Auditorium Shores facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Auditorium Shores at Town Lake Metropolitan Park
Auditorium Shores
Auditorium Shores during Independence Day in 2007
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Type	Public park
Location	800 W Riverside Dr Austin, Texas 78704
Area	48.58 acres (19.66 ha)
Created	1959

Auditorium Shores is a popular park right in the middle of downtown Austin, Texas. It's part of a bigger area called Town Lake Park. The park got its name because it's located between the old Palmer Auditorium building and the shores of Lady Bird Lake. This park is famous for hosting big music festivals like South by Southwest and Fun Fun Fun Fest, along with many other fun events.

Where is Auditorium Shores?

Auditorium Shores is on the south side of Lady Bird Lake. It's just west of South 1st Street. To the south of the park, you'll find the Long Center and the Palmer Events Center.

The Town Lake Hike and Bike Trail goes right through the park. This trail is a great place for walking or biking. One of the main entrances to the trail is right next to Auditorium Shores.

You can also find a special statue here. It honors Stevie Ray Vaughan, a famous musician who lived in Austin. He played many concerts at Auditorium Shores. The park is also known for its large area where dogs can run off-leash. It offers amazing views of the Austin skyline. You can also see the Town Lake Gazebo by the lake in the park's northeast corner.

Fun Events at the Park

Auditorium Shores has always been a favorite spot for music concerts. Today, it's a main location for several big music festivals. These include Fun Fun Fun Fest and South by Southwest.

In the 1980s and 90s, the park hosted the Austin Aqua Festival. Now, it also holds some events for the Austin Food & Wine Festival. In 1987, a concert by Gregg Allman at Auditorium Shores was even recorded and played on the radio later!

History of the Park

Auditorium Shores first opened in 1959. This was around the same time the Palmer Auditorium was finished. The park got some upgrades when Palmer Auditorium was changed into the Long Center in 1999.

In 2013, a company called C3 Presents offered to donate $3.5 million. This money was for new improvements to the park. Some of these changes would make the off-leash dog area smaller. The city council decided to accept the donation and make the changes. This caused some discussion among people. They wondered if the large donation influenced the decision about the dog park.

Plaque honoring Vic Mathias at the park's East Lawn

In 2015, the Austin City Council named the East Lawn of the park "Vic Mathias Shores." This was to honor Vic Mathias. He was a business leader in Austin who helped start the Austin Aqua Festival.

Park Funding Challenges

Over the years, there have been some challenges with funding the park's improvements. In 1998, voters in Austin approved a plan to use a tax on car rentals to build new facilities. This included the Palmer Events Center and improvements to the park.

A plan was made to finish the park's development by 2007. However, changes were made to how the car rental tax money was used. Instead of going straight to park construction, some of it was used for the daily operations of the Palmer Events Center. This meant less money was available for the park.

Because of these changes, some parts of the park's planned development were delayed. For example, a section now known as Butler Park was delayed for years. This delay cost money and meant some planned features were not built. Later phases of the park's development, including parts of Auditorium Shores, were even removed from the funding plan.

Despite these challenges, some progress has been made. A private donation of $3.5 million and a state grant helped fund some improvements. These included fixing parts of Auditorium Shores and building a dog play area. In 2016, money was set aside for the Alliance Children's Garden and for renovations to the Liz Carpenter Fountain. These are both popular spots within Butler Park.

Images for kids

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  Auditorium Shores during Independence Day in 2007

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  Plaque honoring Vic Mathias at the park's East Lawn