normally hold these in person, but due to coronavirus, they chose to make them digital.
Exhibits
Squidsoup is one of the creators of the Submergence exhibit in Austin, TX. This feature allows guests to watch a beautiful light show that moves to the music, creating a variety of shows.
Reed van Brunschot created the large Thank You Bags exhibit. The focus of this piece is the American belief in capitalism and the harmful effects of plastic waste bags on the environment.
Vier Nev created the A Mind Sang. This visual display has a seamless movement through the video. It includes some images that appear to be optical illusions.
Yasuhiro Chida’s exhibit initially appeared to be dancing fireflies. As we got closer, we thought it looked like spider webs. After further looking, we realized it was fishing line. The ability to take fishing line and create such a masterful piece is amazing!
Everyware created the Levitate piece. Unfortunately, we were unable to interact with this one due to the coronavirus. However, I hope we will soon be able to experience it to its full potential!
Memo Akten created Body Paint. This exhibit is interactive with human movements. The use of shadow and body creates beautiful art pieces. This is especially ideal for those who grew up in dance, gymnastics, or even generalized sports.
NONOTAK Studio presented one of the most intriguing exhibits, Hoshi, featuring mirrors, sound, and light. At times, the image of you walking may confuse you with the flashes and the multi-way mirrors. My only suggestion on this one is to not bring those who have epileptic episodes watch this!
John Edmark created Blooms. This one was particularly interesting. At times, it would appear as if the sculpture moved, and other times it didn’t. The use of strobe lights allows guests to spend more time at this exhibit, examining whether their eyes are betraying them!
Sweepers Clock was created by Maarten Baas. In this exhibit, they use trash to create time changes within a clock. It truly shows that beautiful art can be made from literal trash.
On a Human Scale was on exhibit, but inaccessible. I could tell this exhibit would be a beautiful creation from Matthew Matthew. I cannot wait to see this exhibit back open. I know it will be utterly astounding when the time comes to see this exhibit in full.
Illegal Art had The Last Word. The concept behind this exhibit is absolutely beautiful: unspoken words to form a beautiful display. I am curious if the creators ever plan to reveal what messages are tied to those pieces of paper.
Charlotte Stoudt, Laura Wexler, Angel Soto, Skybound, Ryot & Telexist’s exhibit of Dinner Party threw me for a loop, initially. When I walked into this exhibit, I felt like I was intruding on a dinner part (it definitely fits the name). I remember telling the person I was with, “I’m not sure if we should be in here.” After realizing it was one of the art pieces, I started to look deeper into the meaning behind it. Unfortunately, this is also a piece that we were able to experience 100%, due to COVID.
Michael Murphy’s exhibit of The Immigrant was unfortunately being maintained. Because of this, we were unable to see it in all its beauty.
Taquero Mucho (Pink Tacos of Austin)
If you love the idea of Tiffany Blue, you’ll love Taquero Mucho! Everything in this location is pink: from the outside decorations to the interior design, and even the plates, glasses, and check payment holder. This place bleeds pink!
The first thing I noticed, aside from the insane amount of pink throughout the building, was the incredibly small menu. Usually, small menus tend to have delicious food because they focus so much on flavor! I can attest that this theory is true! Their carnitas were amazing! The flavors burst with each bite. I’m not a bean fan, but their beans had an amazing flavor! Of course, all the food and drinks were pink as well!
They also have a few outdoor delights to enjoy, including an old telephone booth, outdoor seating, and an outdoor shop. I was so enthralled by the pink overload that I had to purchase a t-shirt in support of this amazing company started by such an amazing person!
Top Golf Austin
As someone who had never golfed before, coming here seemed a bit intimidating at first. I was worried professional golfers would appear and put me to shame. It’s not like mini golf, which has built-in supports (short distances, smaller clubs, etc.).
Luckily, that wasn’t my experience at all! Top Golf Austin had a good mix of professional and beginner golfers. There were families, couples, groups of friends, and more. With COVID restrictions, they limit how many people may be in a bay. They do their best to spread out customers as well to ensure safety! The staff is extremely friendly, including walking new timers through the process (like me).
There are several options for playing (from Beginner to Advanced, games to tournaments). I found the technology intriguing, which led to a discussion with employees about ball tracking, video sources, etc. I was expecting to leave more broke, but surprisingly, it was affordable. As a newcomer, I will definitely make another pit stop at this location to work on my golf game!
