The largest city in Williamson County, Cedar Park, Texas is a lively and exciting city to live in and also visit. Some part of Cedar Park also spreads into the Travis County, which is a neighboring area. Cedar Park lies on the northern limit, 17 miles from downtown Austin. Cedar Park was named after a park, which was a stop for trains in the 1800s and was later included as a city in the year 1973. This city of parks has rightly been named Cedar Park as it has around 47 parks spread over 927 acres, with running, walking and cycling trails that go on for 22 miles and several pockets of natural areas.

One of the fastest growing cities in the country, and in fact, in the last decade, Cedar Park has grown by around 400 percent. At the heart of Cedar Park lies its core values of community, integrity, service, leadership, innovation, professionalism and fiscal responsibility.

Cedar Park is a fantastic place to live in and its exceptional charm, closeness to the Texas Hill Country and Austin, and the added beauty of the Lower Colorado Lake has attracted people from all across the world to make Cedar Park, Texas their home.

Cedar Park is not only a great place to live in, it offers so many fun things to do and there is something for everyone, kids and adults alike. Be it water sports, live music, shopping, professional sports, great food or any other interest, you can find it all in and around Cedar Park.

Fun Things to Do in Cedar Park

Cedar Park offers lots of entertainment and there is plenty you can do here if you are on a holiday or just visiting Cedar Park. Some of the exciting things on the entertainment line-up at Cedar Park are:

HEB Center

The HEB Center is a state-of-the-art, hi-tech entertainment and sports facility in Cedar Park. Several famous celebrities have performed at the HEB Center in the past. The HEB Center is also home to the Austin Spurs Basketball and Texas Stars Hockey teams. Today, the HEB Center features many shows regularly – sports matches, ice shows like the Disney on Ice show, Cirque de Soleil performances, circuses and family shows.

Austin Steam Train

The Austin Steam Train runs many themed flyers across the Hill Country. You can have a fantastic adventure on board the several flyers such as the Hill Country Flyer, Bertram Flyer, Beer trains, Murder Mystery trains, etc.

Lake Travis Zipline Adventure

Zip across the Texas Hill Country terrain and Lake Travis on the zip lines ranging from 250 ft. to 2000 ft. and get your adrenaline flowing at the Lake Travis Zipline Adventure. Here, you can enjoy educational nature walks and challenging hikes with trained tour guides too.

Texas Museum of Science and Technology

Make sure that you visit TXMOST to rekindle your interest in the mysteries of science and technology. Do not miss the captivating star shows at the Planetarium, the enthralling “Timewalk”, the mystical “Tutankhamun” exhibitions and the many more exciting things at the museum.

Thirsty Oaks Wine Trail

The Thirsty Oaks Wine Trail is a perfect way to spend a day, where you can take in the spectacular Texas scenery accompanied by a fantastic wine tasting experience. The trail includes a visit to four lovely wineries and vineyards along the Texas Hill Country. You can spend your time enjoying a lovely picnic, lazing in the Texas sunshine and savoring the mellow wines.

Bushy Creek Trail

Follow the 6.75 miles of the Bushy Creek Trail, where you can enjoy the picturesque views and fantastic landscaping. Enjoy the six parks that lie along the trail offering several amenities and many fun activities like rock climbing, swimming, golf, kayaking, canoeing etc. There are many pavilions and picnic areas where you can spend a day out with your family.

Sculpture Garden

The Sculpture Garden is a “must-see” if you an art lover and the garden has a sculpture exhibit that is on annual rotation. The exhibition contains works by many artists and most of the works of art on display here are for sale. So if you want to add to your art collection, Sculpture Garden is a place you must visit.

Some of the other places worth visiting when you are in Cedar Park are the Balcones Canyonlands National Wildlife Refuge, where you can do some bird watching, go hiking or experience managed hunts. Go fishing, boating, or just enjoy splashing in Lake Travis. Do visit the Veterans Memorial that is the jewel of Cedar Park.

Businesses in Cedar Park

Cedar Park is home to the Fortune 500 companies: National Oilwell Varco and Dana Corporation, many hi-tech companies like Voltabox, Firefly Space Systems, Corvalent, LiveOps and many more that are headquartered in Cedar Park. Cedar Park possesses a diverse and dynamic mix of biotech, software, oil exploration and manufacturing businesses.

In terms of the cost of living, facilities, education, employment and safety, Cedar Park has been named as the “5^th Most Desirable Suburb in the Country” and Cedar Park has also been identified among “America’s Fastest-Growing Suburbs” by Forbes magazine.

Cedar Park is indeed a fantastic place to raise a family and belong to a tight-knit community. It is no small wonder that several people are calling this lovely city their home.

Austin Texas

Established in 1839 along the Colorado River and on the Texas Hill Country’s edge, Austin is a city that is steeped in history. It is the fastest growing city in the U.S. and the second most populated city. It is no wonder that the city of Austin in the state of Texas attracts both visitors and settlers alike and around 50 people move to Austin, the capital city of Texas each day. The city was chosen as the capital of the Republic of Texas, replacing the capital Houston and was named “Waterloo”. The name was later changed to Austin in honor of the secretary of state and the “Father of Texas”, Stephen F Austin.

In the later part of the 19^th Century, Austin came to be known as the “City of the Violet Crown” due to the glow of light that enveloped the hills after the sunset. Today also, many local Austin businesses use the word “Violet Crown” as part of their name.

Austin is home to many rivers, lakes and waterways including Barton Springs, Colorado River, Lake Travis, Lady Bird Lake, McKinney Falls and Lake Walter E. Long. The main draw of this place is its fantastic outdoor areas, enthralling music and captivating culture.

Austin, being a rapidly growing metro in Texas, augers well for the local economy.

Austin Weather

Austin experiences temperatures that reach the mid-90s in the summer and drops to the 30s in winter. The city experiences mild weather during the rest of the year. The pleasant weather and strong economy together are reasons why people are choosing Austin as their new home.

Transport System

The city is well-connected by the public transport system, the Capital Metro and the 32-mile train line. People of Austin love driving and you can let your hair down and drive on the 130-miles of tolled state highways. The airport, Austin-Bergstrom International Airport, operates around 300 flights and is a few miles from the downtown. The metro city area is also serviced by intercity buses and Amtrak trains. Within the city, you can see the people walking, biking and hiking too.

Business and Employment

There are many state agencies that have their headquarters in Austin which employ Austinites. In recent years, Austin has become a growing hub for IT and technology and has been nicknamed as the “Silicon Hills.” It is also one of the top areas for investment by venture capitalists. A number of Fortune 500 companies have their headquarters and offices in Austin such as Google, IBM, Amazon.com, Apple Inc., 3M, Oracle, Intel, Texas Instruments and Whole Foods Market to name a few.

The University of Texas, one of the biggest public universities in the United States, is another large source of employment.

Education

Austin has many public elementary, middle and higher schools and private schools too. Some of Austin’s high schools are recognized among the top schools in the “Best High School Rankings” by US News & World Reports. Austin also has 6 colleges and universities.

Things to do when in Austin

Austin is a very popular destination for music and much more. Austin has so many music venues and local bands that entertain the crowds. It is no wonder, Austin is popularly known as the “Live Music Capital of the World.” But then music is just a start to all things wonderful in Austin. It is home to beautiful outdoor spaces, world-class museums, wonderful shopping and ballet.

Austinites love outdoor life and the 250 odd parks of Austin allow people to indulge in their favorite pastimes like jogging, hiking, cycling, etc. The museums, outdoor festivals and other natural attractions offer plenty of activities for kids, youngster and adults alike. Austin also offers exciting food and eating options, from fine-dining restaurants to food trucks and street food.

Austin hosts a Formula One race at the Circuit of The Americas as well as the X Games and you will find Austinites all set to cheer the University of Texas Longhorns.

Music

Wherever you go in Austin, you are bound to encounter musicians and live music, be it at the airport, in the marketplace, at city council meetings, at clubs, bars, coffee shops, concert halls or at music festivals. That is why it is called the “Live Music Capitol of the World”. Austin hosts many music festivals apart from the famous Austin City Limits Music Festival and South by Southwest , like the Sound on Sound Festival, Urban Music Festival and the Pecan Street Festival. Austin has over 250 music venues.

Places to Stay

Wherever you stay in Austin, you can definitely get the feel of authentic Austin.  There are many places to stay, right from enjoying the antiquity of a historic hotel to a hi-tech, modern tower, you can find eclectic accommodations everywhere in the city. You can stay at boutique hotels or choose from a range of ultra-luxurious resorts, golf retreats and spas.

Food and Drinks

When it comes to food in Austin, one is spoiled for choice. You can sample the Tex-Mex cuisine at Chuy’s, tacos paired with pitchers of margaritas to quench your thirst; you can check out the waterfront eateries or enjoy a barbecue at local joints like Franklin’s Bar B Q downtown.

Any trip to Austin is incomplete without an eating experience at the food trucks and food trailers. What began as a hot-dog stand in the 90s, has become a “way of life” today. You can find food being served all over the city in the back of concession trailers and remodeled Airstreams. From street eats and Tex-Mex to barbecue and cupcakes, mobile food vendors are everywhere.

From grapevines to hops, you can find it all here in Austin, Texas. You can enjoy the local brews and wines – no matter if you are a beer fanatic or a connoisseur of wine, you can find your choice of drink in Austin.

There is no shortage of things to see, do and experience when you visit Austin. The famous live music, unique culture and the ever-mushrooming restaurant scenario make Austin a talking point for all visitors. You need to experience all these things and more to really understand the “authentic” Austin experience.