Your Daily Guide

Austin Named Best Barbecue City in the U.S.

Yelp has released its list of the 10 best barbecue cities in the country using its own data, and Austin is ranked No. 1, highlighting the city's consistently good brisket and use of simple seasonings. [Yelp]

Krieg Volleyball Courts To Close Until 2027

The sand volleyball courts at Krieg Athletic Complex off South Pleasant Valley Road will close on July 20 for an installation project on a reclaimed water line. The Roy G. Guerrero Colorado Metropolitan Park trail near the city’s new pedestrian bridge will also be rerouted because of this project. Construction is expected to be finished in late May 2027. [Austin Parks and Recreation]

South Congress Is Getting Another Boot Store

The Canadian-based Alberta Boot Company appears to be moving into the former Vespaio lot on South Congress Avenue. According to state filings, construction on the store is set to begin Aug. 1 and end on Oct. 31. [Austin Business Journal]

New Polls Show Paxton and Talarico Are Tied

Two recently released polls show Texas Senate candidates Republican Ken Paxton and Democrat James Talarico are neck-and-neck. One poll has the race tied at 47-47, and another has Paxton up by just 1 percentage point. [Austin American-Statesman]

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.

Enter: the Zilker Loop, which launched last summer 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., using the code FREE2STRATFORD. 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 any stop on its route. 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.