Summer is over. The kids are back in school. But that doesn’t mean the family fun has ended. September is full of fun events, including two different museum days and the start of fall festivals and pumpkin patches.
Dive into fall (even if it’s still 100 degrees) with this calendar of family fun.
Events
Domain Northside Kids. Come to the lawn at the Domain Northside for activities for kids 18 months to 6 years old. Free. Discovery, 10 a.m. to noon Sept. 5. Reservations required. domainnorthside.com
Shrine Circus is in Cedar Park this weekend.
Shine Circus. The big top comes to H-E-B Center. 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sept. 1. 1:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Sept. 2. $35-$19. H-E-B Center, 2100 Avenue of the Stars, Cedar Park. hebcenter.com
Third Annual Austin Skipathon. Skip around Mueller Lake Park while helping Foster Angels of Central Texas. $25 per person, $10 kids ages 4-10, free for children younger than 3. 8:30 a.m. to noon Sept. 22. Mueller Lake Park Browning Hangar, 4550 Mueller Blvd. austinskipathon.com
Starry Nights. See a star show in the mini-planetarium and see how the Ancient Greeks saw the universe. 5:30-7:30 p.m. Sept. 6. Free. Girlstart. 1400 W. Anderson Lane. girlstart.org
Join the karaoke at Barrel O’ Fun. RICARDO B. BRAZZIELL/AMERICAN-STATESMAN
Music
KUTX Rock the Park. The show “Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child” currates this monthly free show. Hear Mobley and Groundwork Music Orchestra. 6:30 p.m. Sept. 21 (Sept. 28 rain date). Mueller Lake Park. kutx.org
Kidz Bop Live! You’ve heard them coming from your child’s room and in your car in the carpool lane. Now you can hear them live. 7 p.m. Sept. 21. $30.25-$50.25. H-E-B Center, 2100 Avenue of the Stars, Cedar Park. hebcenter.com
Bring the Sing: Family Karaoke. 1-4 p.m. Sept. 30. Barrel O’ Fun, inside the Alamo Drafthouse Mueller, 1911 Aldrich St. Suite 120. Free. drafthouse.com
Barton Hill Farms in Bastrop will open again at the end of September.
Barton Hill Farms
Fall festivals
Robinson Family Farm Pumpkin Patch. Wander through a corn maze, go on a hay ride, pet the goats and pick a pumpkin. 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sept. 22-Nov. 4. Saturdays and Sundays. Free, but pay for each activities and pumpkins, or get a $10 wristband for everything. 3780 White Owl Lane, Temple. therobinsonfamilyfarm.com
Barton Hill Farms. Corn maze, farm animals and more than 30 activities, plus pumpkin picking. 10 a.m.-7 pm. Saturdays, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sundays, Sept. 29-Nov. 4. $15.95, extra for pumpkins and face painting. 1115 FM 969, Bastrop. bartonhillfarms.com
Sweet Berry Farm. Hay rides, corn mazes, pick your own pumpkins and more. 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 22-Nov. 4. Pay per activity. 1801 FM 1980, Marble Falls. sweetberryfarm.com
From left, Briana So-Morris, 5, Alec Blondin, 13, and his sister, Ashley Randall, 5, uncover a Mastadon at the Dino Pit at the Austin Nature and Science Center during Austin Museum Day. American-Statesman 2004
Museums
Austin Museum Day. Tour some of Austin’s most well-known and little-known museums for free Sept. 23. Museums also host special events such as fossil, bones and more identification day at Texas Memorial Museum. Get the full list at austinmuseums.org.
Smithsonian Museum Day. Explore one of the participating Austin museums by printing out a free ticket for Sept. 22. Some of the museums participating include South Austin Museum of Popular Culture, Neill-Cochran House Museum, Texas Military Forces Museum, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center. Find the museums by searching for your ZIP code at Smithsonian.com/museumday.
Science Mill. Labor Day Weekend Scavenger Hunt. Create your own team and use your smartphone to find items throughout the museum. Free with admission. Sept. 1-3. Homeschool Day: Concoctions of Chemical Conundrums. Hands-on activities planned throughout the day. 10 a.m. Sept. 13. Girl Scout Badge Day. Do activities and earn a badge based on your program level. Sept. 29. Science Mill, 101 S. Lady Bird Lane, Johnson City. sciencemill.org
Thinkery. Baby Bloomers for kids age birth to 3 learn about Color this month., 9 a.m. Monday and Saturdays. $5. Art Start: Nature as our Canvas workshop. 9:45 a.m. for 1-year-olds, 10:45 a.m. for 2-year-olds and 11:45 a.m. for 3-year-olds, Wednesdays, Sept. 5-Oct. 24. $20 per class. Namaste & Play: Get into Shapes. 9:45 a.m. for 1-year-olds, 10:45 a.m. for 2-year-olds and 11:45 a.m. for 3-year-olds, Fridays, Sept. 7-Oct. 26. $20 per class. Little Builders. Create structures and sculptures. 9:30 a.m. 1-year-olds, 10:30 a.m. 2-year-olds, 11:30 a.m. 3-year-olds, Sept. 3. $20. Slime Time workshop for ages 4 and up. 10:30 a.m., noon, 2 p.m. or 3:30 p.m. Sept. 1-3, Sept. 15-16, Sept. 29-30. $8. Spark Shop Sewn Circuits for ages 4 and up. Learn to sew with conductive thread and circuits. 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Sept. 8 and Sept. 22. $6 for a kit. Community Night Spotlight: Hispanic Heritage. Celebrate food, performance and culture. 4-8 p.m. Sept. 12. Free. Parents’ Night Out, 5:30-10 p.m. Sept. 28. Kids must be 4 or older and potty-trained. $45 first child, $25 each additional sibling. Thinkery, 1830 Simond Ave. thinkeryaustin.org
Bullock Museum. Free First Sunday: Totally Texas. Fun hands-on events with a Texas theme. Noon-3 p.m. Sept. 2. Little Texans. Hands-on program for children ages 2-5.10 a.m. Sept. 13. Story time: Giddy up. 10 a.m. Sept. 27. American Indian Heritage Day. 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. for school groups. 6 p.m.-8 p.m. for the public. Sept. 28. Bullock Museum, 1800 N. Congress Ave. thestoryoftexas.com
Contemporary Austin. Families Create: Sink or Swim. 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 8. Free, but reservations required. Laguna Gloria, 3809 W. 35th St. thecontemporaryaustin.org
Neill-Cochran House Museum. History Lab: Making Folk Art. Make a whirligig and more. 4 p.m. Sept. 9. Free. Neill-Cochran House Museum. 2310 San Gabriel St. nchmuseum.org
The Williamson Museum. Hands on History. 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 8. The Williamson Museum, 716 S. Austin Ave. williamsonmuseum.org
Toybrary Austin. Daddy & Me Foam Playdate. 10:30 a.m. Sept. 1. $10. Kids’ Cooking Classes. 10:30 a.m. Tuesdays. $15. Baby Play Date. 1 p.m. Tuesdays. Free. Music Class with Miss Ariel. 10:30 a.m. Wednesdays. $10. Scavenger Hunt. 10:30 a.m. Sept. 6. $10. Story time with Vanessa Roeder. 10:30 a.m. Sept. 7. $7. Magic with Silly Sparkles. 10:30 a.m. Sept. 12. $10. Art Class. 10:30 a.m. Wednesdays beginning Sept. 12. $20. Trees & Leaves Playday. 10:30 a.m. Sept. 13. Toybrary Austin, 2001 Justin Lane. toybraryaustin.com
Wildflower Center. Sprouts. Hands-on preschool program. 10 a.m. Wednesdays and Fridays. Fortlandia Grand Opening Weekend. Step inside forts from University of Texas students and Austin architects in the Texas Arboretum. Sept. 29-30. Nature Creations: Bracelets. Make bracelets using things from nature. 10 a.m. Sept. 29. Free. Wildflower Center, 4801 La Crosse Ave. wildflower.org
“Tortoise and Hare” was at Summer Stock Austin but now is coming to Zach Theatre.
Theater
“Beauty and the Beast” at Zach Theatre. The Disney story comes to life in musical form. 2:30 p.m. Sept. 1 and Sept. 2, 7:30 p.m. Sept. 7. $25-$150. Zach Theatre, 202 S. Lamar Blvd. zachtheatre.org
“Tortoise and Hare” at Zach Theatre. The Aesop fable becomes a musical for ages 5 and up. 2 p.m. Sept. 8-9, Sept. 15-16, Sept. 22-23, Sept. 29. 6:30 p.m. Sept. 28. $18-$24. Kleburg Stage, 1421 W. Riverside Drive. zachtheatre.org
Zach Theatre Open House. Try out some of the classes for children age toddler to fifth-grade. 10 a.m. to noon Saturday. This week it’s at the North Austin location, 12129 RM 620 N. location. RSVP on a link on zachtheatre.org.
“The Legends of Robin Hood.” Directly from Sherwood Forest Faire, Robin Hood and his merry band of outlaws are bringing mischief to Austin Scottish Rite Theater. Noon, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sept. 1 and 10 a.m. and noon Sept. 2. $8-$12. Austin Scottish Rite Theater. 207 W. 18th St. brownpapertickets.com/event/3527404
Pollyanna Theatre presents “The Mystery of the Green Teeth Ghost.” 9:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. Sept. 28, Oct. 1, Oct. 4-5, 2 p.m. Sept. 29-30, Oct. 6-7. $10.50 and up. The Long Center, 701 Riverside Drive. longcenter.org
Emily Ann Theatre presents “Little Red Riding Hood.” See this classic children’s tale on stage. $10-$8. 10 a.m. Saturdays starting Sept. 29; 2 p.m. Sundays. 1101 Ranch Rd 2325, Wimberley. emilyann.org
“Rio” is at Flix Brewhouse. (AP Photo/20th Century Fox)
Movies
Austin Film Society’s Sunday School. Introduce kids to “Safety Last,” a 1923 movie with Harold Lloyd performing death-defying stunts. 1 p.m. Sept. 9, 6:30 p.m. Sept. 10. $9. Austin Film Society Cinema, 6406 N. Interstate 35, Suite 3100. austinfilm.org
Alamo Drafthouse. PBS Kids at the Alamo: “Odd Squad.” 10:30 a.m. Sept. 8-9, Mueller. 10 a.m. Sept. 15-16, Lakeline and Slaughter Lane. drafthouse.com
Flix Jr. Flix offers $2 children’s movies. “Rio.” 11 a.m. Sept. 1. “All Dogs Go to Heaven.” 11 a.m. Sept. 8. “Sing.” 11 a.m. Sept. 15. “Annie Sing Along.” 11 a.m. Sept. 22. Flix Brewhouse, 2200 S. Interstate 35, Suite B1, Round Rock. flixbrewhouse.com
Max Brallier will present his latest “Last Kids on Earth” book at BookPeople.
Books
Texas Book Festival Books and Breakfast. Celebrate the Texas Book Festival and hear Cate Berry read “Penguin and Tiny Shrimp Don’t Do Bedtime!” at 9 a.m. and 10 a.m. 8:30-10:30 a.m. Sept. 22. 25 percent of all breakfast sales will go to the fest. Hat Creek Burger Company, 5902 Bee Cave Road, West Lake Hills. texasbookfestival.org
BookPeople events. Events: Alex Beard reads “The Lying King.” 6:30 p.m. Sept. 5. Kendra Fortmeyer reads “Hole in the Middle.” 7 p.m. Sept. 7. Sonia Sotomayor reads her new children’s book. (This event is sold out and at First Baptist Church.) 2 p.m. Sept. 8. Ngozi Ukazu reads “Check, Please!” 2 p.m. Sept. 23. Max Brallier reads “Last Kids on Earth and the Cosmic Beyond.” 6:30 p.m. Sept. 26. Matthew Cordell reads “King Alice.” 3 p.m. Sept. 30. 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday story times. Brand New story time. Sept. 1. Spectacular Superheroes. Sept. 4. Sens-Sational story time. Sept. 5. We Love our Grandparents. Sept. 8. Bold and Brave. Sept. 11. Ms. Staci Gray. Sept. 12. Lazy Morning. Sept. 15. Armstrong Community Music School. Sept. 18. Hello, Autum. Sept. 22. Hispanic Heritage. Sept. 25. Banned Books. Sept. 26. Let’s Get Moving. Sept. 29. BookPeople, 603 N. Lamar Blvd. bookpeople.com
Barnes & Noble Events: 11 a.m. Saturday story time at all locations: “Pig the Fibber.” Sept. 1. “Corduroy Takes a Bow.” Sept. 8. Check out the website barnesandnoble.com for future story times.
Alexander Saldana, 5, laughs out loud as Makayo Haywood-Guerrero and his twin brother Max Haywood-Guerrero, 6 plays with Lego’s during Lego Lab at the Carver Branch Library. (RICARDO B. BRAZZIELL / AMERICAN-STATESMAN)
At the library
Bow Wow Reading with Bonnie the Dog. 11:30 a.m. Saturdays. Yarborough Branch. With Roo the Dog. 4:30 p.m. Wednesdays, Little Walnut Creek Branch. Read to George. 3:45 p.m. Sept. 12. Pleasant Hill Branch. With Aussie. 3:30 p.m. Sept. 26, North Village Branch. With Daisy the Dog. 11:15 a.m. Sept. 27, Ruiz Branch.
DiversiTEENS Teen Art Showcase. 4 p.m. Sept. 1, Central Library.
Saturday Movie Matinee: “Avengers: Infinity War.” 1 p.m. Sept. 1, St. John Branch. “Despicable Me 3.” 2 p.m. Sept. 8, Yarborough Branch.
Minecraft Club. 4 p.m. Sept. 4. Little Walnut Creek Branch.
Pajama Storytime. 6 p.m. Sept. 4, Yarborough Branch. 6 p.m. Sept. 10, Sept. 17, Sept. 24, University Hills Branch. 6:30 p.m. Sept. 10, Sept. 17, Sept. 24, Central Library. 6:30 p.m. Sept. 12, Sept. 19, Sept. 26, St. John Branch. 6:30 p.m. Sept. 13 and Sept. 27, Manchaca Road Branch. 3 p.m. Sept. 17, Southeast Branch. 6 p.m. Sept. 25, Old Quarry Branch. 6 p.m. Sept. 26, Millwood Branch. 6 p.m. Sept. 27, Spicewood Springs Branch. 6 p.m. Sept. 27, North Village Branch. 10:15 a.m. Sept. 13, Sept. 20, Sept. 27, Carver Branch.
Tents and Tunnels. 10:15 a.m. Sept. 5. Howson Branch.
Thursday Night Teen Writers Room. 6 p.m. Thursdays, Central Library.
Early Learner Playtime. 10:30 a.m. Sept. 7. Central Library.
Music & Movement. 11 a.m. Sept. 7, Old Quarry Branch. 11 a.m. Sept. 10, Pleasant Hill Branch. 11 a.m. Sept. 11, Sept. 25, Ruiz Branch. 10:15 a.m. Sept. 13 and 20, Carver Branch. 11 a.m. Sept. 13, Sept. 20, Sept. 27, Howson Branch.
Friday Matinee: “A Wrinkle in Time.” 3:30 p.m. Sept. 7, Carver Branch. “Diary of a Wimpy Kid.” 3:30 p.m. Sept. 13, Old Quarry Branch.
Austin Ukestra Ukulele Group. 1 p.m. Sept. 9. Recycled Reads Bookstore.
Lego Lab. 4 p.m. Sept. 7. North Village Branch. 6 p.m. Sept. 10, Carver Branch. 3:30 p.m. Sept. 11, Twin Oaks Branch. 3:30 p.m Sept. 11, Milwood Branch. 3:30 p.m. Sept. 12, Spicewood Springs Branch. 2:30 p.m. Sept. 18, Yarborough Branch. 3:30 p.m. Sept. 18, Ruiz Branch. 3:30 p.m. Sept. 18, Pleasant Hill Branch. 2 p.m. Sept. 25, St. John Branch. 3:30 p.m. Sept. 26, Willie Mae Kirk Branch.
Literature Live “Tales from Graves.” 2 p.m. Sept. 8, Howson Branch. 6 p.m. Sept. 13, Spicewood Springs Branch. 3:30 p.m. Sept. 19, Milwood Branch. 6:30 p.m. Sept. 20 Manchaca Branch. 3:30 p.m. Sept. 25, Twin Oaks Branch. 11 a.m. Sept. 26, Yarborough Branch. 10:15 a.m. Sept. 28, Cepeda Branch.
Weekend Builders Family Lego Lab. 2 p.m. Sept. 8, Twin Oaks Branch.
Crafternoon. 3 p.m. Sept. 10, Sept. 17, Sept. 24, Southeast Branch. 3 p.m Sept. 12, Sept. 19, Sept. 26, Ruiz Branch. 3:30 p.m. Sept. 13, Twin Oaks Branch. 3:30 p.m. Sept. 17, Carver Branch. 3:30 p.m. Sept. 18, Howson Branch.
Family Craft Night. 6 p.m. Sept. 10. Willie Mae Kirk Branch. 7 p.m. Sept. 13, St. John Branch.
NBTween Graphic Novel Club “Secret Hero Society.” 4:30 p.m. Sept. 12, St. John Branch. “Brave.” 4:30 p.m. Sept. 12, St. John Branch. “Tumble & Blue.” 6 p.m. Sept. 20, Twin Oaks Branch. “The Blachorn Key,” Sept. 20, Spicewood Springs. “The Nameless City,” 4:30 p.m. Sept. 26, St. John Branch. “The Oceans of Secrets.” 4:30 p.m. Sept. 26, St. John Branch.
Homeschool Social. 11:15 a.m. Sept. 12. Carver Branch.
Early Literacy Playgroup. 11 a.m. Sept. 13, Southeast Branch. 11 a.m. Sept. 19, Willie Mae Kirk Branch. 11 a.m. Sept. 25, Old Quarry Branch. 10:15 a.m. Sept. 28, Pleasant Hill Branch.
Song of Peace. 3:30 p.m. Sept. 13, Howson Branch.
Animanga Club. 3:30 p.m. Sept. 14, Carver Branch. 3:30 p.m. Sept. 14, Ruiz Branch. 3 p.m. Sept. 19, Southeast Branch.
Sewing after Dark for Teens. 5 p.m. Sept. 14, Central Library.
Batman Day. 10:30 a.m. Sept. 15, Little Walnut Creek Branch.
Platform Nine and Teen Quarters Teen Harry Potter Meetup. 2 p.m. Sept. 16, Central Library.
College Planning Workshop: College Admissions 101. 6 p.m. Sept. 17, Central Library. 6:30 p.m. Sept. 27, Central Library.
Teen Book Club “Shadowshaper.” 6:30 p.m. Sept. 18. Howson Branch.
BluePrint 3-D Printing and Design Bootcamp. 3 p.m. Sept. 22, Central Library.
Perler Bead Saturdays. Noon-4 p.m. Sept. 22, University Hills Branch.
Mother Daughter Book Club. “Firegirl.” 6 p.m. Sept. 26, Pleasant Hill Branch.
Tween and Teen Anime Club. 3:30 p.m. Sept. 28, Twin Oaks Branch.
Read It, Sing it, Let Us Hear It Open Mic! 1 p.m. Sept. 29, Carver Branch.