Front Porch Frozen Desserts: Self-Serve Frozen Treats in Round Rock

There’s nothing like sitting back and relaxing with a sweet treat — that’s just what you get at Front Porch Frozen Desserts. A family owned and operated frozen yogurt place just off of South Interstate 35 near the Round Rock Gateway, Front Porch is modern-meets-retro sort of place where you can relax and kick back. Come in and check out the decor, with walls paneled with reclaimed wood from the area and tables made from local pine trees. Look along the wall and you’ll find dispensers for different flavors of frozen yogurt and sorbet, procured from a Texas dairy. There are always a nice selection of flavors and fruit and candy toppings. And best of all, you get to make your dessert yourself, paying by the ounce. 

Front Porch Frozen Desserts
3107 S. Interstate Highway 35, Suite 770
Round Rock, TX 78664
(512) 388-6330
http://frontporchrr.com/
http://www.yelp.com/biz/front-porch-frozen-desserts-round-rock

Under the Sea Fun at Scubaland Adventures

Have you ever wanted to try SCUBA diving but never knew where to start?  Scubaland Adventures offers everything you need to get started, or expand your hobby.  This aquatics training and dive center offers diving courses and a great selection of equipment to accommodate beginners and experts.  There are three locations in Austin, and the Crestview location features the largest and deepest indoor heated training pool in Austin.  The staff are professional and helpful, and the stores regularly have sale items.  Join their dive club to meet new friends and enjoy your hobby.  Their travel agency coordinates trips to Texas’s top diving spots for the club and can even help you make your own travel plans for your next dive trip.  Scubaland also offers swimming lessons for kids and adults looking to improve their strength and comfort in the water.
 

Scubaland Adventures
1001 W Anderson Ln
Austin, TX 78757
(512) 323-6999
www.yelp.com/biz/scubaland-adventures-austin-2

Salvage Vanguard Theater: An Independent Theater Arts Group

With a credo like “Keep Austin Weird,” it’s not surprising that the city boasts a large number of independent arts and theater organizations. One of the most well-established is the Salvage Vanguard Theater, which has presented exceptional plays and other performances for years. The company stages a wide variety of materials, from drama to comedy and even puppetry. Tickets are sold on a sliding scale as well, making it affordable for the community. The performance space is small but comfortable, with good sightlines and decent seating. The theater also hosts a wide variety of educational programs and other creative venues for actors, directors and more. The Merlin Works Institute for Improvisation is one Austin’s best resources for developing your improve skills, both for actors and non-actors. The theater also runs a series of summer day camps for kids, yoga seminars and more. It’s a fantastic resource for the whole community.

Salvage Vanguard Theater
2803 Manor Road
Austin, TX 78722
http://www.yelp.com/biz/salvage-vanguard-theater-austin

See a Show at the Paramount Theatre for the Performing Arts

It’s been 95 years since the Paramount Theatre opened its doors and since then, this renowned theater has continued to serve as the place to please the cultural, artistic palate. Through its years, the theater has hosted prima ballerinas, national touring companies, Broadway plays, and is one of the only theaters left to have shown Casablanca when it was originally released. There are a number of film series and performances scheduled for the upcoming season, so check out the website event calendar for more information and to purchase tickets. Besides shows, there is also an annual Paramount Break-a-Leg 5K to support the Paramount and State Theaters.

Paramount Theatre for the Performing Arts
713 Congress
Austin, Texas 78701
(512) 472-5470

Austin Zoo: Animal Sanctuary

Zoos are started for a variety of reasons—usually the animals come first, and a zoo is built to house them and educate the public about their lives. The Austin Zoo, however, was founded for a very different purpose. In 1990, a former goat ranch was purchased and renamed the Good Day Ranch, dedicated to taking in injured or abandoned animals in need of rehabilitation. Over the years, the ranch’s collection of animals has expanded exponentially. Starting out with mainly domestic animals, more and more exotic creatures were added until it was officially renamed the Austin Zoo in 1994. Now it is home to over 300 animals from 100 species, all rescued from or abandoned by their former owners. One of the biggest draws is the pair of Barbary lions, believed to be extinct in the wild, who are being used as a successful breeding family and have sired two cubs.

Austin Zoo
10807 Rawhide Trail
Austin, TX 78736
(512) 288-1490

Violet Crown Cinema: King Of Film

One of Austin’s oldest nicknames is “The City Of The Violet Crown,” and that unlikely moniker gives this exceptional independent movie theater its name. Austin has long been known as a city that fiercely supports the arts, and the Violet Crown Cinema is one of the city’s best places to catch independent, foreign and documentary films on their first run. And they offer a number of amenities to make seeing movies here even more pleasant. Most interesting is reserved seating for every show – when you buy your ticket, you can pick your seat. Buy early enough and you can snag the super-comfortable front row seats. Prices are on par with other city theaters, and the concession stand is excellent. In addition to the typical popcorn and soda, the café features some truly awesome food, including the ginger pork tapas and some really good paninis. They also have a full cocktail bar with a top-notch beer and wine selection.

Violet Crown Cinema
434 W. 2nd Street
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 495-9600
http://www.yelp.com/biz/violet-crown-cinema-austin

Austin Playhouse: Local Theater

When it was conceived in 2000, Austin Playhouse became a point of convergence for much of the talent-replete city’s theatrical brainpower. Austin Playhouse brought together a wide array of producers, artists, and directors to work with local legend Don Toner, a luminary of Austin’s theater scene. Since then, Austin Playhouse has became one of the premier venues for local theater while still staying small. You won’t see massive reproductions of Don Giovanni here, but you’ll be able to catch shows like Boeing, Boeing (about a man’s attempt to juggle his love for three flight attendants) and an adaptation of A Room With a View. Tickets typically run around $24 for a show, but the playhouse offers deals for students, seniors, and members of the military. Check Austin Playhouse’s website for the current season’s schedule of shows.

Austin Playhouse
3601 S. Congress Avenue
Austin, TX 78704
(512) 476-0084

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