Theme & Amusement Parks in Lockhart

Austin Zoo originated as Good Day Ranch in 1990 featuring pony rides and goat-milking demonstrations. Over the next four years, the founders began rescuing exotic animals and evolving into a rescue center, renaming the facility under its current moniker. After becoming a safe haven for more than 300 rescued animals of more than 100 different species, the Austin Zoo began the process of becoming a nonprofit organization, which it completed in 2000. Housed in native Texas Hill Country enclosures, the animals can enjoy real grass and landscaping instead of concrete exhibits or studio apartments. African lions and bengal tigers stretch out in the big cat habitats while colobus monkeys and a marmoset swing from tree to tree in monkey areas. In addition to wild creatures, the zoo houses domesticated animals such as a miniature donkey, potbellied pigs, and llamas.

Today's Groupon will send thrills down your circusy spine with $38 for a two-hour trapeze class at Trapeze Experience, the touring circus act that made a permanent home in Austin. Grab this deal and climb up to the platform to see the world from a whole new perspective: the perspective of a person who's about to jump off a giant platform.At first, Declan is unable to control his time-leaping, often randomly trapezing into medieval castles or the Triassic Period. As he becomes more confident in his abilities, Declan learns to control his time-jumps and has now time-trapezed his way into our hearts. The 1970s sitcom How About That? was based on his past future adventures.

Austin's Park regales youngsters and adultsters alike with 50,000 square feet of indoor attractions and 22 acres of outdoor entertainment. While inside the park, zap your friends with a rousing, hair-removing round of laser tag, scale simulated peaks on the rock-climbing wall, or prepare to call in sick due to incurable Nintendo thumb from the video arcade. Al fresco entertainment includes mini golf, bumper boats, go-karts, and oversize teacups designed to teach etiquette by spinning small ones to orbital-escape velocity. To stay energized between montages of merriment, you and your clan can carbo-load at the all-you-can-eat pasta, salad, and pizza buffet.

Once you enter the Tropical Storm, everything goes dark. You blindly whip around inside the watery tunnel before being unexpectedly plunged into a pool of water—and you probably want to do it again. The Tropical Storm is one of eight water slides at Splashway Waterpark, a seasonal outdoor playground that boasts water-fueled attractions for toddlers, older kids, and adults. Sometimes the rides relax, as when visitors drift down the lazy river on waterproof water beds, but sometimes they raise pulses instead, as on the nearly straight drop of Pirate's Plunge.

From May to September visitors can enjoy the park's attractions, which were designed to entertain families with kids of any age. When energy wanes, an onsite café piles plates with all-American fare such as burgers and hot dogs. The truly exhausted can turn in for the night at the park's RV and tent camp.

Scattered across the globe like so many building blocks in the playpen of a toddler architect-to-be, Gymboree Play and Music provides wee ones up to five years old with a safe place for enriching, educational play. At more than 500 facilities across 30 countries, grown-ups come along to observe art, music, and sports classes for toddlers up to five years old, as well as their signature Play and Learn sessions.

Laser Legend's black-lit arena surrounds players in a scene that seems straight out of a science-fiction movie. Glowing planets and stars backdrop the 5,000-square-foot space, where fog creeps out from behind neon-blue walls and 14 robots guard bases. Up to eight teams fire lasers across two levels, competing during match types such as capture the flag or tickle the flag until it says uncle. Elsewhere, more than 40 games create a symphony of electronic beeps in the arcade, where modern creations, such as Guitar Hero, join forces with classic redemption games, such as skeeball.

The aromas of fresh-baked breadsticks lure visitors into the onsite restaurant, Noble Roman's Pizza, where chefs fry chicken wings, assemble italian-beef subs, and slide pepperoni pizzas into the oven. This casual Italian cuisine also fuels stomachs within Laser Legend's party rooms, where guests can watch satellite TV and birthday kids eat a breadstick for every year they've had teeth.

Laser Legend Laser Legend's black-lit arena surrounds players in a scene that seems straight out of a science-fiction movie. Glowing planets and stars backdrop the 5,000-square-foot space, where fog creeps out from behind neon-blue walls and 14 robots guard bases. Up to eight teams fire lasers across two levels, competing during match types such as capture the flag or tickle the flag until it says uncle. Elsewhere, more than 40 games create a symphony of electronic beeps in the arcade, where modern creations, such as Guitar Hero, join forces with classic redemption games, such as skeeball.

The aromas of fresh-baked breadsticks lure visitors into the onsite restaurant, Noble Roman's Pizza, where chefs fry chicken wings, assemble italian-beef subs, and slide pepperoni pizzas into the oven. This casual Italian cuisine also fuels stomachs within Laser Legend's party rooms, where guests can watch satellite TV and birthday kids eat a breadstick for every year they've had teeth.