Laguna Gloria
Recently me and the kids braved the heat and checked out Laguna Gloria in Austin, Texas. The first thing we did was check out Mrs. Driscoll's house. It is a beautiful house inside and out that is used now as offices and to show off art work. On our visit there was currently no art being housed their but we were still able to walk around and look at the house itself.
We then headed outside to see some of their outdoor exhibits. Their was a beautiful set-up just to the right of the house with a few sculptors. In this area the kids favorite part was the massive keyhole and they loved how it looked like gold. We didn't stay to look at this long as they were doing some work over in the area and we didn't want to get in their way.
We then headed down towards Lake Austin to continue our journey. They have a few area's that have wonderful views of the lake and since their were boats out it was nice just watching. In this area they have a walk-way to most of the exhibits that is covered with tree's and really helps break up the heat for a small bit. There are also signs warning about poison ivy though so keep smaller kids near by here. After our short walk we finally made it to one of the exhibits we really wanted to see - Common Crossings. This piece is made up of 9 railroad pieces, sorry not exactly sure what they are called. They did explain to us that there were 6 males and 3 females so the kids were trying to figure out which ones were which. It was an interesting piece of art and something you definitely have to walk around to see from every angle. There are also a few benches in the area to rest and some art pieces towards the back of this exhibit as well.
Our journey then continued on the laguna side of Laguna Gloria. We were told the Mrs. Driscoll loved looking out on the Laguna so while your walking in this area there are plenty of benches to just sit down and look out on the water. Since it was so hot outside we didn't rest to much and just marched right along to see another favorite exhibit of ours - Current. This is lobster rope that has been crochet together to look like waves in water. We were told it took Orly Genger a year to do this piece.
There are many other sculptors in the area to look at and even an art school on the grounds. However, the Texas heat was getting to us so we cut our visit short at just under an hour. It would be a great place to go to during Fall/Spring with cooler weather. You can also take snacks and just sit on a bench and enjoy watching boats, paddle boarders, or kayaks out on the water. It is also very affordable to go - children under 18 are free and adults are only $5; however if you go on Tuesday's its free for everyone!
Laguna Gloria is part of The Contemporary Austin group which also has The Jones Center in downtown Austin which houses a lot of art as well. We have not gone their yet but definitely plan to one day.