The best way to bring a touch of springtime into your apartment at Lamar Union is with fresh flowers. And there's no better place to find fresh flowers than Zilker Botanical Gardens, which is just a mile and a half from your home.

This weekend, April 26 and 26, you can attend the Heart O’ Texas Orchid Society's 44th Annual Show and Sale, dubbed "Fifty Shades of Orchids," and check out a vast variety of orchids and other blossoms. You can also get some beautiful potted or fresh orchids for your mother — Mother's Day is just around the corner.

While you're there, take a stroll around Zilker Botanical Garden's more than 25 acres, which are home to numerous specialty gardens, including Japanese, herb, rose gardens, connected by serene, winding pathways and flanked with waterfalls, flowing streams, and ponds.

Zilker Botanical Gardens
2220 Barton Springs Road
Austin, TX 78746
(512) 477-8672
http://www.zilkergarden.org
http://www.yelp.com/biz/zilker-botanical-gardens-austin

CC-BY-SA-2.0/Flickr Mind on Fire Photography

Gravy's an Austin food truck with a pretty specific focus: biscuits and gravy. The Southern food treat is tough to do well, but Gravy regulars suggest that the truck offers some of the best biscuits and gravy you'll find in Austin.

This is rich, hearty food, and menu items with names like "Get Your Lard On" offer a hint of what you'll find to eat here. That dish, for instance, features biscuits and gravy complemented by pulled pork, bacon crumbles, and fried egg. "The Deep South" dish is a biscuit topped with half a pound of pork sausage gravy. A kids menu offers smaller but similarly hearty portions, and Gravy's menu also has French toast stuffed with cream cheese and a large breakfast taco with your choice of meat.

Gravy's part of a food truck park, so if you visit you'll find some areas for sitting outdoors and enjoying the Austin weather. If you'd like to check it out, Gravy's open Tuesday through Fridays from 7 a.m. until 4 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. Visit the Gravy website to find out more!

Gravy
601 W. Live Oak Street
Austin, TX 78704
www.gravyatx.com
www.yelp.com/biz/gravy-austin

CC-BY-2.0/Flickr/jeffreyw

Seeking fresh, local food near Lamar Union? One place to find it might be the Barton Creek Farmers Market. Well, two places: the market now offers two different locations in South Austin, one happening on Saturdays and one on Sundays throughout the year. The result is two opportunities to find fresh fruits and vegetables each weekend.

On Saturdays, the Barton Creek Farmers Market takes place from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. in the Barton Creek Square Mall, located at the intersection of Mopac and Loop 360. On Sundays, the market happens at 2323 South Lamar from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m. At each market, visitors will find free-range meats, artisan pickles, fresh herbs, flowers, vegetables, eggs, cheeses, and more, all of which is locally-sourced. Vendors serving kombucha, breakfast tacos, granola, tamales, and other prepared foods also typically make an appearance.

The Barton Creek Farmers Markets also frequently hosts events like live music. This Saturday, April 11, for instance, the market welcomes musicians playing bluegrass, children's songs, and country and western music. You can learn more about upcoming events by visiting the Barton Creek Farmers Market website.

Barton Creek Farmers Market
Each Saturday from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m.
Each Sunday from 11 a.m. until 3 p.m.
Austin, TX
http://www.bartoncreekfarmersmarket.org/

CC-BY-SA-2.0/Flickr/David Boyle