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Celebrate Spice at Austin’s 25th Annual Hot Sauce Festival!

August 19, 2015 by

If you love spicy food, but your tastes go beyond what the average person considers “spicy,” you can finally enjoy a truly spicy meal surrounded by people who share your taste buds at Austin’s 25th Annual Hot Sauce Festival. An estimated 15,000 spectators attend every year, and there are more than 350 entries every year. This year's festival will take place at Fiesta Gardens on Aug. 23, and if you’re planning on attending you should be prepared to taste some of the spiciest foods imaginable!

All of the food and fun at the Hot Sauce Festival is for a good cause — it doubles as a fundraiser for the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas, and last year’s festival raised over 45,000 meals in just six hours!

The event is only three miles from Elan East, and it's free and open to the public, but attendees are encouraged to donate three nonperishable food items or $5 to the Capital Area Food Bank of Texas.

25th Annual Hot Sauce Festival
Sunday, Aug. 23 starting at 11 a.m.
Fiesta Gardens
2101 Jesse E. Segovia St.
Austin, TX 78702
www.austinchronicle.com/hot-sauce

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Learn More About Wine This Weekend at a Free Tasting at the Austin Wine Merchant

July 9, 2015 by

You might think that becoming a connoisseur of fine wines is an expensive hobby, but the folks at Austin Wine Merchant are out to prove you wrong. They strive to make top-shelf wines accessible to everyone by hosting weekly complimentary wine tastings in-house. And since Austin Wine Merchant is less than 10 minutes away from Elan East, you can easily join in the fun this weekend.

Just head to the wine shop on West 6th Street at noon on Saturday, and you'll be treated to a flight of three to five wines. You can never quite predict what'll be on tap on any given week, either. Austin Wine Merchant's barkeeps pour everything from $8 bottles that you'd crack open on a girls' night in to $100 wines fit for a fancy celebration. Each week focuses on a different varietal, so the hosts simply pour whatever makes sense to keep with the overarching theme.

Austin Wine Merchant
Free weekly wine tastings
12 to 3 p.m. every Saturday through Dec. 19
512 W. 6th Street
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 499-0512
austin.culturemap.com/eventdetail/austin-wine-merchant-weekly-wine-tasting-2015
www.theaustinwinemerchant.com/index.html#

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Fourth of July Free Admission at the LBJ Library: From Lyndon B. Johnson to The Beatles!

July 1, 2015 by

Even if you spent every open hour, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., exploring the collection at the LBJ Presidential Library on July 4, you wouldn't come anywhere close to seeing every document in stock. It's home to more than 45 million pages worth of historical papers, and this Independence Day, you have access to all of them free of charge.

Since the LBJ Presidential Library is only roughly a mile away from Elan East, take full advantage of complimentary admission on the Fourth of July to delve a bit deeper into your country's history. The LBJ is one of just 13 Presidential Libraries across the nation, and it plays host to papers that changed the course of history—including pages documenting Lyndon B. Johnson's entire career. On July 4, you can also enjoy Ladies and Gentlemen…The Beatles!, a temporary exhibit created by the Grammy Museum. More than 400 items pay homage to the meteoric rise of the world's first record-busting boy band, including records, artifacts from tours, and even instruments played by The Beatles.

4th of July Free Admission at the LBJ Library
LBJ Presidential Library
9 a.m. to 5 p.m. July 4
2313 Red River Street
Austin, TX 78705
freefuninaustin.com/2015/06/dont-miss-free-events-in-austin-this-july-2

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Celebrate the Globe’s Best-Known Band at “Ladies and Gentlemen…The Beatles!” Exhibit, Opening Saturday

June 11, 2015 by

Only the best of the best musicians receive a Grammy, so it makes sense that the Grammy Museum only showcases the work of top performers from the past and present. Unsurprisingly, The Beatles land on that list. That's why the Grammy Museum curated and designed "Ladies and Gentleman…The Beatles!" The traveling exhibit portrays the everlasting impact that the band had on the music scene at the time, and how it continues to affect tunes today.

The exhibit will be on display at the LBJ Presidential Library, just a little more than a mile from Elan East, beginning this Saturday, June 13. It follows the trajectory of The Beatles' career from the moment they set foot on American soil in 1964 through the highest point of their fame in 1966. More than 400 items commemorate the historic band, including rare photos, artifacts from their tours, and instruments actually strummed by some of The Beatles, contributed by private collectors.

The LBJ Presidential Library
Ladies and Gentlemen…The Beatles!
June 13, 2015 through Jan. 10, 2016
2313 Red River Street
Austin, TX 78705
(512) 721-0200
www.lbjlibrary.org/press/ladies-and-gentlementhe-beatles-exhibit-to-open-june-2015

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Free First Sunday at the Bullock Museum: Take an Interactive Trip Across Texas

June 4, 2015 by

You only have to travel five minutes from Elan East to take a tour of the entire state of Texas. That is, if you plan a visit to the Bullock Museum's Free First Sunday this weekend. An event held every month, the Free First Sunday invites museum visitors to Travel Across Texas via a series of historical exhibits—all free of charge between the hours of noon and 3 p.m. on these special days.

Bring your whole family along and check out the artifacts and art that tell the story of your home state. In addition to the typical exhibits, Free First Sundays also include activities the keep the entire clan entertained. Learn how to make your own work of art that pays homage to Texas, enjoy an activity hosted in one of the colorful galleries, or drink in the knowledge of a local expert at a special presentation. Free First Sundays inspire creativity and teach at the same time, so they're a great way to get your little ones excited about history.

The Bullock Museum
Free First Sunday
12 to 3 p.m. Every First Sunday of the Month
1800 Congress Avenue
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 936-8746
www.thestoryoftexas.com/visit/calendar/free-first-sunday-travel-across-texas

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Local Breweries Represent at the Germany-Inspired Austin Maifest This Weekend

May 27, 2015 by

Rahr & Sons Brewing. Austin Beerworks. Circle Brewing. Hops & Grain, Saint Arnold, Pedernales. These are just a handful of the Texas breweries that will represent at this year's Austin Maifest. The third annual installment of the beer festival, it continues to celebrate craft breweries not only from around Austin, but also from all over the state of Texas.

Make the quick two-mile drive from Elan East this Saturday to sip some of the finest suds from brewmasters in your area. They whip up special German beers for the Texas-German Bier Festival, as it's more formally known. Buy an advance ticket for $25, and you can snag a sample from 10 of the breweries on this year's roster, including the six previously mentioned businesses.

In addition to the suds, Austin Maifest also offers German fare by local business Smokey Denmark's Smoked Meats, plus bowling for groups of revelers. Enjoy the tastings or grab a pint at the rooftop biergarten, which overlooks the pulsing heart of Austin.

Austin Maifest
Saengerrunde Hall and Scholz Beer Garden
1 to 7 p.m. May 30
1607 San Jacinto Boulevard
Austin, TX 78701
www.facebook.com/MaifestATX

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Celebrate 150 Years Since the Civil War Cease Fire at Austin’s Guns of 1863

May 15, 2015 by

This year marks the 150th anniversary of the Civil War cease fire, and the Texas Military Forces Museum intends to celebrate. On Saturday, May 16 it will host the Guns of 1863 event at Camp Mabry, which is only four miles and a 10-minute drive from your apartment at Elan East.

The program pays homage to the men who laid down their lives during the Civil War with reenactments, demonstrations, and exhibits. At 1 p.m., Union and Texas "soldiers" will recreate a scuffle just like it actually happened during wartime. Throughout the rest of the day, you can witness firing demos of the weapons that armed either side. Guests will also learn exactly what it was like to live through the conditions that Civil War soldiers endured, and they can watch the infantry drill just like they would have 150 years ago.

Guns of 1863
9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 16
Camp Mabry
2200 W. 35th Street
Austin, TX 78703
www.txmf.us/txmf-upcoming-events

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Do You Have What It Takes to Escape From Puzzle Room Austin?

May 6, 2015 by

Imagine being locked in a room — literally — with a group of friends, and the only thing that will set you free is successfully solving a puzzle. At Puzzle Room Austin, this could be your next Saturday night.

The current scenario that participants are charged with solving is dubbed Escape From the Super Villian’s Hideout. The premise is you’re being held captive by a bad guy called the Befuddler, who is planning a scheme that would wipe out the city, so it’s up to you and your group to save the day by solving a series of puzzles and codes. You have an hour to solve them, and if you make it, Puzzle Room staffers will take your photo and post it on their website!

Only 33% of the groups have won; the record so far has been 49 minutes. Participants have reported that the puzzle is challenging but not impossible to solve, and it makes for a great team-building activity or fun thing to do with friends for a bachelor party or birthday. After you’re done, you can easily make the 10-minute drive back to Elan East, or continue the party by hitting one of the bars or restaurants near the Puzzle Room. After all, a celebration might be in order if you’re successful! Puzzle Room Austin is open Thursday and Friday nights, and all day Saturdays and Sundays.

Puzzle Room Austin
111 W. Anderson Lane
Austin, TX 78752
www.puzzleroomaustin.com
www.yelp.com/biz/puzzle-room-austin-austin

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Blue Starlite Mini-Urban Drive-In: A One-of-a-Kind Experience Near Elan East in Austin

April 24, 2015 by

In 2009, Josh Frank of Austin set up a makeshift drive-in movie theater in an alley as an anniversary surprise for his fiancee. What he thought would be a one-night venture evolved into Blue Starlite Mini-Urban Drive-In, situated in a lot about five minutes from Elan East Apartments.

It consists of spaces for 50 cars, a funky, vintage trailer that serves as both the ticket booth and concession stand, and an inflatable screen. Moviegoers describe seeing a movie here as a special experience — it’s even been the site of about a dozen marriage proposals — and it’s been named one of the 10 must-visit nightlife spots in Austin.

Blue Starlite focuses on indie films, drive-in classics, Generation X and Y favorites, and beloved childhood movies. Through May 16 it’s hosting its first annual Fantasy Fest, showing double features of films of the fantasy genre. How To Train Your Dragon and Dragonslayer are showing April 24, and The Goonies and The Explorers are showing April 25.

Blue Starlite Mini-Urban Drive-In
1901 E. 51 St. St.
Austin, TX 87823
(512) 850-6127
www.bluestarlitedrivein.com
www.yelp.com/biz/blue-starlite-mini-urban-drive-in-austin

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MotoGP: Exhilarating Austin Racing near Elan East

April 8, 2015 by

This weekend, Austin's Circuit of the Americas racetrack welcomes another world-class race to the city: the 2015 MotoGP Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas. The race pits some of the world's best motorcyclists against one another in a thrilling competition to crown the world's fastest bike.

It happens from April 10 through 12, and it features three classes of motorcycle: 1000cc Superbikes, Superstock 1000 bikes, and smaller 600cc bikes. The result might be some of the most exhilarating racing you'll see anywhere.

In addition to the races, the 2015 MotoGP features several other interesting events. There'll be an aerobatic demo in which a top pilot performs breathtaking aerial feats in a specialized airplane, a freestyle motorcycle demo, and a moto trials demo. Capping off the weekend will be a Cheap Trick concert at the Austin360 Amphitheater.

It all happens just a short trip away from Elan East, and if you'd like to buy tickets you can find out more on the Circuit of the Americas website.

2015 MotoGP Red Bull Grand Prix of the Americas
Circuit of the Americas
9201 Circuit of the Americas Boulevard
Austin, TX 78617
circuitoftheamericas.com/motogp

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