Any time we pass Peter Pan Mini-Golf, the kids beg to go play! It is as if that giant T-Rex looming over their sign at Barton Springs Rd. & Lamar is whispering to the kids below, beckoning them to come in. Every once in a while we do make a special trip to putt and play. Peter Pan Mini-Golf is such a classic Austin establishment. In fact, it’s been an Austin tradition since 1946! You can’t help but love being surrounded by such an assortment of giant, whimsical, brightly-colored sculptures. It’s great for all ages, affordable, quirky and totally fun.

If you want to play a round of mini-golf during these dog days of summer, we suggest getting there early. We arrived just after they opened around 9 a.m. mid-week, and it the temperatures were perfectly comfortable. Thankfully there are plenty of trees on the course, providing relief from the sun. Also at that early hour, there were only a handful of other families playing on the course, which meant we could take our time at each hole without feeling like we were holding anyone up behind us.

Peter Pan Mini-Golf has two 18-courses to choose from. We are told that the East course is the “easy” one, and so we generally play that one each time. Although, depending on your skill level, even some of the holes on the easy course can be pretty tricky. If you have really young kids with you, be prepared for high frustration levels on some of the holes where you have to hit the ball uphill. But to keep things moving along and to minimize the epic embarrassment of seemingly endless swings at the trickier holes, after 5 strokes, you are supposed to simply pick up the ball and move to the next hole, giving yourself a score of 6.

You can plan to bring your own drinks and snacks. It’s even BYOB if you’re playing with grown-up friends at night. (No glass allowed.) There are plenty of picnic tables for you to sit and enjoy a little picnic or snack break, too.

–> Location, Hours & Rates: Peter Pan Mini-Golf is located at 1207 Barton Springs Rd., and there is a small, free parking lot on site. Open from 9 a.m. – 11 p.m. daily. Check out all of the latest info regarding contactless tickets and fees on their website at peterpanminigolf.com.

A little mini-golf at Peter Pan is definitely worth adding to your Austin bucket list!

Have fun!