So. Much. To. Do.

It may be 102 degrees outside, but there is still so much to do in and around Austin. We’ve been writing up a storm for the LiveMom.com Austin Summer Fun Checklist, and hope you’ll find some fun activities to fill your days with worthwhile, Austin-y good times. The days may feel long now, but school will start soon enough, and you’ll be wishing for some quality time with your babes! Here are a few ideas for ya:

Where to Channel Your Inner Pinball Wizard

Ten Places to Get Killer Ice Cream

Taco Time!

Best Playhouse in Town: The Cathedral of Junk

Seven Ways to Volunteer With Your Kids

Hike and Splash at St. Edward’s Park

These are just a handful of activities listed on the Austin Summer Fun web site, so be sure and poke around!

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Expedition Austin is Officially Launched!

by Jill Coody Smits

We had such a fabulous launch party at The ABGB! It was a wonderful celebration of a year of hard but rewarding work and our little labor of love. The weather was cold and rainy, so we brought the fun inside, and the kids had a good time completing this special made-for-indoors mission. Next time you go to ABGB, print it out –you’ll also need to bring some colored pencils or crayons and a deck of cards!

Virginia and I are so grateful to friends old and new for coming out and supporting us. We were also very grateful to many locations highlighted in our book for donating fun party swag (Jim-Jim’s, Lucy’s Fried Chicken, Blanton Museum Shop, the LBJ Store, The Rowing Dock, Laguna Gloria and P. Terry’s), to the awesome ABGB for letting us hold our celebration there, and for some very exciting coverage in the Austin American Statesman and on 365thingsaustin.com. We’re still reveling in the local love and support! Thanks, friends!

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Kids working to fulfill their mission while munching on delicious pizza!

More cute kids on a mission.

Build a house of cards, four stories tall: check!

Virginia and Jill, the happy illustrator and author.

Super cute tees that Jim-Jim’s donated to the party.

Legit!

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Grab a paddle and…

by Jill Coody Smits

…hop in our boat!

Everyone’s welcome on our wacky, wild and wonderful trip around the weirdest town in Texas! All you need is an open mind, a sense of adventure and a fun little guide that will get you where you want to go in the most exciting, kid-friendliest way possible.

Expedition Austin: A Kid’s Guide to the Weirdest Town in Texas is an adventure (masquerading as a book) designed especially for kids to have a ball in one of the greatest towns to live in or visit in all of Texas, America and maybe even the world. Really! Austin is so great, in fact, that something like 22 million people visit every year and more people move here than almost anywhere else in the country. Whether you’re lucky enough to call Austin home, or one of the millions visiting from some other cool place, this here 120-page guide will give you the stuff you need to turn an ordinary trip around town into something you’ll want to brag about.

So, grab a paddle, a book, and maybe a friend or two and get your expedition started!