This weekend you can play giant Checkers, see a free musical, take a train ride through Hill Country or paint with ice cubes at an outdoor museum.

Other stuff:

• Book Buddies Program at Town Lake Hospital (Kids can read to cats!)
• Summer Camp at the Expedition School
• Khabele + Strong Incubator to open at Casa de Luz

Here are our Top 10 Austin Family events…

Friday:

— Family Game Night at the Thinkery will give families the chance to create their own board game or challenge other families to giant Chess or Checkers. They can also play with their food and eat it too in the Kitchen Lab. Plus, enjoy the usual Thinkery fun. From 6 – 9 pm, tickets are $15 for adult non members, $17 for child non members, $12 for adult members and $15 for child members, you can purchase them here.

— The 56th Annual Zilker Summer Musical – Oklahoma! will celebrate opening night at 8:30 pm at the Zilker Hillside Theater. Bring a blanket and a picnic and enjoy a free performance from Zilker Theatre Productions. The play will continue throughout the weekend and every Thursday – Sunday evening until August 16. Free to attend, though donations are greatly appreciated.

—  Friday Family Fun Night at Kaleidoscope Toys will feature Safari Greg, who will lead kids in a hands-on educational experience with live animals at 6:30 pm. Admission is food for the Round Rock Area Serving Center. Please bring a non-perishable food item per person attending.

Saturday:

— Wake up and head to Alamo Drafthouse Lakeline for a free screening of “Annie” as part of their Alamo Kids Camp series. Movie is free and starts at 9:45 am. Seating is first come first served, so plan on arriving about 30 minutes early.

— Take the Bertram Flyer on the Austin Steam Train! Enjoy a 3-hour train ride through Hill Country with a stop off in Bertram for a 15-minute layover in a full restored 1912 train depot. Train departs at 10 am and returns at 1 pm. Tickets are $20 – $40 and you can buy them here. Save 25 percent on your ticket with code do512!

— Swing by Laguna Gloria for Family Saturday – Ice Cube Art. Cool down from the summer heat by painting with ice cubes! Kick off the day with yoga at 11 am, followed by live ice carving demonstration at 12 pm and ice cube painting until 3 pm. Cost is $10 for non member families and $5 for member families, recommended for ages 2 – 11.

— Peter & the Piper premieres at the Long Center (inside the Rollins Theatre) at 2 and 4 pm. This latest production from Pollyanna Theatre Company examines friendship and is perfect for ages 8 and up. Tickets are $9 – $12.50 and you can buy them here.

Sunday:

— Free Family Day at the Umlauf Sculpture Garden & Museum will have lots of fun stuff for the kiddos, all at no cost! There will be yoga, story time, ice sculpture demos, music, painting, drawing and a sculpture safari. The museum will celebrate what would have been Charles Umlauf’s 103rd birthday, so expect some frozen treats too! Family Day is from 12 – 4 pm.

— Rent a boat or bring a boat/canoe/kayak to the Midsummer Night’s Water Parade with the Minor Mishap Marching Band. This special event will be an on-the-water concert you won’t forget! Rowing Dock is renting boats for the event, you can click here to rent yours. A group paddle will depart from the Rowing Dock at 8 pm. Minor Mishap Marching Band will depart upriver. Attendees will depart from Rowing Dock, or a place of their choosing, and paddle toward Red Bud Isle. Everyone will meet in the middle and make one giant flotilla! You must be in a boat to participate, no swimming allowed. Event is free but it will cost $30 – $50 to rent a boat (but you can bring your own).

— Toybrary Austin is having its 1st Birthday Party and everyone is invited! This free day of fun will feature live music from The Que Pastas and Staci Gray, with demonstrations from Cook Learn Grow, Heartsong Music and Bricks 4 Kids. There will also be face painters, stilt walkers, party favors and balloons. Free, 2 – 4:30 pm.

 

Have fun!