Airport to Airport

For August we’ve got a different territory to see. We’re going from the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport to the Smithville Municipal Airport area. The first part of the route will be on a few long-sweeping roads traversing an area of Austin that is not well-known. After a break, we’ll cut through Bastrop State Park to Buescher State Park.

Please Read Below, especially the section about an Entry Fee:

Meet Time:
12:00pm
Austin Bergstrom Family Viewing Area
This is a parking area on the east side of the runway, on Golfcourse Road. We’ll have a moment to watch take-off and landings prior to the safety briefing. Departure is at 12:15 pm.

Pit Stop
12:45pm
Buc-ees in Bastrop

After our stop, We will take a short four-minute drive to the entrance of the Bastrop State Park. This is where you have a choice:

If you already have a Texas State Parks and Wildlife pass, it’s free to enter. If you want to drive straight through both parks, without stopping, it’s a $3.00 pass, CASH. If you want to drive through on the tour, eat lunch, and then go back and stay a while at the park OR stop, it’s a $5.00 all-day pass CASH.

A little bit about these two parks: Combined, they have over 7,800 acres of land, and 16 miles of trails. These State Parks are in the heart of the “Lost Pines,” an ecological oddity containing loblolly pines, post oak, and blackjack oak. Unfortunately, Bastrop State Park has had several fires, most small, since 1940. The big one was in September 2011, when 96% of Bastrop State Park was annihilated by a multi-date forest fire, killing about four million trees.

About 2:00 pm, after exiting Buescher State Park (about 35 – 45 minutes driving), we’ll head over to Smithville Brewing Company. (661 N W Loop 230, Smithville, TX 78957) https://www.smithvillebrewing.com/ It’s a small place, not very fancy, serving burgers, pizza, fish, and craft beer + wine, and non-alcoholic drinks. We’ve had two “test lunches” there and it’s been amazingly good. A couple of conversations with the team there have informed us that their bread and beef is locally sourced and very fresh. Beer-they make onsite. I didn’t see vegan options though. The entrance to the place is a rubber-matted, dirt road, suitable for low-clearance cars.