Austin might be expensive to live in, but it's one of the better family travel destinations for free activities. The park system is exceptional. Pease Park Treehouse alone is worth the trip and it costs nothing. Here's where to start.
Completely Free Activities
Pease Park Treehouse (4.8 stars) is Austin's best-kept secret for kids. A massive, architecturally designed wooden treehouse structure built by a local nonprofit — not a standard playground, an actual treehouse experience. Free. Closed-toe shoes recommended. Located in Pease Park near downtown, easy to access. Plan 1.5–2 hours.
Alliance Children's Garden (4.7 stars) inside Zilker Park is a beautifully designed outdoor playground with nature-integrated equipment. Free. Bring your own food and water. Combine with the nearby Zilker Metropolitan Park Playscape Shelter for a full Zilker morning — both are free.
Zilker Nature Preserve (4.7 stars) is real hiking, not just a trail walk. Tucked into the Barton Creek greenbelt, the trails challenge older kids and reward patience with creek crossings and limestone outcroppings. Completely free. Bring water. Wear closed-toe shoes.
Play for All Abilities Park (4.9 stars) in Round Rock is the best inclusive playground in the Austin metro — specifically designed for children of all abilities with wheelchair-accessible equipment and thoughtful design. Free. Bring food and water.
Butler Metro Park (4.7 stars) on Barton Springs Rd is the classic Austin family park — trails, open space, and proximity to Barton Springs Pool (the pool itself has admission). The park is free. Kayak rentals are available nearby. One of the most-used family parks in the city.
Walnut Creek Metropolitan Playground (4.7 stars) is a large, varied city playground with real substance. Free. Combine with the Walnut Creek trail system for families with energetic older kids.
Katherine Fleischer Park (4.7 stars) in Wells Branch (North Austin) is a comprehensive community park. Free. Bring food and water. Good for a half-day visit.
Springwoods Park (4.7 stars) in the Anderson Mill area has a splash pad — one of northwest Austin's most popular family spots. Free. The splash pad is seasonal; check if it's running before you go.
Lakeline Park Playground in Cedar Park (5.0 stars, 92 reviews) is unusually excellent for a neighborhood park. Open 24 hours — useful for evening visits in cooler weather. Free.
Loewy Family Playground (4.7 stars) in Northwest Hills is a well-maintained neighborhood playground that keeps young kids busy for 45–90 minutes. Free.
Great Hills Park - Playscape (4.7 stars) in Sierra Vista/Northwest Austin. Free city playground.
Skyline Park (4.7 stars) in the Easton Park development in SE Austin. Free neighborhood amenity with a well-designed playscape.
Robinson Park (4.7 stars) in Jollyville (NW Austin). Free. Managed by North Austin MUD 1 — kept in notably good condition.
Creative Playscape (4.6 stars) in Georgetown is one of the most creatively designed playgrounds in the area. Free Georgetown municipal park. Worth the drive if you're in the north Austin area.
Roy G. Guerrero Colorado River Metro Park (4.6 stars) in East Austin is a large natural park with disc golf (equipment rental or purchase extra). Free access to the park and trails.
Texas Science & Natural History Museum (4.5 stars) on the UT Austin campus. Free admission. Only cost is small parking fees on campus — bring cash or know where the visitor lots are. Real natural history collection: fossils, geology, ecology. Not a children's museum, but genuinely engaging for curious kids 6+.
Mueller Lake Park Playground — free. Combine with the Mueller Lake walking path for a longer outing.
Playground at The Grove — free. Neighborhood playground in The Grove development.
Cheap Paid Options (Under $20/child)
Play Street Museum - Sunset Valley — 2 kids ~$12–$14 each, adults ~$8–$10 (family of 4: $45–$55). Role-play focused indoor play: grocery store, vet clinic, kid-size kitchen. Best for ages 0–8. No food on-site.
Indigo Play — family of 4 runs $35–$55 (admission typically ~$10–$14/child). Indoor play venue — check current pricing at their site. Good toddler-to-young-kid option.
Pikopye's Town — $30–$45 for a family of 4. Small indoor play facility with lower pricing than larger competitors. Good for younger kids who don't need the scale of a big indoor playground.
Toybrary Austin — $35–$50 (membership-based; drop-in rates vary). A hybrid toy library and open play space in the Brentwood neighborhood. Genuinely unique — kids can explore toys they'd never see at home. No food on-site.
Cheeky Monkeys - Cedar Park — $55–$70 for a family of 4 (2 kids ~$14–$16 each; adults ~$8–$12). Local indoor playground, 4.6 stars, multi-level play structure. Not the cheapest but still under $70 and reliable. Buy tickets online.
Mt Playmore — $50–$80 for a family of 4 (admission varies by age/session). Austin's premier indoor play center. Worth checking current pricing on their website before assuming cost.
Austin Zoo — $55–$75 for a family of 4 (adults ~$15, kids ~$10–$12). Rescue sanctuary. More intimate than a traditional zoo and meaningfully cheaper than most big-city zoos.
JUMP PARTY USA in Kyle — $60–$100 for a family of 4 (varies by activities). Mix of inflatables and other attractions. South of Austin in Kyle — plan the drive accordingly.
Chuck E. Cheese — $60–$90 for a family of 4 (pizza/food ~$25–$35; play pass 2 kids ~$15–$25). Food costs push this up. If you're going, eat elsewhere first and just buy the play pass.
Inflatable Wonderland — $65–$90 (2 kids ~$18–$22 each; adults often free). Massive bounce houses and obstacle courses. Adults often free means this is a genuine value for families.
Catch Air Austin — $60–$80 (2 kids ~$15–$20 each; adults free). Adults free is significant — if you have 2 adults and 2 kids, you're only paying for the kids. Good value.
Blazer Tag Adventure Center — $60–$100 for a family of 4. Austin's original multi-activity entertainment center. Game packages offer better value than individual purchases.
Museum of Illusions Austin — $65–$80 for a family of 4. 1–1.5 hours of optical illusion rooms. Weekday visits are less crowded and sometimes cheaper.
Altitude Trampoline Park in South Austin — $70–$100 for a family of 4. Kids ~$18–$22/hour; adults often free or reduced. Bring your own socks.
Ways to Stretch the Budget Further
- Combine Zilker-area stops. Alliance Children's Garden, Zilker Metropolitan Playscape, and Butler Metro Park are all within walking distance. One parking spot, three activities, $0 cost.
- Texas Science Museum is free and underrated. Pair it with a campus lawn picnic and you've had a full educational morning for almost nothing.
- Pease Park Treehouse beats any paid playground. It's not a compromise choice — it's genuinely one of Austin's best family experiences and it's free.
- Adults free at Catch Air and Inflatable Wonderland — factor that into your per-person math. For two adults and two kids, you're only paying for the children.
- Pack lunch for every park day. Austin's parks all have picnic areas. Eating in is $0; eating out is $25–$40 per meal.
- Buy tickets online. Museum of Illusions, Austin Aquarium, and Cheeky Monkeys all charge more at the door.
Bottom line: Austin's free park network — Pease Park Treehouse, Zilker, Walnut Creek, the northwest Austin parks — is legitimately excellent. You can fill 2–3 days spending almost nothing. When the budget allows, Play Street Museum and Inflatable Wonderland offer the best value in the paid tier. Save Zero Latency VR and K1 Speed for the one day you're willing to splurge.