This weekend you can take a hike in McKinney Falls, learn new moves during Austin’s Free Day of Dance, attend the launch party at the Festival Beach Food Forest, enjoy children’s plays at ZACH Theatre & the Scottish Rite Theatre, check out WeatherFest at the Bullock Museum, make valentines at the Neill-Cochran house, celebrate urban birds at the Umlauf Sculpture Garden, spice things up at a chili cook-off, and much more.

Other stuff:

topfamilypicks

Here are our Top Austin Family Events

friday

 

— Sing, dance and play at Millie & Mox‘s Fun Friday event at 10 a.m.. Kids can rock out with local favorites, The Que Pastas, while parents shop in this cute boutique.  Free! And complimentary refreshments will be served.

saturday

 

— Skip the Saturday morning cartoon routine and take the family on a guided hike at McKinney Falls State Park. You can enjoy a morning hike, an afternoon workshop and the chance to become a junior park ranger for free with paid admission ($6 per adult, kids 12 and under are free).

— Put on your dancing shoes and join the fun during Austin’s 7th Annual Free Day of Dance. With free dance classes offered all over the city and surrounding areas, there is no better time to try something new. Classes are offered for all ages and levels, too. Click here for the schedule of free classes.

The Six Seasons is an innovative new production for families playing at the ZACH Theatre at 11 a.m. & 2 p.m. This play (geared towards children ages 7 and up) uses puppets to show the effects of climate change on distinct environments around the globe. Tickets start at $15 and can be purchased online here. (Read our review here.)

—  In celebration of the groundbreaking of Austin’s Festival Beach Food Forest, everyone’s invited to a big kick-off benefit party at YardFarm from 4-10 p.m. This family-friendly event includes a great line-up of music, a Pie Walk, plant-inspired activities, presentations by local leaders and a silent auction. Tickets are $30 and include food, drink, and admission. Tickets can be purchased online here.

sunday

 

— Enjoy the free family-friendly Sunday-Funday event at Austin’s Neill-Cochran House Museum. Pop into one of Austin’s most historic homes from 1 – 4 p.m. for tours and hands-on activities for kids. This week you’ll make old-fashioned valentines!

Umlauf Sculpture Garden and Museum will host a Free Family Day from noon – 4 p.m. Bring the whole family for yoga, story time, art, music and more in the peaceful & picturesque gardens full of beautiful sculptures. The theme of this event is urban birds, and kids will make bird masks, clay birds, do pigeon yoga poses and more.

— Get a super bowl of chili before the Super Bowl at the the 9th Annual Chili Cook Off, benefitting the 100 Club, at Jo’s Coffee on South Congress. Chili tasting and dancing start at noon with live music from Jeff Hughes and Chapparal and the Jo’s House Band. Chili tasting wristbands are $20 and get you a sample of each chili along with one ticket to vote for your favorite.

— Learn about wild Texas weather during the free WeatherFest 2015 event at the Bullock Texas State History Museum. Families are invited to the Bullock for FREE admission from noon – 5 p.m. with special weather weather-related programs from noon – 3 p.m. You can talk with meteorologists from Time Warner Cable News, KEYE and KXAN. And kids can check out plenty of hands-on activities, too.

— Families are in for a treat when Duncan Tonatiuh’s award-winning children’s book, Pancho Rabbit and the Coyote: A Migrant’s Tale, comes to life on the stage at the Scottish Rite Theatre at 2 p.m. In this play (recommended for children in grades K-5), Pancho Rabbit meets danger at every stage of his journey to find his missing Papá, but the greatest danger of all is his untrustworthy guide. Tickets are available online here and will also be sold at the door. $8 for kids 12 and under, $12 for adults. (You can get a FREE ticket with purchase of a ticket for the 1st weekend only, Jan. 31 & Feb. 1! Click here to get the deal.)

Have a fun weekend!