Very unique! If you are going to Austin, make arrangements for a tour. This house has been…read morefeatured in a lot of different books and magazines.

Keep Austin Weird is one of those phrases that is synonymous with Austin (in addition to barbecue)…read more There is so much interesting art here in Austin that you should consider looking into when visiting Austin, with Casa Neverlandia being one of them. Casa Neverlandia is a three story, colorful home located behind Goodwill Baptist Church, that was created by James Talbot, or as he referred to himself as "Talbot" when we met him for a private tour of his home. Casa Neverlandia originally started out as a one story home built in the early 1900's. Mr. Talbot purchased this home and started to transform it into what you see now in my photos and what you find online. According to Mr. Talbot, he grew up in a military family, traveling all around the world and living in some unusual places that includes a treehouse in Honduras. He has a college degree in architecture and has always been fascinated with building things, as you can see with his home today. To him, he builds this home for himself to reflect upon his spiritual side but also include some unique things for his physical needs, as he lives rather a green lifestyle. My husband and I, along with our little girl dog (yes Mr. Talbot allowed for us to bring our little dog with us) met Mr. Talbot outside of his home on a Sunday afternoon. We were lucky to be the only couple, as another couple was supposed to come but was told the date just didn't work with their schedule. Please note that it cost $15 per person for this tour and you can contact Mr. Talbot via phone or email to schedule a tour. At the front entrance of his home are numerous of doorbells, xylophones and bells. I believe there is over 40 of these things but Mr. Talbot says he can never have enough. He describes the mosaic tiles outside of the home, the snake, the outdoor patio seating area with the clouds element and so forth. Then inside, we see his living room with a beautiful and inviting fireplace and pit to help radiate heat for the first floor, indoor seating area that is meant to be an air alter with cool colors of green and a unique bookcase. We see some current artwork that he has for sale (no obligation to buy) that includes gorgeous hand beaded work and other things and then make our way to the small music room. Next, the kitchen has a lot of function to it more so than just design. Then we make our way up stairs. On the 2nd floor is a room that has a Thai like theme with the bamboo wall panels and red lacquered beams. This room has high ceilings and utilizes natural lighting since there is no lights in this room. Mr. Talbot says this is the room for parties and entertainment for guests. Then up one more floor is Mr. Talbot's room, which was featured on numerous of TV shows, magazines and books. From his bedroom, that has a safari theme to it, you can see a glimpse of downtown Austin. We were then lead to his bathroom where he is currently working on a bath tub with some kind of ocean wave like theme. Being that he has a background in architecture, he is able to create the structure of things the way he wants it. From his bedroom, we walk across a narrow plank bridge to his tree house or a tower. Climb a very narrow ladder and we are on the top of that tower and see great views of Austin. We eventually take a few narrow ladders down to the bottom, now in his backyard. From here, he takes us into his studio (built in the early 90's) and shows us what he is currently working on, which looks like a large clam shell. He uses soda cans that he has collected around Austin to decorate the shell. He also shows us this ocean like mural that will go with this clam shell. Then we eventually make our way outside. He tells us that he saves the rain water in large barrels, as he considers himself camping in his own home. He dresses up or down according to the weather and has a very low electric bill each month and water bill. Mr. Talbots has told us on the tour that he doesn't consider himself to be done with Case Neverlandia, as he is always building and changing things. And said that Casa Neverlandia may be different the next time we come back to Austin for another tour. Our tour lasted about 75 minutes, but we did make small talk with Mr. Talbot throughout. It was well worth our time to come out here and check out Casa Neverlandia and hope you will consider it too, especially if you are looking for something off the beaten path. You can see some of Mr. Talbot's artworks around Austin and a few other things in other states. Casa Neverlandia truly was a highlight of our visit to Austin and am so glad we were able to get a tour. Again as mentioned, it cost $15 per person for a tour and you can call Mr. Talbot at (512) 442-7613 or email him at talbot@talbotworld.com to inquire for a tour.

Great, Texas History that more than precedes the time during The Civil War!…read more Woot, woot! Definitely take your kids to see this!

Mom and I finally made it to the Memorial Museum. After paying our $5 (each) admission, we spent…read moreabout 45-minutes looking at all the exhibits. Not every exhibit dealt with Texas Independence. There is an amphitheater in the rear of the building, and a great reflection pool at the front of the museum. Definitely very worthwhile checking out the museum. While there, be sure to also check out the nearby Veterans Plaza and Horace Eggleston House.

Great museum with unique cars. Friendly and knowledgeable staff who answered all questions about…read morethe cars. Great place for a family outing.

Only open two days a month. Privately owned and doesn't charge a fee. It is basically a storage…read morewarehouse for their toys they allow the rest of us to see twice a month. Latest visit had very little. I guess they have sold a bunch of things. The word is they maybe moving their warehouse to Lakeway or Airport Boulevard. They tend to post on FB when they are going to be open. Always good to confirm though. We have come a few times and they were closed. However, it is free and they don't have to do it at all! I do hope they get some new things in and we can continue to enjoy this place in their new location.

I'm a local-This place is amazing!! I kinda don't want to write a review so it doesn't explode with…read morepeople vs being a hidden gem. You can easily spend the day here. I will definitely be bringing people here.

Flash back to the good ole days of toys and action figures! Highly recommend!! Tons of games to…read moreplay with free play! Big kids and little all will enjoy!

Amazing experience! Great Friday Night Spook Day with my girlfriends! We will be back to book the…read moreovernight stay in October!

Oct 28 is Emma's Birthday... so Magnolia Hotel decided to open the doors to celebrate! Free tours…read morefrom 10am-2pm! I just happened to see something come through my newsfeed over Fb, I bookmarked it, found my schedule open, so headed east to check it out. Emma likes to play in her room... and who doesn't like to play with little spirits?! I didn't know the history of the Magnolia Hotel so was totally clueless walking in the door... Magnolia Hotel has been on Ghost Adventures on Travel Channel. Also, Magnolia Hotel is ~not~ a hotel, it is now a personal residence. To my delight, I was able to hear stories of the old hotel, tales of it's past residents many of which have never left, and how Magnolia Hotel was discovered by the owners. Jim & Erin saved the Magnolia from being demolished... they single handedly have saved a part of Seguin history!... and some haunted history at that! I spent about two hours just hanging out, looking around, and people watching... talked to some interesting people, listening to questions and answers... all very interesting. Did I have an experience? I had something creepy go up the back of my left neck and skull as I was talking to a ghost hunter in the original dining area where the owner was sitting. I also felt some weird things around the house... but something I brushed off at first until I started listening to others talk about it... when you first come up the stairs, it feels really heavy. I originally brushed it off as I just walked up the stairs... but no, go back and you feel it... and everyone was feeling it!!! Emma was playing in her room. One of the guides said just a few minutes earlier, a little girl got scratched. Then someone told her that they saw the door knob in the pink bathroom turn back and forth. The owner, Erin, said this house is more active during the day than at night. Wow! The owners Jim & Erin host a ghost tour in their home on occasion, which books up months in advance. The tour last about 2 hours with in-depth stories which might also include a spiritual reading from the Erin at the end (but only if deceased wish to come forward). Erin has written Haunted New Braunfels, Haunted Seguin, and soon to be released Haunted Magnolia House. All proceeds go towards restoring the Magnolia Hotel. I can not wait to go on their ghost tour!

Found myself in Bastrop, Texas after dropping my car off for service in South Austin…read more Asked the wife where'd she want to go for breakfast and she replied Bastrop. After breakfast at "Maxine's Cafe" (see review), we walked the downtown area and were in search for a restroom. We found the visitor center museum. The ultra nice people invited us to take the museum tour with a free veterans access. So I paid my $5 for my wife and we took the self guided tour. We read the plaques and history of the city of Bastrop. Then we ran into the guided tour guide. As it was just us, we got a private tour of the museum. There is a lot of history in the state of Texas. Seems like each city has its own unique story. I invite you all to get out and explore this great state. Especially the downtown areas. Don't just drive through, get out and walk. Grab an ice cream and explore this great state. Michael C. - Georgetown l, Tx.

On our first trip to Bastrop, I saw the painted brick wall with directions to the visitor center on…read moreMain. We had no clue what to look for, what to do, so I figured to hell with it, let's go to the visitor's center and see what they suggest. We parked right by the door and when we walked in, this teeny bopper pounced on us and welcomed us in. She was very friendly and asked us where we were from, what we were doing, etc. She suggested a couple of wine tasting events, a couple of restaurants and left us to browse through their pamphlets and brochures. I suddenly had to use the restroom which left the rest of the fam to hang out with said teeny bopper. When I came back, I saw her pop in a video and tell everyone to just go ahead and turn the tv off when the video was finished. I asked, "What's this?" to which I was told, "Shut up and enjoy the video." Wow. Ok. LOL! It was the history of Bastrop. Now, I've lived in and out of Texas pretty much my whole life and had no clue - none whatsoever - that Bastrop was ALMOST the state capital. It was an interesting, yet cheesy video but it fulfilled its purpose. There was a lot of information available (and not just for Bastrop - they had info for a lot of Texas destinations).

A true walk in nature. A great place for birding. Always a ton of cardinals and during migration…read moreover 30 birds recorded.