The Contemporary Austin is a new type of art museum, a "museum without walls." It's composed to two buildings in Austin, the Jones Center and The Art School, as well as an outdoor garden at Laguna Gloria. The various locations double as integral parts of the vibrant Austin community, so the eclectic works of art housed therein feel like natural parts of the scenery.

So it makes sense that the displays themselves stray from convention. Past exhibits have included 17,000 Observations by a pair of L.A. artists known as Lucky Dragons. The unique installation at Laguna Gloria married music and sculpture in a fresh way. Tom Sachs: Boombox Retrospective 1999-2015 is a current exhibit running through April of this year, and you'll find bits and pieces of it at various The Contemporary Austin locations. Go see it for yourself and you might just be impressed by the way American sculptor Tom Sachs recreates the boombox to represent different ideas and concepts.

Visit The Contemporary's website to learn more about this distinctive Austin museum near Elan East.

The Contemporary Austin
Austin, TX 78703
www.thecontemporaryaustin.org
www.yelp.com/biz/the-contemporary-austin-laguna-gloria-austin

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/perke

Austin certainly isn't lacking in local businesses, and Vintage Heart Coffee highlights the best of them in its menu of coffee drinks and baked goods. It sources fair-trade coffee from Third Coast Roasting Company, which sits only a few miles away on South Congress. With the beans, Vintage Heart's baristas work their magic. They craft popular vanilla lattes—complete with the obligatory latte art—and serve them in reusable ceramic mugs, just like all of the hot drinks. The cold drinks, on the other hand, come in cute mason jars—try an iced mocha. Vintage Heart's baristas add their own house-made coffees to the mix.

Other local businesses that contribute to Vintage Heart Coffee's inventory include Russell's Bakery, which provides everything from cookies and brownies made from scratch to danish and croissants. Vegans can enjoy a baked good with their coffee, too, thanks to the doughnuts and muffins provided by Rabbit Cooperative Bakery. They contain no milk, eggs, or other animal products.

Check out the Vintage Heart Coffee website to learn more about this Austin cafe not too far from Elan East!

Vintage Heart Coffee
1405 E. 7th Street
Austin, TX 78702
(512) 524-0583
vintageheart.coffee
www.yelp.com/biz/vintage-heart-coffee-austin

CC-BY-SA-2.0/Flickr/olfiika

There's something special about race day. The shared excitement; the pumping adrenaline; the pulsing crowds. In a city like Austin, a place that already has more than enough personality, race day almost certainly brings even more energy. Experience it for yourself by running the Austin Marathon or Austin Half Marathon this year.

Starting corrals trail behind the official start line on Congress Avenue at West 2nd Street. Join your group and get ready to check out some of Austin's best-known sights and attractions. You'll jog along Lady Bird Johnson Lake, pad around Hyde Park and Allandale, and even get a glimpse of the University of Texas Campus and State Capital buildings. The course is mostly shaded and devoid of any extreme hills, although the elevation does gradually build and then decrease over the 26.2-mile course. If you're a serious marathoner, note that the Austin Marathon is a qualifying race for the Boston marathon.

Not ready to run a marathon? Head over from Elan East to cheer on the participants!

Austin Marathon and Half Marathon
100 Congress Avenue and W. 2nd Street
Austin, TX
(512) 476-7223
youraustinmarathon.com
www.yelp.com/biz/austin-marathon-and-half-marathon-austin

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/josiahmackenzie