Now more than 25 years old, the Austin Chronicle Hot Sauce Festival continues to bring the heat to Austin at the end of every summer. This year, the annual festival kicks off at 11 a.m. on Sunday, August 26th with more than 350 homemade hot sauces for guests to taste-test. The $5 entry donation to the Central Texas Food Bank (or three nonperishable food items) is well worth it.

Come to Fiesta Gardens and sample the hot sauces, then cool down with a frosty pint from Real Ale Brewing Company or a scoop of something sweet from Amy's Ice Creams. Other local eateries like Eldorado Cafe ATX, Fork in the Road, and Emojis Grilled Cheese Bar will also dole out grub. All the while, Grammy-winning band Little Joe y La Familia will entertain the crowds along with other live performers.

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Have you ever wondered what it's like to be a bird soaring over the flourishing forests and ebbing lakes of Texas? You won't wonder anymore after an excursion with Lake Travis Zipline Adventures. Its five-zip line course sends guests gliding above the sparkling waters of the lake, picturesque canyons, and emerald treetops.

Take the tour in the warmth of the Texas sunshine or bathed in the soft light that emanates from the moon. Both the daytime and nighttime tours traverse the five zip lines, a collection that includes three of the longest and fastest zip lines in the state (one stretches more than a half-mile long). Your guide will explain how to safely enjoy the zip lines and help you get harnessed into each section of the zip-line course. All you have to do is kick back and zoom free in the open air. After your tour, enjoy some sunbathing on Lake Travis Zipline Adventures' private beach.

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Every summer, locals come together to celebrate a unique and distinctly Austinian event: the emergence of nearly 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats from beneath the Congress Avenue Bridge. It's called Bat Fest, and although this is only its 14th year, the festival actually has roots that date back to the '80s. The year was 1980 when Congress Avenue Bridge underwent an overhaul that, unbeknownst to its architects, would transform it into the perfect urban version of a bat cave.

It wasn't long after that Mexican free-tailed bats began to flock to the bridge and make a home beneath its eaves. Rather than try to shoo the bats away from their new home, the city of Austin embraced their residency. Bat Fest unfolds every August in the evening hours when the bats depart from their "cave" between 7 and 8:45 p.m. for their nightly hunting. The festivities kick off at 4 p.m., a lineup of live music, hot food and cold drinks, and more than 50 arts and crafts vendors. Come to the Congress Ave Bridge on Saturday, August 18th to enjoy the festival this year. Tickets start at $15 when you purchase them in advance.

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