Austin is the "Live Music Capital of the World" and summer means FREE outdoor concerts!
Every other Wednesday, enjoy "Blues on the Green" at Waterloo Park (not Zilker Park due to the Zilker Park Improvement Project).
5:30pm: the campers were fed an early dinner and a picnic was packed for the Camp Director and Camp Daddy. Into the truck went the cooler (filled with crackers, cheese, chicken salad, nuts/raisins and fruit), three camping chairs, one blanket, 3 water bottles, the camp dog and a $20 bill. The camp usually tries to find FREE Family Friendly Activities but the camp director needed to end the evening with an outdoor beer (thus the $20).
6:30pm: MoPac is clear and we are looking forward to seeing Ruthie Foster. We hoped for on street parking, but by 7pm it was too late for that, as parts of the surrounding street were blocked by police as well as a tow truck pulling a charter bus. We took the easy way out and parked in the $5 Parking Lot off of Trinity St.
7:00pm: The dog, two adults, two campers under 6, three chairs and a cooler backpack traversed across on street and down the path to the concert. We marked our spot with the blanket and placed the camp chairs around it to keep people from stepping on our picnic. We were center stage near the Etsy and Amy's Ice Cream booth. The slope of the hill prevented us from seeing Ruthie Foster once people stood up in front of the sound booth. Next time we'll find a spot here (view photo).
7:10pm: Our camp site was set, the dog was tied to a chair, and the campers were snacking, so the Camp Daddy set off to find cold beer.
"Where's the cold beer?"
"No, seriously...where's the cold beer?"
According to the FAQ page the things prohibited at the park are...
"4. What is prohibited? Glass, alcohol, weapons, styrofoam, or glass".
At ACL Festival this is strictly enforced; not so at Blues on the Green. EVERYONE had a cooler full of alcohol -- except Mama Camp.
Midway through the concert the park got pretty crowded and there was someone smoking near us. I thought we had picked a tight spot to camp but people found a way to squeeze more friends on every square inch. I recommend going with a larger group to cordon off your smoke-free space. The ratio of families with kids to those without was about 1 to 7. There were lots of people struggling to maneuver strollers into the crowd and dad's carrying them over their heads. We felt lucky that we had forgotten ours and the campers were able to walk nicely to the park on foot.
9:00pm: The Camp Director is having a great time now that the Amy's Ice Cream has soothed the Pre-Kers chair scare but it's the campers are getting restless and we know it's time to go.
Testimonials
Camp Director: "I had a great time enjoying the cool Austin early summer breeze and the wonderful sounds of Ruthie Foster. Next time we'll bring a bottle of wine."
Camp Daddy: "Glad we got out of the house. It was a little crowded though, and I'm glad we didn't bring a stroller."
The Pre-Ker: "I sat on Dad's camping chair, pushed back and tipped the chair over...the Amy's ice cream helped. :)"
The Toddler: "Fun! Dancing...need more room to run!"
The Dog: "Woof!" Translation: "Got lots of petting from nearby concert goers."
Activity Fee: $0
Amount Spent: $15, ($5 Parking and $9 Amy's Ice cream...$3 each plus $1 tip)
11:15pm: Decided on a Tequila Daisy instead of a cold beer.
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