Emily O'Shaughnessy

Revival in Bee Cave: Cool Stuff for Your Home

Written by Emily O'Shaughnessy | November 18, 2013

Revival, located on Hwy 71 between RR 620 and Bee Cave Parkway, provides a “unique experiential shopping environment, with products and services focused on community and authentic living.”

If you’ve never been – maybe you’ve driven by it hundreds of times but never stopped – you might want to take the time to pop in next time. You’ll be glad you did. The storefront is inviting, but also deceiving because the entire place is actually much, much bigger than what you see from the highway.

I’d heard about Revival from designer friends that rave about it. One person described it as a “mini Round Top.” Turns out that was a pretty accurate description. Except that it’s here for us in the Lake Travis area to enjoy anytime we want!

Bee Cave Sculpture Park – A Vision Comes To Life

Written by Emily O'Shaughnessy | November 11, 2013

The Bee Cave Sculpture Park opened its first phase with a grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony on Saturday. It was the perfect way to introduce a beautiful new park to the community.

This park is truly a hidden gem, tucked behind the Police Department near the Galleria shops. The large, 7-acre natural area with enormous oak tress and a pond somehow seems a world away. Wandering through the paths admiring the sculptures you’d never know there’s a shopping center just a stones throw away. It’s a mini escape – a convenient place for residents and visitors of Bee Cave to enjoy nature and art in one beautiful setting.

The Bee Cave Arts Foundation worked for years to bring this vision to life, and as I heard several times on Saturday, “this is only the beginning.” The Sculpture Park currently includes 11 sculptures, some permanent and some rotating, with plans already in the works for Phase II. A playground designed by artist GiGi Miller, whose colorful “Leap of Faith” frog sculpture is a hit with the kids, will be visually appealing with vibrant colors and whimsical touches.

Black Walnut Café Now Open In Four Points

Written by Emily O'Shaughnessy | November 8, 2013

Black Walnut Café, a “contemporary American fast casual concept” opened yesterday at 10817 Ranch Road 2222. Black Walnut has several locations in the Houston area, but this is the first in Austin.

I’m excited it’s here. I’ll admit that I’m slightly biased because I frequented and loved one of the Houston locations back in the day, but Black Walnut nicely fills a niche in the Lake Travis area.

It serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and manages to hit that sweet spot of being casual yet nice. It’s versatile and caters to many different crowds. Whether you’re in work clothes or workout clothes, you won’t feel out of place.

On any given day you could look around the restaurant and see a couple on a date, coworkers gathering for happy hour, families stopping by after soccer practice and a group of ladies gathered for a girls night out. It’s child-friendly, but seems more upscale than similarly priced restaurants. You get real plates, real silverware and oh – there’s a full service bar. That always helps.

8 Things to Do Indoors with Kids in the Lake Travis Area

Written by Emily O'Shaughnessy | November 5, 2013

Rain! After doing the rain dance all summer it seems our hard work is finally paying off. Reports state we had the wettest October on record, with more rain predicted this first week of November.

But I have to admit, even though I’m grateful for the much-needed rain after a few days the kids and I start to get a little antsy from being cooped up inside. Sure, it’s fun at first but let’s face it – there’s only so many Rainbow Loom bracelets you can make or forts you can build before cabin fever sets in.

Austin Beer Week Events at Whole Foods Bee Cave

Written by Emily O'Shaughnessy | October 30, 2013

One of the things I love about Austin is how it seems to effortlessly flow from one organized event or festival into the next. The month started out with ACL Music Fest, then moved on to the Austin Film Festival, Texas Book Festival and now here we are closing out the month with Austin Beer Week. Yes, there’s a week for that.

Austin Beer Week (ABW), now in it’s fourth year, is a “multi-day, multi-event, brewer-centric showcase of all things craft beer.” It benefits Texas Craft Brewers Guild , a non-profit dedicated to promoting and educating the public about craft beer.

It’s a Marathon, Not a Sprint

Austin Beer Week hosts 200+ events over a nine-day period. Activities include food pairings, special tappings, book signings, movie premieres, trivia nights, and other unique events such as a burlesque show, ping pong tournament and even keg-lifting competitions.

Many of the events are held in central Austin locations, but there are several participating venues a little further out of the city. Fortunately for those of us in the Lake Travis area, the Whole Foods Bee Cave is one, hosting four official events throughout the week. They’re also offering happy hour pricing all day on Halloween for anyone dressed in costume. So go ahead an stop by on your way home from the office – you can tell them you’re Lumbergh from Office Space. Who will argue with that? You may even get a free pint.

Emily O'Shaughnessy

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