For local travelers looking for an experience in their own backyard, Day Trips® from Austin is the essential guide to things to see and do around Austin—from Waco's Texas Ranger Hall of Fame to Museum of Handmade Furniture in Braunfels. With a population of nearly 700,000, and a metro area of 1.7 million and growing, America's #1 College Town (Travel Channel) is an ideal starting point for these and other activities:

* Do something sweet: Visit Blue Bell Creamery in Brenham to see the making of ice cream and you can enjoy a free scoop at the tour's end.

* Do something wonderful: Take a ride on a miniature train for a tour of Texas's largest petting zoo, and have your mind bent in the Anti-Gravity House at Wonder World in San Marcos.

* Do something outdoorsy: Vacation at one of the many dude ranches that dot the landscape around Bandera for horseback riding, cookouts, fishing, hiking, and even country-western dance lessons.

John Bigley and Paris Permenter are a husband and wife team of travel writers. Longtime residents of Central Texas, they make their home in the Hill Country west of Austin, near Lake Travis.
John and Paris have authored 32 guidebooks including Day Trips from San Antonio and Insiders’ Guide to San Antonio. Paris and John also publish www.TexasTripper​.com, which focuses on travel across the Lone Star State, PawZaar.com, featuring global style for pet lovers, and www.DogTipper​.com, filled with tips for dog lovers.
Both John and Paris are members of the prestigious Society of American Travel ​Writers. For more on the couple’s writing and travels, see www​.parisandjohn​.com.