Lite + Brite’s Guide to Austin Animal Encounters

Sure, Austin has a zoo and an aquarium, but that’s not what this article is about. This town also has plenty of smaller, more close-up, and equally adorable animal interactions available. Here are some of them:

Turtles

Little Woodrow’s bar has a turtle racing season, typically starting in the spring and running through the summer. Obviously you can bet on which turtle will be the speediest. Even if you lose your bet, you still get to see turtles, which means you’re still a winner.

Chickens

Every Sunday at Ginny’s Little Longhorn Saloon, a chicken poops on a bingo board and the crowd goes wild. While you cannot technically cuddle an animal at Chicken Shit Bingo, you can root for it to drop a deuce on the number of your choosing.

Goats, Cows, Pigs, Donkeys, Sheep, + a Tortoise

Technically located in the suburb of Paige, Austin Farm Sanctuary provides rescue, rehabilitation and a forever home to 240 barnyard animals. They offer private tours, public events, and even overnight stays. They have lots of goats and pigs, as well as a single tortoise named Wiz.

Cows

Do you want to cuddle a miniature highland cow? You probably do. Fortunately Southern Trails offers this exact opportunity. Technically they appear to be a horseback riding place, but the cow cuddles seem to us to be a strong draw.

Cats

Purr-fecto Cat Lounge is a cat cafe where you can book hang-out sessions with adoptable kittehs. The lounge also hosts activities so you can practice pilates, yoga, or painting, while in the presence of cuddleable cats.

Goats

Goat Shenanigans regularly brings their herd of mini-goats to local breweries and coffee shops. We occasionally list their events in the newsletter, especially around Halloween, when their goats wear costumes and hang out while you paint jack-o-lanterns.

The Dripping Springs brewery Jester King is home to excellent craft beer and a herd of 75 Nigerian Dwarf goats. If you want to spend quality time with the goats, you can book tickets to go for a walk with them, watch movies with them, or practice doom metal yoga with them. (We usually list Doom Metal Goat Yoga sessions in the newsletter.)

Pigs

Central Texas Pig Rescue has taken in 200 formerly abused and neglected pigs. They live now at the “Enchanted Pig Forest,” a 26-acre refuge in Bastrop County. To meet these porcine residents, you can participate in one of the regular volunteer days, or buy tickets to their periodic public events, like their Pumpkin Smash Bash (which we always list in the newsletter).

Horses

Healing With Horses Ranch provides equine therapy, and they occasionally bring their horses to public events, too. (When we know that there will be horses attending an event, we ALWAYS list it). They also open up their ranch to visitors a few times a year. (We always list that, too).

If you like horses but wish they were smaller, Minis and Friends is for you. These little equines also provide therapy, and they sometimes come out to public events. Leila first met them at the community holiday party at an APL branch library and has been obsessed with them ever since.

Bunnies, Reptiles, Guinea Pigs, Tortoises, Hedgehogs, and Chinchillas

Tiny Tails to You is the absolute best in the small, pettable critters business. They regularly bring their mobile petting zoo to kids’ storytime at BookPeople and to other public events. Or you can hire them to set up a petting zoo at your house! I have been told that the chinchilla costs extra, but I will personally guarantee you that the chinchilla is extremely worth it.

Peacocks

The two best places to see peacocks are at Green Pastures (which also has an excellent restaurant) and Mayfield Park (which also has some pleasant wooded trails). If you stroll around either of these sites, you are pretty much guaranteed to see peacocks (or at least to hear them screaming bloody murder).

Bats

You know this one because Austin is famous for it. Stand on or under the South Congress Bridge at sunset during bat season (roughly March to September), and you may be rewarded with the majestic flight of up to 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats. Please note that it’s hard to predict whether the bats will fly on any given night (though Austin Bat Refuge tries!). You may instead stand outside and be rewarded only with a child complaining that it’s too hot and boring and their feet hurt. Yes, we speak from experience.

Are there other Austin animal experiences that you recommend? If so, email them to us at liteandbriteatx@gmail.com and we’ll add them to this list.