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City Cast Austin

Elissa Castles

Welcome to your City Cast Austin news quiz! From time to time, we’ll publish a quiz to test your newsletter prowess. We want to see how much you paid attention this week. 😉 Answer the following questions and your score will appear at the end. 

Test your Austin knowledge with these other trivia questions.

New World screwworms have been found in Texas this month. (Joel Angel Juarez/

Kelsey Bradshaw

Texas has a really beautiful state cemetery. Whether you have a penchant for graveyard visits or you’re a Texas history buff, the cemetery makes for a nice afternoon.

 It’s located at 909 Navasota St. in East Austin and is free to the public. It is an active cemetery though and will close for funerals, so you can always give them a call to make sure it’s open at 512-463-0605.

The cemetery is pretty big at 18 acres, spanning from East Seventh Street to East 11th Street. Roughly 3,500 people are buried at the cemetery.

Street parking is available around the cemetery. Accessible parking can be found in front of the cemetery’s visitors center.

I know visiting a cemetery may seem like a weird recommendation. But walking along the graves of great Texans is really special. The site is also quite beautiful with grassy hills, a quiet pond, and shady trees.

It can also be really cool to visit a place that’s been around since 1851. The cemetery was originally created for lawmakers and public servants but has since been expanded to include Texans who have made significant contributions to history.

“The Texas State Cemetery has come to represent the best of Texas and what makes this great state a unique and special place,” 

 and memorials are also on site, including the 19th Century Black Legislators Monument and the Texas Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

You could spend weeks learning about every person buried at the Texas State Cemetery. For our purposes, I’ll just list off a few:

 before it became Austin, was the first person to be buried at the cemetery.

 who was one of three Black students to integrate O. Henry Middle School in the 1960s. He went on to play in three World Series with three different Major League Baseball teams.

What To Know About Visiting the Texas State Cemetery in Austin 

Everything to know about Austin neighborhoods: What to do, eat, shop, drink, and more.

Austin Neighborhood Guides

Neighborhood Guides

, but Beverly S. Sheffield Northwest Pool has been around a while.

The pool turns 70 this year and the city is throwing a party 

. Entry fees will be waived for the party, which starts at noon and includes snacks, drinks, old photos, memorabilia, and a look at the pool’s recent renovation. The pool is located at 7000 Ardath St., just west of Burnet Road in North Austin.

Before it was a pool, the parkland where the water is now was the quarry that 

supplied the limestone for the state’s capitol

 building. The city purchased the parkland in 1955 and completed it, along with a bathhouse, the following year. The modern circular bathhouse is the first of its kind in Austin.

“(The bathhouse) is a rare surviving example of mid-century civic design, and its preservation has been a priority through every renovation the site has undergone since,” 

The pool opened on July 28, 1956 for its first swim meet and was formally dedicated on Aug. 9, 1956. In its first month, more than 31,000 people visited the pool, outpacing Barton Springs Pool at the time. It’s important to note that Austin’s public pools were not desegregated 

Austin was allowed to qualify for national swim meets when the pool opened because of its 50-meter, Olympic size.

“Almost overnight, Austin had put itself on the competitive swimming map,” 

The pool was renamed in 2001 in honor of 

, a former parks and recreation director who played a key role in 

developing the city’s parks, pools, and greenbelts

. Sheffield’s daughter Sally and son Steve will be at the 70th birthday celebration.

The pool underwent a major renovation in the spring and now includes a refreshed lap pool, a zero-entry toddler pool, two shade structures, new benches, renovated bathhouses and family restrooms, and 

The pool is open every day except Thursdays 

Beverly S. Sheffield Northwest Pool turns 70 this year. 

How To Celebrate One of Austin’s Oldest Pools

Get to know the natural side of Austin: the plants, animals, weather and more that make our city unique.

Austin Urban Almanac

Urban Almanac

 in Austin, deviating from the national event that is held in June. Pride events will be on our events calendar all month long! The city’s biggest Pride event is 

 on Aug. 22 at Fiesta Gardens hosted by the Austin Pride Foundation. The event includes live music, performances, local vendors, food, drinks, and more.

The Rainey Street District is hosting a First Thursday event the evening of Aug. 6 that includes drink and food specials at bars and restaurants in the area. 

 and Daydreamer Coffee is selling wine for $5 off, for example.

Austin Pets Alive! is hosting its 15th annual Paddle for Puppies 

. The day starts at Rowing Dock and participants row or paddle on Lady Bird Lake. Proceeds from the event help puppies in the shelter’s Parvo ICU program.

Austin Independent School District students go back to class 

, which means you need to start watching for school speed zones again. Speeding in a school zone is punishable 

Austin City Council members will finalize the city’s budget 

. The budget will go into effect on Oct. 1. At stake is a rise in property taxes, millions of dollars in cuts to the city’s social service budget, and an increase in the Austin Police Department’s recruiting budget.

Your Guide to August 2026 in Austin

Find the best of everything that Austin has to offer. 

Austin’s Best

Austin's Best

The city of Austin is asking for feedback on renaming Cesar Chavez Street following sexual assault accusations made against the labor leader 

The street runs east from MoPac Boulevard (Loop 1) to U.S. 183. Previously named Water Avenue and then First Street, it was renamed for Chavez after 

. El Concilio Mexican-American Landowners de East Austin, a local nonprofit, originally organized a call to rename First Street to honor Chavez. Now, the group is among several Austinites who want the street changed back to its original name or renamed completely.

 for residents to take about the possible renaming. The survey includes questions about a person’s relationship to Cesar Chavez Street and what factors the city should consider in renaming it.

Two names the city is considering because of their historic ties to the road are La Primera Street and First Street. You can also submit your own ideas for what the street should be named, with a couple of rules:

Cannot contain numbers, complicated words, or unconventional spellings

No offensive, libelous, derogatory or copyrighted words can be used

Only characters of the standard English alphabet are allowed

Updating the current street signs and highway signs, and notifying impacted businesses and residents would cost between roughly $413,700 and $1,223,700, 

In addition to the survey, the city is hosting 

 to gather community feedback on the renaming:

Aug. 11 at 5 p.m. at Austin Public Library’s Central Library

Aug. 15 at 2 p.m. at Sanchez Elementary School

Austin Wants Your Feedback on Cesar Chavez Street

What's being decided in Austin City Hall and why it matters. We monitor local elections, political news, and Austin City Council. 

Austin Election and City Hall News

Local Civics

No one likes this news less than me: Summer is waning. July is about to end and that means school is around the corner for Austin kids.

Austin Independent School District’s first day of classes is 

. Before that arrives though, H-E-B has a handful of deals and events for all you parents, guardians, teachers, and your students!

As a lover of school supplies, I am so jealous about this one! Teachers can get 20% off school supplies and other classroom items through Aug. 29 at H-E-B. Items include things like pens, pencils, notebooks, crayons, markers, disinfecting wipes, paper towels, and truly so much more. Teachers can save up to $50 with the coupon, 

Kid’s Day is on Aug. 1 at all H-E-B stores from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The free event includes food samples, activities and more. Every H-E-B will have different things to do during the day.

“Before school starts, come have one more day of summer fun at H-E-B,” the company said in a news release.

 because why am I envious of kids who get to hang out with a shopping bag mascot? H-E-Buddy will be 

at Manor Independent School District’s Back to School Bash

 on Aug. 8 delivering backpacks and other school supplies from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The popular mascot will also deliver school supplies on Aug. 22 at Round Rock Independent School District’s 

 at Cedar Ridge High School from 10 a.m. to noon.

AISD students return to class on Aug. 18. 

H-E-B Deals To Grab Before School Starts Again in Austin

The latest on the best and newest restaurants and bars in Austin. We'll help you find where to eat, drink, and socialize.

Austin Food & Drink

Food & Drink

First things first: This is not a hate piece about “Dazed and Confused.” Alright, alright, alright? I love the movie that launched Matthew McConaughey’s career and gave us hits like: “You just gotta keep livin' man, L-I-V-I-N” and “It'd be a lot cooler if you did.”

and maybe a little cliche if I included the movie in this list. Everyone knows Austin for the Richard Linklater hit. Here’s five movies based, or sort of based, in Austin you might be a unfamiliar with:

 is a perfect film. The 2009 film is packed with stars: Elliot Page, Drew Barrymore, Juliette Lewis, Kristen Wiig, and Eve, among many others. Page plays teenager Bliss Cavendar, who is growing up in the fictional town of Bodeen, Texas and is sick of being a pageant girl. Cavendar runs into three women in Austin who are part of a roller derby team. Page’s character secretly joins the team and finds confidence, friends, and strength.

This list wouldn’t be complete without a love story. 

 stars Uma Thurman in her rightful place as president of the United States. Her son Alex, played by Taylor Zakhar Perez, meets a British prince named Henry, who is played by Nicholas Galitzine. It’s an enemies-to-lovers story, which is the best kind. Alex’s family’s vacation home is in Austin. I won’t give anymore away, but there’s secret service, hidden kisses, and Buckingham Palace!

“Chef” is the most rewatchable movie around. Starring Jon Favreau as a disgraced chef, 

 takes us behind the scenes of cheffing, long before “The Bear” did it. Favreau’s character purchases a food truck to redeem himself and takes it across the country, including a stop in Austin with a cameo from Aaron Franklin. If you love close up shots of food being chopped, a man becoming a better father, and Sofia Vergara, this is the movie for you. Bonus: It premiered at South by Southwest!

I love “Zombieland.” The 2009 movie stars Jesse Eisenberg, Emma Stone, Woody Harrelson, and Abigail Breslin. The four meet up after a virus that turns people into zombies spreads and together they travel across the U.S., fighting off the creatures while looking for a safe place to stay. I included this movie on the list because Eisenberg’s character, Columbus, is attending college in Austin when the zombie apocalypse starts. 

 is goofy, plenty gory, fun, and heartfelt.

‘The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lava Girl’

“The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lava Girl”

 came out in 2005 and was directed by Robert Rodriguez. The movie follows a boy named Max who lives in Austin and writes in a dream journal. His journal comes to life, leading to the adventures of Sharkboy and Lava Girl, two superheroes who have to defeat villains Mr. Electric, played by George Lopez, and Minus. The movie is creative, fun, and a little silly.

It's too hot out to not be inside watching movies, y'all.

5 Movies Set in Austin That Aren’t ‘Dazed and Confused’

 you can use? And the rates aren’t bad, either. Here’s the scoop:

 for Monday through Thursday open at 9 a.m. a week in advance and on the Monday before at 8 p.m. for Saturdays and Sundays. Monday through Friday tee time reservations can be made in person when a course’s pro shop opens and 30 minutes before the first tee time by calling the course you’re interested in.

Two exceptions to this reservation system are the Hancock Golf Course and Grey Rock Golf Club. Hancock operates 

. The course has a pay station that golfers must use to pay a green fee before playing.

, just not through the city’s reservation system.

The Roy Kizer Course and Jimmy Clay Golf Course are in Bluff Springs in Southeast Austin. A regular round at both ranges from 

. Both courses offer 18 holes, making the venues a 36-hole complex.

The Lions Municipal Course, also known as MUNY, is located in Tarrytown near the intersection of Enfield Road and Exposition Boulevard. The 18-hole course is open seven days a week and 

a regular round ranges from $35 to $44 depending on the day.

The Hancock Golf Course is open seven days a week in Austin’s Hancock neighborhood. The course is located just south of the Commodore Perry Estate. A regular round of golf 

If you live in the East MLK area, the Morris Williams Course is for you. The 18-hole course is open seven days a week and a regular round 

 where you can order margaritas, snacks, tacos, and more.

Grey Rock is near Circle C Ranch in Southwest Austin and is the most expensive of the bunch. A round of 18 holes on the course 

is $90 during the week and $105 Friday through Sunday

Where to Golf on the Cheap in Austin

Becky Fogel

More than 1,300 students living within the Austin Independent School District’s boundaries have received education savings accounts, or 

, in 2025 to give families taxpayer money to help pay for private school or homeschooling.

Here’s the latest on what it could mean for AISD:

, 4,896 students living within AISD’s boundaries applied for the program. The state has awarded funding to 1,334 of those applicants, so far.

Travis Pillow, a spokesperson for the TEFA program, said roughly 30% of the awardees were enrolled in public school during the 2024-25 school year. The remaining recipients were either too young to enroll in school, previously attended a private school, or were homeschooled.

More than 200 private schools in the Austin area are approved to accept TEFA funds. There’s about 2,700 participating private schools statewide. You can search for eligible schools 

More Students Could Get Vouchers This Year

Most families, who had already been selected for the TEFA program, had until 

 to select a private school at which to use the money. Families that missed the deadline forfeited the funding, which will now be redirected to students on the program’s waitlist.

Pillow said families currently on the waitlist will find out by the end of the month if they’re going to receive TEFA funding.

“We are looking forward to that and getting that funding in those families’ hands as soon as possible so that they can start making their tuition payments, buying their textbooks, and other things they need to do to prepare for the upcoming school year,” Pillow said.

At this point, the state has approved applications for more than 

Any students AISD loses as a result of the TEFA program spells more trouble for the 

. The state’s school voucher program is launching as the district continues to struggle with declining enrollment. Fewer students means less state funding. Last year alone, 

An AISD spokesperson said the district ended the 2025-26 school year with 69,382 students. AISD’s budget for the upcoming school year was made based on the projection that student enrollment will likely drop to 68,188 students.

“Taking into consideration the rollout of the state’s new Education Freedom Accounts and factoring a potential decline into our multi-year planning is the only fiscally responsible approach to protecting district resources, ensuring stability, and building back our fund balance amidst ongoing state funding challenges,” the spokesperson told City Cast Austin.

The budget the AISD school board adopted last month includes 

 in cuts. The backdrop for the district’s funding and enrollment challenges is the ongoing possibility of 

 due to low accountability ratings for three campuses.

More than 200 private schools in the Austin area are eligible to accept state funding.

AISD May Lose Even More Students to Texas’ School Voucher Program

Your Austin News Quiz

Explainers

What Austinites have been wondering. We break down why things in Austin are they way they are and how they work.

Austin, Explained

If you’re a Virgo like me and enjoy a nice, organized schedule, it may also bug you that Austin’s Pride Month does not line up with national Pride Month. We officially do ours in August, while national Pride Month is in June.

Austin has a couple of reasons for doing things differently. Hosting Pride in August gives Austin Pride Foundation better opportunities to book talent and get visitors to come to town as it costs thousands to put the festival and parade on, 

The events would also require costly rain insurance if they weren’t held in August, a historically dry month in Austin. 

August is also when thousands of college students return to the city for the school year, and they make up the majority of the roughly 400 volunteers Austin Pride Foundation needs to put on its festival.

Pride honors the Stonewall Uprising of June 1969, when fights broke out after police raided the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York City. The uprising 

 and set the gay rights movement in the U.S. in motion. On the anniversary of the uprising, the first Pride march was held in NYC. Pride celebrations in Austin can be traced back to 1970, and in 1990, the events were sanctioned as 

Today, Pride celebrations aim to honor Stonewall, remember those who’ve died from HIV/AIDS, recognize LGBTQ+ contributions to society, and to simply celebrate who you are. Expect rainbow-filled parties, parades, and more in Austin in June and August!

Austin’s Pride Month does not line up with national Pride Month.

Why Is Austin Pride In August?

Trying to find a parking spot at Barton Springs Pool can be terrible. Whether you’re at the south lot off Azie Morton Road or in the smaller one on William Barton Drive, getting a spot on a busy weekend day often feels like a Sisyphean task as you wait behind a person with their blinker on or end up stuck in a traffic jam.

as a way to help reduce traffic congestion in the area

The city is running a free shuttle service around Zilker Park through Labor Day weekend so you can avoid parking headaches. The shuttle service operates Saturdays and Sundays and on holidays through Sept. 7, and includes four stops on its route: Stratford Lot, Barton Springs Pool, Beverly S. Sheffield Zilker Hillside Theater and the Violet Crown Trail Head, and Zilker Botanical Garden.

You get two hours of free parking if you park in the Stratford Lot at 2228 Stratford Dr., 

. Otherwise, the cost is $3 per hour. The lot is the area covered in gravel near the intersection of Stratford Drive and Lou Neff Road. From there, you can get to 

. No pets or coolers are allowed on the shuttle.

The Loop runs noon to 6 p.m., and comes by every 20 minutes or so. During the Zilker Summer Musical July 10 through Aug. 16, the shuttle will run until performances end. This is the first year that the shuttle is taking riders to the hillside theater.

Getting to the city's most popular swimming pool doesn't have to be a headache!

How To Get to Barton Springs Pool Without Waiting for a Parking Spot

After weeks of tinkering, Austin Independent School District’s Board of Trustees approved an $887 million operating budget for the upcoming school year.

The district was facing a possible deficit of $181 million during budget discussions. But with millions of cuts and possible property sales, the district should have a balanced budget going into the 2026-27 school year.

The budget includes cutting a total of 580 positions, decreasing the district’s number of full-time employees from 10,392 to roughly 9,750. More than 360 staffers whose positions were cut have already found new roles within the district, 

The district is also discontinuing bus routes for several of its schools and the Alternative Learning Center to help the budget. Late activity buses at middle and high schools 

Classroom sizes will increase, the number of teacher planning days at some campuses will be reduced, the district is decreasing how much it contributes to staff health benefits, and some of the central office staff will have their salaries decreased by 2%.

The new budget ensures that each AISD campus will have at least 

 next year. This comes after outrage over a proposal that would have 

Counselors were also at risk during discussions, but the final budget gives every school a counselor. However, smaller campuses may end up with part-time assistant principals.

The District Is Expecting $60 Million in Revenue

 this year in an effort to bring down its budget deficit. What happens to those campuses next is up to the district — it can repurpose them or sell them off.

 by the end of the next fiscal year from selling some of the closed campuses. If the district succeeds, it will have a 

AISD Just Approved Its 2026-27 Budget. Here’s What You Need To Know.

May is Bike Month in Austin and one of the city’s premiere events is on Friday. Here’s what you need to know:

Fueling stations will be set up all over the city 

. Stations will run from 7 a.m. to 9 a.m. and include free drinks and snacks like coffee, tacos, and waffles. People participating in Bike to Work Day will be able to get free bike tune-ups as well.

Austin, Explained

Your Austin News Quiz

Elissa Castles

Test your Austin knowledge with these other trivia questions.

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Austin, Explained

Why Is Austin Pride In August?

How To Get to Barton Springs Pool Without Waiting for a Parking Spot

AISD Just Approved Its 2026-27 Budget. Here’s What You Need To Know.

Austin’s Bike To Work Day Explained

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61 Years of Eeyore’s Birthday Party: What Is The Iconic Austin Event?

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