Segway Lights & Why You Should Invest In a Light

Winter is approaching Austin, and for segway enthusiasts that means at least one bad thing, short days, darker nights. Segway riders should have a light equipped on their segway for safety purposes.

Cat Eye Bicycle Light

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“So, where can I buy a Segway light? An official segway retailer?”

Well yes, there are attachments offered by Segway Incorporated, but often times bicycle lights work as a perfect fit for Segways as well. We went to REI here in Austin and looked at a selection of bike lights they offered. You can view their online catalog here.

We found many different types of lights. Red, White, Flashing, Still, all of them useful. Reflectors were also in the mix. The price ranges from $15.50-$60.00. For safety on a short budget, red or white flashing and still lights are available for $15.50.

REI is currently offering up to 30.00% off for a Winter sales event. Get your lights now, stay safe, and stay segwaying!

 

- Gliding Revolution

Come out today with Gliding Revolution a

Come out today with Gliding Revolution and get a $55 tour. Water, hydration tablets, and pictures ALL free! 512 495 9250

The Alamo Draft House

Looking for some food, film, and history? Check out…

 

 

 

 

Located on 6th Street, The Alamo Draft House offers recently released films as well as beloved oldies, all while enjoying some food dishes and drinks.

The cinema was started in 1997 and has nine locations across the Texas area. As well as having nine locations, the cinema offers a rolling roadshow which has free showings of James Bond movies and Napolean Dynamite, among others.

While we tour guides were hanging out downtown, we over heard some people talkin about a video The Alamo Draft House put of an angry customers voicemail who was kicked out for texting. We checked it out, and thought it was pretty funny.

Shrimp and Seafood at Turf and Surf Downtown

Looking for some local seafood Downtown?

Turf and Surf offers Poboys, Tacos, Mahi-Mahi, fries, drinks, and more located on Congress and 2nd Street.

Turf and Surf

 After running two tours downtown, the Gliding Revolution team was pretty hungry. We decided to try out a new seafood shop close to the Congress Bridge downtown. A 6 minute drive from the Holiday Inn downtown, it is conventient to nearly anyone whose in the downtown Austin area.

 

Ralph with Turf and Surf

 

 My coworkers each ordered a shrimp po-boy ($10)  and a Tangerine Soda ($1) . I ordered two shrimp tacos and a coke.

The wait was only about 5 minutes, and we got seats under an umbrella to avoid the scorching heat of mid-day downtown.

Anthony, a fellow tour guide, commented that his poboy was “the best i’ve had downtown and certainly better than [he] expected.”

As for my two tacos, each came with a slice of lime and filled with grilled shrimp (the also offer fried shrimp).

 

 

 

Overall, Turf and Surf was a great choice for lunch. The poboys are a little pricey, but even without fries it’s a full meal.

 

My shrimp tacos

If you’re looking for other reviews you can check out their Yelp page.

 

Menu- 8/10 – *fries were $2.50 each so we skimped on the sides

Atmosphere- 10/10 *Can’t get better than a shaded place to eat right on Congress

Food-9/10 *Truly the best seafood from any food trailer I have had

Overall- 9/10 *Definitely going back again.

Free Austin Fun This Week

Looking for a way to add some fun to your summer in Austin this week?

Free Fun in Austin, A blog dedicated to finding cheap,free, and/or exciting events in Austin, posted two intriguing events we wanted to pass on to our followers.

1) Near Deep Eddy Park, The Alamo Draft House Rolling Roadshow will present a free showing of Napolean Dynamite tonight at 9 PM. They will hold the showing at 2201 Veterans Drive between Near Deep Eddy Park and Mopac Freeway. All ages are welcome.

Visit The Facebook Page for this event.

2) FREE donuts at Krispy Cream on Friday, June 3rd for National Donut Day. Free donut with purchase of drink at Dunkin Donuts.

 

Thanks again to Hiedi at Free Fun in Austin.

 

Remember you can always take a jog around Ladybird Lake, or rent a kayak or canoe to burn off the calories from the donuts with Explore Ladybird Lake!

 

Mexican Freetail Bats

Everyone’s heard about the bats living under the Congress Bridge, right?

 

Well,  most of us have, but many people don’t know the exacts about Austin’s premier entertainment when the sun goes down.

• 1.5 million bats (give or take a hundred thousand) live under the Congress Bridge
• The bat colony eats between 10,000-30,000 pounds of insects every night
• The bats came to Austin in 1980 when restorations to the Congress Bridge made the bridge an ideal bat spot

 

The bats arrive mid March and stay through November. Although the bats do not have a set time of depature each night, a few things usually occur before they make their depature.

1st) The 1st Street Bridge will light up. The Congress Bridge does not light up at the same time.

2nd) the Austonian Building will begin changing lights at its top story (Austins tallest at 55 stories).

3rd) The Congress Bridge lights will turn on.

The sun will either be set or setting when the bats depart.

If you’re looking for a perfect view of the bats, try coming out for a Kayak Sunset Tour offered by Explore Ladybird Lake!

Call Juan at  512.699.6051 to book a tour during the summer months for the best showing.

Austin City Limits 2011

This year’s ACL concert has already sold out all available 3-day passes and single day passes on Friday and Saturday, leaving only single day passes for Sunday available for sale. Sundays lineup includes: Arcade Fire, Fleet Foxes, and The Empire of the Sun (among others). If your thinking about buying tickets for this year’s ACL festival, pick them up soon!

Thinking about going to ACL? Here’s a few things you should consider:

• Free Wifi will be offered at the 4G CLEAR internet tent
• Farmers Market will offer gluten free, vegan, and green snacks and food
• Chair and bag check (they’ll hold it for you)
• Autograph sessions with bands will be offered

Kanye West, Coldplay, Cold War Kids, Arcade Fire, Stevie Wonder, and Nas and Damian “JR Gong” Marley will all perform at the 2011 ACL festival

South Congress Restaraunts and Cafés

Here at Gliding Revolution we do not tour South Congress or give a lot of information covering the development and history of South Congress. However, it is home to some of the best cafes and shops in Austin. We have run the gamut there, ate at the best and the worst, and we’re here to recommend what you spend your money to eat out on at South Congress.

Italian Food Choice:  Homeslice Pizza

Located right past the Congress Bridge, Homeslice Pizza has some of the best pizza in town. With two locations, one sit down, the other quick style to eat on the go, you can’t go wrong. If you have some time, go ahead and sit down and give the restaurant a try first. We got a medium pepperoni pizza with all of the toppings. For $14 it was definitely a good investment.

Their website

Mexican Food Choice: Guero’s Taco Bar

 Guero’s tacos are a little spicy and pack a big punch of flavor. Located a little farther down S. Congress, it can be found on the strip of unique shops to the right traveling from downtown. Magaritas at this place are pretty nice too, but they range from $5.50-7.50 a piece. We got some steak quesidillas ( with some sour cream). Superb.

 

Guero’s specialty magarita menu

 

American Food: Hopdoddy Burger Bar

 

 Alright so they 11 different types of burgers and all of them are pretty darn delicious. Located Right across from Homeslice, the only thing that isn’t top notch is the parking. We tried the Bison Burger with Maytag Blue Cheese, Frank’s Hot Sauce, Apple-Smoked Bacon, Sassy Sauce for $9.50. It had a twang of Bison flavor but was great for anyone who wants to sink their teeth in some good red meat.

 

A list of all their burgers

 

There is a lot of great food in Austin, but we had to give it up to one restaraunt in particular:

 

Best Overall S. Congress Rstaraunt: Magnolia Cafe

 

There are two Magnolia Cafes in Austin, this being the second, but its got every feel of an original “indie” restaraunt with great food. We started off with the Magmud appetizer, and each got a breakfast item (breakfast is served 24/7) and some coffee.

• Pros: Great food, interesting art hanging on the walls, parking isn’t bad, breakfast all day, great service
• Cons: A large orange juice is $4.50 , the wait can be long at peak times

The art rotates collections, so it’s always something new on the walls. Plus, it really feels “Austin-y”. South Congress is home to a variety of great things, we encourage all travellers who have the time to check out what is on the other side of the Congress Bridge.

 

 

Summer Fun in Austin Texas

Considering coming to Austin over the summer? Here at Gliding Revolution, we have put together some of the public events Austin will be hosting over the summer of 2011.

• 2011 Pachanga Latino Music Festival

  

  Pachanga Music Festival

•  The 2011 Pachanga Latino Music Festival at Fiesta Gardens will be started on May 21st at 12 pm. The Fiesta Gardens are on the edge of Ladybird Lake, south of Ceaser Chavez  St. Three-time Grammy-winning artist Ozomatli will headline. Children of all ages are encouraged to attend the event. tickets can be bought online or can be bought at the event. They are $15 a person.

 

• Austin Ice Cream Festival
• 

  The Festival Truck

• Taken from their website: “ The 5th Annual Austin Ice Cream Festival is an event centered around family, fun, and ice cream which harkens back to a time when ice cream trucks roamed the streets and running through sprinklers was an art form. Come out and enjoy contests, music, and of course, iced treats. ” The event is held at Waterloo Park on August 13th and runs from 10AM to 7PM

 

• Dog Show At Murphy Park
• 

May 21st 2011, Austin will feature a free dog show. Admission for putting your pooch into the contest is $10, but admissions is free. Great fun for the whole family. Located at Murphy Park, find out more on their web page.

For any Austin related questions, feel free to leave us a comment on our Facebook Page or mention us on Twitter, in addition to leaving a comment here on the blog. Thanks and keep your summer weird!

EAT Shaved Ice- Snowcone Stand at Balcones Park

Now that summer is upon us, many Austinites are looking for a snowcone stand they can get some freshing shaved ice from. Look no further than EAT Shaved Ice, located in Balcones Park, North of downtown Austin on the corner of Devaul Road and Amherst Drive.

 

Location of EAT Shaved Ice

The snowcone stand offers snowcones of all major fruit flavors from kiwi banana to cherry,watermelon, and sour apple all in one snowcone. They also offer hot dogs, bottled water, and assorted candy. Prices for snowcones range from

 

Small (up to 2 flavors) $2.75

Medium (up to 3 flavors) $3.75

Large ( up to 4 flavors) $4.75

 

EAT Shaved Ice has a new special offering a free small snowcone if you “check in” with your smart phone 9 times.

Simply going by and checking out the flavors and picking up a bottle of water or hot dog earns you free snowcones.

Find out more information on “checking in” through facebook on EAT Shaved Ice Facebook page.

 

	We have Hawaiian Shaved Ice with over 50 flavors available and cream topping! Come out enjoy a classic like Cherry or be adventurous and try something new like Barbie or Ninja Turtle!

 

EAT Shaved Ice can be followed on Twitter

As well as Yelp

 

Segway Rally at the Mexican American Culture Center

1st collector for Segway rally at the Mexican American Culture Ce…
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Old Pecan Street Spring Arts Festival

Interested in some Austin fun next weekend?

On 6th Street May 7th & 8th the Old Pecan Street Spring Arts Festival will in full swing.

You can find out more about the festival on their page.

Or check out their facebook and twitter page.

Pecan Fest!

A list of the bands performing can be found here.

Hot Dog! it’s the best of: Austin Hot Dogs

Ever wanted a ball park hot dog in Austin but been disappointed to find your hunger for hot dogs cant be fulfilled? Us too. Alot. That’s why we compiled some of the best hot dog places in Austin

1) Dog Almighty

3005 S Lamar Blvd # 114. Austin, TX 78704

2) Frank

407 Colorado Street
Austin, TX 78701-2918

3) Man Bites Dog

2101 Manor Road, Austin

Check out his blog, here.

Photos coming soon

Nathan Boone with Austin Segway Tours

Food Trailers of South Congress

Past the Congress Bridge, where 2.2 million Mexican Freetail Bats live during the months of March- November, a land of independent food trailers, businesses, shops, and stores exist. Among these independent businesses are three very great food trailers. Hey Cupcake! Mighty Cone , and Torchy’s Tacos.

Hey Cupcake!

Mighty Cone

Torchy's Tacos

They are addicting, in the good way.

- Nathan Boone with Austin Segway Tours

Austin City Tour Stops

One question tourists who are interested in segway tours always ask is “What places will we see on a city tour of downtown with Austin Segway tours?” Everything.

Well, perhaps not every great feature of Austin.(You’d have to go on a Ladybird Lake tour as well to see all of them!) But we do visit and talk about many important features in Austin such as: The Mexican American Culture Center, The Driskill Hotel, 6th Street, The Capitol, The Austonian, Willie Nelson Avenue, and the Congress Bridge.

So, What’s so great about the Capitol?

• The capitol in Austin opened May 16, 1888. The dome of the building stands seven feet higher than that of the nation’s Capitol in Washington, D.C.
• Texas is the only state to have the flags of 6 different nations fly over it. They are: Spain, France, Mexico, Republic of Texas, Confederate States, and the United States.
• The building has nearly four hundred rooms and more than nine hundred windows.

As well as the Texas State Capitol being an interesting monument, Saint Edward’s University recognized the Driskill as an interesting and precious piece of Austin history. In their newspaper, The Hilltop Views, An article called The Tique of the Week, gave homage to the hotel.

Updates about the Mexican Freetail Bats who live under the Congress Bridge are coming soon on the blog, and I’ll go in deeper about their migration and departure each night from under the bridge ( All 2.2 MILLION of them!)

Six Wonderful Things To Do In Austin

When visiting Texas’s capital, many people feel that there is so many things to do that it can be overwhelming! However, as a tour guide for Austin’s #1 Segway tour group, we have composed a list of six must-do things when you’re visiting.

1. The Capitol of Texas

Being the only capitol larger than the nation’s capitol in Washington D.C, The Texas Capitol Building is a free and fun thing to visit.

2. Austin Botanical Garden

The wide variety of plant life is a great spectacle for anyone in town looking for some fun things to do in nature

3. Bats under the South Congress Bridge

the 2.2 million bats living under Congress bridge fly out daily right after sunset. Make sure you don’t expect a show between Novemeber and February though!

4. Driskill Hotel

Austin’s premier haunted hotel. A luxurious place to dine and stay, conveniently located on the corner of 6th street.

5. Barton Creek

Free in some parts, minimal fee for others. Always cold, but always a blast!

6.Texas Memorial Museum

Located by UT, this museum houses many different gems, stones, bones, rocks, and anything else old you might want to check out!

Remember you can access our website at anytime for questions or concerns. Thanks a lot and keep Austin weird!