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    The Contemporary Austin - Laguna Gloria

    4.2 (133 reviews)
    Closed 9:00 am - 3:00 pm

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    Morgan L.

    What a lovely experience to do especially when the weather is the way it's been the past few days. This place offers tons of outdoor sculptors and tbh I was very entertained for at least a hour to maybe two! Beautiful lake Austin is located on the left side as you're walking your way through a wooden path:)

    Blu M.

    The Contemporary Austin - Laguna Gloria is an absolutely stunning place to visit. The moment you arrive, the combination of art, nature, and history makes the whole experience feel special. The grounds are peaceful and beautifully maintained, with sculptures thoughtfully placed throughout the trails so it feels like you're discovering something new around every corner. The historic villa adds so much charm, and the mix of indoor and outdoor art creates a really unique atmosphere. Even if certain pieces aren't your typical style, everything is curated in a way that feels intentional and engaging. It's relaxing, inspiring, and the perfect spot to wander, take photos, or just enjoy a quiet afternoon surrounded by creativity and nature. The staff is welcoming, the views are gorgeous, and it's honestly one of the best experiences Austin has to offer. Highly recommend Laguna Gloria to anyone looking for an unforgettable art outing.

    Art
    Theo P.

    Love this museum. It's outdoors and there are pretty cool sculptures to check out. Pro Tip: It's free Thursday's go around 6:30 pm and grab pizza afterwards. 10/10 Sculptures

    Miffy
    Katie C.

    This place is so beautiful! My friend and I went on a Thursday so admission was free. The weather was perfect so we really enjoyed just wandering around. I really liked the giant sculpture of the person looking up. I was surprised to read that it was made up of baking tins and such. If you look close you could see them! The artists all had different styles and I appreciated all of the art. The gift shop was small but had some cool items in it. The staff members were all very nice and welcoming. I will recommend this spot to anyone living or visiting Austin. It truly has a "wow" factor to it! For parking, you really need to find a spot on the street. There is some parking on W 35th and other side streets.

    Beautiful Villa, you can go inside
    Cristina B.

    This place is so much fun and the best part is it's FREE! It's an art park along the water with a villa in the center and art sculptures throughout the park. Maybe late summer is a better time to visit because it was scorching hot (late July). They have a cute little gift shop where you check in then you roam around at your leisure for as long as you want. Highly recommend!

    Lake Austin
    Paul D.

    This was my first visit to the Contemporary Austin at Laguna Gloria and enjoyed it. I loved the walking trails though the woods and along Lake Austin seeing all the artwork in the Betty and Edward Marcus Sculpture Park. I was impressed by all of it including the grounds with the Driscoll Villa, Visitor Center/Shop, Art School and Spread and Co. Café. The only drawback is finding a parking spot along the street since there is no lot on site. However, I did plan my visit by seeing it during the week around lunchtime where easily found a spot and parking is free. It was very relaxing and peaceful felling you were away from the busy Austin city life. The staff was very friendly and like it so much I purchased a membership.

    Checking out the view
    Dawn S.

    I am a teacher and my teacher friends and I are doing some Austin Adult Field Trips this summer that are both budget friendly (#teachers) and fun! We chose Laguna Gloria and we luckily came on a "free day". We knew that teachers got a discount but lucky us to come on a free day! There is plenty of parking and even a cute little coffee/snack shop right when you come in. They have homemade popsicles. We didn't try one but they sounded great! There are several buildings for art classes. We must have looked lost ;) because someone popped over to talk to us and pointed out which way to go to hit the path and find the awesome sculptures along the way. One of my friends had been there before so she was a great docent during our walking tour. The grounds are charming. Down at the peninsula and in the woods, you feel like you are on a tropical vacation. When you pop out down near the estate house you feel like you're in California. :) My friend had attended a wedding here and said it was lovely. I can just imagine how perfect that must have been. It was a fun field trip. I will surely be back again!

    Cristina R.

    Laguna Gloria is probably my favorite museum in Austin. Admittedly, I may be biased since I'm a huge fan of sculpture gardens, but I think this place checks all the boxes! Come on a nice day to walk the lovely grounds with views of Lake Austin and admire the art. On Thursdays, admission is free all day! Most recently, we visited on a Thursday evening for the unveiling reception of Mariposa Relámpago, an awesome piece that was commissioned by the ICA Boston and is making its way around Texas. The base is an old school bus from El Salvador, and the artist attached a number of objects onto it including gongs that can be used for sound therapy. During the reception, 3 gong players did a sound ceremony, and we were able to watch them in action from outside as well as go inside the bus to feel the vibrations. A very unique experience! Laguna Gloria's permanent collection features a variety of different artists as well as sculptural styles and mediums. I love the big silver guy looking up outside the villa as well as the crying Miffy fountain and the swan by the lake. Each piece has signage close to it where you can read information about the sculpture. There's a good amount of space, so even during an event, it doesn't feel crowded. It's a very peaceful place where you can get some exercise, enjoy wonderful art, and spend quality time with those you love.

    I absolutely love coming to Laguna Gloria. The sculpture garden is beautiful and always feels peaceful, hidden escape from the city. It's also one of my go-to spots for a picnic. Highly recommend if you're looking for a mix of nature, art, and a relaxing afternoon.

    Tim D.

    I love this place so much. I grew up in Austin, but live in Seattle now. This is one of the places that I always go to when I'm in town. I dragged one of my coworkers here since we were in town for a conference. I didn't even know it was free on thursdays! That was just icing on the cake. The people at the front desk were super nice and friendly. I had such a great time. Watching the water slowly lap against the shore of Lake Austin was amazing. All the sculptures were very interesting. The trails are great. Well worth the trip.

    Karla C.

    This was such a beautiful spot in Austin. My fiancé and I took our engagement photos here and had a great time. Please note that you need an appointment and permission to have a photo shoot here. I liked that the villa had bathrooms upstairs where we could get ready. Afterwards, we grabbed lunch on the property and it was delicious. I would love to come back to walk around and to grab lunch.

    A crying Miffy fountain
    Alex V.

    The Laguna Gloria is a branch of the Contemporary Austin consisting of a lovely old villa on Lake Austin with landscaped grounds full of sculptures. The house itself can be toured to appreciate the architecture though it is mostly empty. The design is quite nice, though, and you will even find a carved wooden feature over the fireplace that was taken from the Alamo itself. Outside you will find a few stone statues and a fountain that match the age and style of the house, but most of the other sculptures are modern and can be quite odd. There's a 30 foot stainless steel sculpture looking rather alien in front of the house, and there are trails all around the lakefront property with many others, so you'll have to walk a bit to see everything. Don't miss the ones hanging in the trees! There is also an art school with a few small buildings on the grounds where one can occasionally take classes or have other activities. There's also a small gift shop and a restaurant on site. There is an admission charge but there are numerous free days if you check their web site. There is limited space for parking which is usually only a challenge during events, but there is free street parking if you are willing to walk. Be sure to check the schedule because this a popular place to hold weddings or other events that may interfere with the average visit to see the sculpture garden.

    They had peacocks!

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    Page 1 of 4

    Ask the Community - The Contemporary Austin - Laguna Gloria

    Review Highlights - The Contemporary Austin - Laguna Gloria

    The historic villa adds so much charm, and the mix of indoor and outdoor art creates a really unique atmosphere.

    Mentioned in 3 reviews

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    CRAFT - Shelves of art supplies

    CRAFT

    4.9(93 reviews)
    5.7 miEast Austin
    $

    I took the Intro to Blockprinting class this past weekend and overall, it was fun. I have been…read morelooking into picking up a new hobby or get into more craftin' to get in touch with my creative side. The class was $42 from 10:30a to noon. It is an open space with all sorts of art supplies, tools, and just about anything your imagination can muster up. Lots of inspiration. I was hoping to make more than just one small block and have different supplies like fabric for printing. It was very therapeutic to carve my small block. The class felt a little scattered - but it was a very easy going environment, super relaxed. Our instructor was friendly and encouraged us to tap into originality without overthinking it instead of looking up patterns or inspo on our phone. I really liked that. And she offered us all coffee, freshly made. You can basically come in to do all the arts and craft your heart desires, on a donation basis. Affordable and unique way to release your artistic side without investing too much in all the supplies and then an abandoning a hobby. I'd come back with a friend and check out a different class.

    I went here as part of a work event to make lanterns for Lunar New Year . Stepping inside, I was…read moreimmediately greeted by an organized haven of craft supplies. They had construction paper, ribbons, highlighters, stamps, hot glue guns, and anything you might find at Michael's. Our instructor was very knowledgeable and showed us how she made her lanterns. She walked us step-by-step through the process. Now, I'm not a crafty person, but I was inspired enough by the ambiance and overflow of art supplies to get some creative juices flowing. At the end, I was able to create my own lanterns with some creative twists. I had a fun time and will recommend my crafty friends to check this place out!

    Photos
    CRAFT - Craft!! Picture

    Craft!! Picture

    CRAFT
    CRAFT - Table and entrance

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    Table and entrance

    The Art Garage - Kiln and the other work space areas

    The Art Garage

    4.8(46 reviews)
    12.3 mi
    $$

    Super fun. All ages from 3 to 103…read more Great to do on those super hot days or cold days. Took our teens to get away from electronics and be in the moment and creative. Were they thrilled? Nope. Did they have a lot of fun. YUP. Depending on where you are coming from its up the hill right as you enter hill country off of 290 from south austin. If you are coming from the west off 290 its headed towards south austin about 20min from Dripping Springs a few min past Belterra strip mall food area. Plenty of parking. Lots of seating on a Sunday around 12noon ish Thanksgiving weekend. No time limit on doing your chosen art. I tried glass making for the 1st and it was fun and challenging l. Instructions by the staff very useful! Friendly. Helpful. Welcoming. We each chose something different. Plenty of items small, med or large to chose from. Pottery comes with whatever pain you want, glass area there are easy and complex projects. You pay, they fire/bake the pieces and you show up about a week later to grab your pieces. We each got something around 40.00 or under. Time flew by. We were there for maybe 2.5hrs. My teens were not on their phones once. Engaged, creative, good family time. Come visit, bring a friend, spouse/partner, day date, just yourself. Thank you for having this space for folks to be in the moment and creative with things that open their mind, heart and soul

    I was meeting my team in Austin and looking for a fun team activity for us to do and came across…read morethis gem. There are plenty of places to go and paint ceramics but this place also offered mosaics, glass blowing and other great art options which I loved. I was able to reserve the private room for my team and brought in snacks (tea party set up) for the group. The staff was so very accommodating and helpful with everything. We all enjoyed ourselves. If you like arts and crafts, this place is def worth a visit!

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    The Art Garage
    The Art Garage
    The Art Garage

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    The Mosaic Workshop - Entrance.

    The Mosaic Workshop

    5.0(19 reviews)
    6.4 miEast Austin

    I went to this mosaic workshop and honestly, it was such an amazing experience…read more The space is very well equipped. They have so many colors and materials to choose from and everything is so organized. The people who work there is always walking around offering help and suggestions so you never feel lost. They also gave us mocktails and had snacks available, which made the experience even better. Everything was really good. If you like arts and crafts, this is such a fun activity. It's very relaxing, I felt so calm while working on my piece. Time definitely goes by so fast when you're focused and creating. Just a heads up, they include different mold sizes with your reservation, but if you choose a bigger one than what's included, they do charge extra. Overall, I loved it. It's perfect for a date night or for having a fun time with a group of friends. I would definitely do it again

    What a fun evening! Have always wanted to learn how to do a mosaic. This was a simple, 2 hour…read moreclass and was so enjoyable! Great for a girls night out! Some of the pure art work on the walls was literally breathtaking! So much talent! The instructors were so very helpful and the mocktails were yummy! Will be back to try a larger piece!

    Photos
    The Mosaic Workshop - Participant shows off her beautiful papaya mosaic made with glass tile and mirror

    Participant shows off her beautiful papaya mosaic made with glass tile and mirror

    The Mosaic Workshop - Participant's sugar skull mosaic made at a Saturday Intro Mosaic Workshop

    Participant's sugar skull mosaic made at a Saturday Intro Mosaic Workshop

    The Mosaic Workshop - Participants enjoying the creative studio atmosphere at a Saturday Intro Mosaic Workshop

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    Participants enjoying the creative studio atmosphere at a Saturday Intro Mosaic Workshop

    The Contemporary Austin - Laguna Gloria - museums - Updated May 2026

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