Where To Stay In Austin With Kids
When a friend tells me she's visiting Austin with her little ones and wants to know where to stay in Austin with kids, this is exactly what I tell her:
An awesome airbnb, centrally located. And yes, plan on renting a car! Texas doesn't have reliable public transportation.
I've lived in Austin forever and I'm raising my kids here. Here are the three main general areas I recommend if you're looking to plan a fun, family-friendly weekend stay in Austin, TX.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kelsey Kennedy is a native Texan and a local Austin author, photographer, and blogger with a serious obsession for all things Austin. As the creator of four Texas-focused travel websites, her work has reached over 12 million readers in 38 countries, all searching for the coolest things to do in the hottest cities in Texas. For more insider tips on the capital city, check out her bestselling travel book, Austin Food Crawls: Touring the Neighborhoods One Bite and Libation at a Time.
Where To Stay In Austin With Kids
My top choices are any neighborhoods within a short drive to the main kid-friendly attractions in Austin like Barton Springs Pool, the Zilker Eagle Train, shops on South Congress, and the epic Alliance Children's Garden.
If you're planning your trip to Austin with kids, here are my favorite things to do in Austin with kids and my guide to the best kid-friendly restaurants in Austin.
Top Choice: Travis Heights
Travis Heights is one of the best Austin neighborhoods for families because it borders the always-bustling South Congress Avenue. If walkability is high on your list, this is the perfect spot—vacation rentals here put you just steps away from restaurants, shops, and some of Austin’s most iconic attractions.
This neighborhood has a lot of character, with an eclectic mix of homes ranging from charming older bungalows to sleek new builds. It’s packed with vacation rentals, making it easy to find a family-friendly place to stay. Best of all, Travis Heights offers the perfect balance of being close to the action while still feeling like a cozy residential neighborhood.
Pros of staying in Travis Heights with kids:
🦇 Walk to the “bat bridge” and watch the Austin bats emerge at night
🍕🍦 Easy stroll to South Congress for pizza at Home Slice, ice cream at Amy’s, and patio dining at Perla’s
🌳 Just a short drive to Zilker Park, Barton Springs Pool, and downtown Austin
👨👩👧 Plenty of kid-friendly restaurants nearby
Cons of staying in Travis Heights with kids:
💸 Vacation rentals can be pricey—this is one of the most in-demand tourist areas
🎉 Lots of bachelor/bachelorette parties—could be noisy if your kids go to bed early
🔊 Close to downtown with homes packed tightly together, so general noise pollution is common
Tip: for the best walkability, try to get a house on the eastern edge of Travis Heights so you're closer to South Congress and further away from Interstate 35.
Runner Up: Dawson Neighborhood
You might not have heard of Dawson, but hear me out—it’s one of the BEST hidden-gem neighborhoods to stay in Austin with kids. It’s in the same zip code as Travis Heights (78704), but about a mile further from downtown, which means fewer tourists pay attention to it.
That works to your advantage! Dawson is quieter, more affordable, and very family-friendly—you’ll often see parents out with strollers in the mornings. You’re still close to all the kid-approved Austin highlights, and the location makes it super convenient for both getting to the airport and heading out toward Dripping Springs for those amazing breweries with playgrounds.
Pros of staying in Dawson with kids:
Zilker Park, Barton Springs, and South Congress are all within a 5-10 minute drive
Just 15 minutes from the airport in one direction
Easy access to Dripping Springs kid-friendly breweries in the other direction
Quieter, more residential vibe
Lower vacation rental prices compared to Travis Heights
Cons of staying in Dawson with kids:
Not as walkable as Travis Heights
Fewer modern/new-build vacation rentals
Third Choice: Zilker Neighborhood
If you’re planning to attend the Austin City Limits Music Festival with your kids, or you just want to be a little further west (closer to Lake Travis for boating adventures), Zilker is a beautiful neighborhood to stay in.
This is one of Austin’s more upscale areas, with stunning homes—many with pools—available as vacation rentals. The location puts you right by Zilker Park and very close to downtown. While it’s not as walkable or kid-focused as South Congress, you’ll still have quick access to South Lamar, which is packed with excellent restaurants.
Pros of staying in Zilker with kids:
-
Centrally located and close to everything -
Gorgeous homes (many with pools) available for rent
-
Near South Lamar’s great restaurants -
The best neighborhood for attending Austin City Limits Music Festival
Cons of staying in Zilker with kids:
-
Vacation rentals here are pricey
-
Not walking distance to many kid-friendly attractions
Q&A About Where To Stay In Austin With Kids
>>Should I stay in an Airbnb or a hotel?
This is a personal preference, but I think that having multiple rooms, a washer/dryer, and a kitchen make a vacation with the kids SO much easier! I almost always choose a vacation rental over a hotel when I travel with my two young kids.
Did you know that VRBO actually has more big houses than Airbnb? Airbnb has more general listings around the world, but VRBO specializes in entire vacation homes. So I typically start by looking there.
>>Ok, but if you were staying in a hotel, which ones are the best kid-friendly hotels in Austin?
Even though I personally prefer the convenience of renting a home when I travel, I live here in Austin and I've stayed at lots of hotels with my kids!
My favorite type of hotel has to have a great pool, a convenient location, and preferably an excellent coffee shop and restaurant on site so I can easily caffeinate and fuel myself, haha.
Based on those criteria, my top picks are these four hotels:
>>Do I need to rent a car in Austin?
If you're traveling with kids - YES! While you could very easily Uber around if it's just a couples trip with adults only, adding kids into the mix makes Uber trickier (because carseats - duh.)
The bus line in Austin can get you around a little bit, but if you want an easy trip with kids, rent a car at the Austin airport.
I previously used Turo (which is kind of like Airbnb for cars where you can borrow someone else's car) until the company made it really hard to pick up cars at the airport. You basically have to Uber to your rental car which is a huge hassle with kids. I typically now just rent through booking.com and pick up my car at the airport.
Traveling with kids to Austin? Here are your next steps.
Once you've decided where to stay in Austin with kids and booked the vacation rental, your next step is to book a rental car.
I've travelled with my kids a bunch, and booking.com consistently has the most options and best prices. So go over there and get your car booked now!
After that, your next step is to plan an activity for each day. I've found that having ONE thing planned each day makes my vacations with kids a lot easier. I have some structure to the day, but not too much rigidity that we can't go with the flow and just have fun!
Here are my favorite things to do in Austin with kids to help you get started finding a few kid-friendly activities.
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