Scrolling through Instagram and seeing everyone’s tropical or overseas vacations over spring break can start to make you feel left out of all the break fun, so here’s a few day trips around Austin if you’re staying local this week.

1. Gruene – This little town located outside of New Braunfels is a great spot to go shop and walk around for the day. One thing that makes Gruene unique is that it is home to the oldest dancing hall in Texas. When I went here a couple of years ago, my friend and I had a lot of fun shopping at the antique shops and enjoying the food at the Gruene Hall.
2. Enchanted Rock – This enormous pink granite hiking trail is located in Fredericksburg is a great place to get outside and exercise over the break. It’s open from 8:00 a.m to 10:00 p.m andcosts $7 to enter the park. You can walk along the 11 miles of trails, camp, rock climb, and enjoy the surrounding scenery. Although I haven’t been here, it’s been on my local bucket list for a long time, and everyone I know who’s been here has loved it.
3. Downtown Austin – One of the most local day trips out of Cedar Park is downtown Austin. It’s fun being a tourist in your own city and either hitting all the usual spots, or trying new places. From VooDoo Doughnuts on sixth to the famous “I love you so much” wall the side of Jo’s Coffee on Congress there’s so much to see and do. To me, the best thing about going downtown is the proximity of it. Also, SXSW is going on over spring break, so there’s definitely something to do in the city.
4. Magnolia Market in Waco – Last year over spring break I went to Magnolia Market’s “Spring at the Silos,” which is an event where they bring in vendors to sell things along with their regular activities. I had a lot of fun walking through the vendors tents, eating at the food trucks, and just hanging out on the grounds. Magnolia is open from 9:00 a.m to 6:00 p.m everyday except Sunday, but “Spring at the Silos” is going on March 15-17.