The Goddard School

(2 reviews)

My son had the best experience! Each day was a unique adventure in Austin. It was a perfect blend…read moreof indoor and outdoor activities. The camp itself is well organized and provides lunch and snacks each day. It's a great camp to meet new kids and hang out with friends. We will definitely be back!

I can't say enough about Camp 512's founders and counselors, Blake Pankonien, Brooke Alkire and…read moreCourtney Rimkus. All are former Eanes ISD elementary school teachers with a love and a passion for working with children. The low staff-camper ratio makes for a special and engaging experience. Each Camp 512 week hosts its own unique and fun-filled theme. The well thought out yet flexible schedule includes exploring Austin favorites such as Mount Bonnell, the Blanton Museum and the State Capitol as well as introduces the children to local food resources, cooking and baking and animal adventures to name a few activities. Guaranteed fun!

IQuest Global Enrichment Center

(5 reviews)

My son was struggling and was not going to pass his math class. I talked to 4 Points Academy and…read morethey recommended some tutoring sessions which he did. After every session he couldn't stop talking about how much he was learning and understanding. Needless to say and passed his test and the class. A big thank you to 4 Points Academy for giving my son the help he needed and also a huge boost to his confidence!!

The staff at iQuest is amazing! They are so organized and easy to work with! Even scheduling was…read moresimple despite our crazy schedule that was difficult to work around. My kids go there for a few sessions over the summer to keep their math skills sharp and work ahead. The teachers are wonderful at connecting with students, teaching new concepts, and ensuring they mastered content from their previous grade! Both of my kids love coming to their math class and are so far ahead when the new school year begins! We love the new building; it's very conducive to learning! Thank you iQuest!!! Your passion for education and global teaching strategies is so refreshing and necessary! I highly recommend giving it a try!

The Magnolia School

4.4

(12 reviews)

I wanted to love Magnolia. We carefully chose this program because it presented itself as a place…read morethat understood autistic children and used modern, supportive, ABA-informed practices. Unfortunately, our experience did not match those expectations. During a trial day, a young autistic child became upset after a developmentally typical frustration in a new environment. Instead of observing the calm support, co-regulation, and individualized approach we expected from a program with this stated level of expertise, we experienced a response that felt escalating rather than supportive. There were also concerns with the emotional regulation of the leading staff member, and online records that reinforced concerns related to emotional regulation and safety. The biggest concern was the disconnect between the program's stated philosophy and what we observed in practice. A moment that could have been handled as an opportunity for connection, regulation, and teaching instead left us questioning whether the environment was truly equipped to support autistic children in the way it represents, or any child. Ultimately I did not feel comfortable trusting my daughter to Magnolia. I am grateful we had the opportunity to see this before the school year began, but it was disappointing to have to reconsider so close to the start of school after believing we had found the right fit. Every child deserves a program whose practices match its promises.

We couldn't be happier with The Magnolia School. Our kindergartener found public school…read moreoverwhelming, so three months into the school year, we made the decision to switch him. The small class sizes and personalized learning at The Magnolia School have truly made a world of difference. The teachers and staff foster a warm, engaging environment where kids can have fun while still learning. Our child is now thriving!

Bake Austin

(15 reviews)

I took an online class through Zoom to learn how to make fresh baguettes and loquat jelly. It was…read morean adult class and I had my 17 year old son engaged as well, mostly because he wanted to impress his girlfriend. My son and I worked side by side on our own batches, watching and listening to chef Pascal as she walked us through the process. Bake Austin provided a way for my son and I to spend special time together during quarantine. Not only that, we learned a great deal and have become better cooks because of it. Since the class I purchased an oven thermometer and a scale. I leaned that my oven takes much more time than I thought to come up to temp! My younger son watched a recording of a brownie class from Bake Austin and made a batch of brownies. The next day he flipped through my cook book and made a 2nd batch of brownies. He's baked at least once per week since watching his first Bake Austin video. I think the video made him realize he could bake, and bake he has! During our strange quarantine period Bake Austin and Chef Pascal have been a bright spot in our lives. I'm incredibly grateful for their time and effort and I hope they receive enough paying customers to make it.

Chef Pascal offered donation based quarantine camps for the kids. They were an absolute blessing…read more My daughter is hyperactive she and doesn't entertain herself well. We have a house with five kids so that led to many fights. Chef Pascal's classes kept her focused on something she has been interested in since she was little. They kept her busy, planning, buying, organizing, and led to nice treats for the family. While not everything she made was easy or worked out, she learned to work through it and learned from the mistakes for next time. She has grown much more confident in her abilities and excited to try new things in the kitchen. We look forward to Bake Austin's summer camps and other future opportunities.

Austin Sports Academy

(10 reviews)

Our kids have been going to Austin Sports Academy after school for years now and LOVE it! They do a…read moregreat job of mixing up the activities and helping guide the kids to becoming better humans overall. Not to mention that they pick up our kids at school every day so it's been an amazing team to work with over the years. We HIGHLY recommend ASA to anyone whose kids live active lifestyles and want to play every day after school with their peers!!!

We took our youth group here for a fun night. Everyone enjoyed themselves. We had several ask us…read morewhen we are coming back. The staff is great and it was a very a easy/smooth process making the reservations. We will be back for sure!

Camp Longhorn

(8 reviews)

We sent both of our children all the way from SC to attend Indian Springs. The activities and…read morecounselors are top-notch. Safety is a priority and fun the top goal. As the kiddos like to say, "Everybody is somebody at Camp Longhorn." Our children attended for 12+ years a piece. One is an introvert and the other an extrovert, and they both loved it. Nan, Bobby, Carley, Matt and Mark Manning were WONDERFUL keeping us posted on our kid's spirits from five states away. The email system to contact campers and the daily photos of all the fun under the Texas sun were a bonus! No place on earth where truer friends you'll know... Camp Longhorn!

Camp Longhorn is an unbelievable place!!! I attended as a camper, counselor, and now my children…read moreare campers. While Camp Longhorn is an amazing place, it is the staff that truly makes it a place like no other. It is the highlight of their summer each year. I am beyond blessed that my parents sent me to CLH years ago and I now get to share it with my kids.

Camp Champions

4.5

(25 reviews)

This is the best camp EVER! I have been going here for 2 year's and I will defiantly come every…read moreyear that I can. This camp help's you become a better person by practicing the 4 R's (Responsibility, reaching out, reasonable risk, and respect). Everybody there is nice and kind. My first day ever going, I was so nervous that I wouldn't make any friends but when I first met my cabin mates, I felt like we've been friends for ever. The cabins don't have any air conditioning but they do have fans and on the bright side it's cold in the morning but that's the fun of it. The bathrooms are grows but that stuff does not matter. What does matter is the fun of camp. Their is always so much to do. You could never get bored. From sitting at the hearth (the place were fine arts is) too climbing the rock wall, your always having fun. There are also many water activity such as pool, paddle sports, free swim, ski, knee boar, tubing, blobbing, etc.

Our 9 year old son just finished his second summer session (3 straight weeks of sleep-away camp in…read morenon-air conditioned cabins with no direct parental contact or tech devices allowed) at Camp Champions on Lake LBJ in Marble Falls and before we even left the property, he was asking us to sign up for next year. That right there is a glowing endorsement, folks. As budget-minded, practical parents, it was a tough sell for us at first. This camp, while phenomenal on the surface with a long history of success since 1967 and amenities & growth experiences galore, costs almost an arm & a leg. I'm saying our whole family of 3 could go to Europe for the cost of the 3 weeks for 1 kid here (an hour's drive from Austin). Why would we make the sacrifice and commit to this quite pricey annual tradition? As Brian J mentions in his excellent review, it's the 4 Rs that Camp Champions models in every staff member and enforces every day in all of the campers: Responsibility, Respect, Reasonable Risk, and Reaching out to others. You will never find another summer program with such enthusiastic and caring owners, staff members, teen counselors, and youth participants. Sure, it all looks great on paper, but it's truly fantastic in practice. Participants learn how to: live with 8 other "siblings"; share responsibility for their living space; maintain a caring community; manage conflict; support others in need; self-regulate; appreciate nature; honor elders; step up as a leader; and try something new & challenging every day. Yes, these are all lessons that we teach within our family, but there's nothing like having these kinds of experiences in an environment outside of the group of people who have to love you because you're a blood relative. The maturation that I see in my singleton child each year after the Camp Champions experience is priceless to me. What else? Fun, of course! The property is gigantic, with every kind of summer activity you can imagine, from swimming (lake & pool) to ropes course to skiing to sailing to climbing to archery to horses to go carts to arts/crafts to gaga & pickle ball. You can tour the camp virtually here: http://www.campchampions.com/campers/video-map-tour. There are also the Trojan/Spartan color battles, evening torch lighting, Sunday vespers, and hundreds of other little inside jokes, rituals, and traditions that make campers feel that they are a part of special tribe for the rest of their lives. Parents are kept informed about their child during the camp session via daily photos and owner Steve Baskin's inspiring blog. We also have access to a system where we can send as many emails as we'd like to our campers, but if your child is like mine, you won't be receiving many letters in return. Both years, we've received a measly 2 postcards the entire time -- he was having too much fun to write home! A note on diversity. This is a desirable quality which needs improvement at Camp Champions, and efforts are underway to do just that. During Summer 2016, campers and counselors from 7 different countries were represented, with about 1/3 of my son's cabin speaking a first language other than English. Recently, a foundation was started to help fund scholarships for campers who could not otherwise afford to attend. There's more to do, but I appreciate that the Baskins recognize this issue and are acting to address it.

HCI Sports & Fitness

3.5

(31 reviews)

Used them for the spring break basketball camp for my son. Liked the place, seem to have a good…read morevibe, clean, has plenty of parking, has good place to eat with healthy choices. Reason for four starts instead of five - we drove for 30 min to the cap to find out that there were only 6 kids. There were supposed to be two age groups, they had to combine everyone in one, age from 7 to 12 years old. As you can imagine, the 12 years old had very little fun. Bummer, guys, you should do much better informing parents what's up.

Huge facility with indoor and outdoor turf, volleyball, basketball, sport training for youth,…read moreweight room, cardio equipment and a wide variety of classes. Super clean with nice amenities and friendly staff all around. It can be a little confusing to navigate all of the areas, but the staff is always happy to help walk you to the space you need to be in. They provide towels in multiple areas, including studios, as well as shampoo and conditioner in the locker room. Full disclosure: I regularly teach a class in their studio two times a week and really love being there.

Bee Cave Riding Center

(8 reviews)

My daughter has become a confident and responsible young lady since starting riding here with…read moreKathy! She loves it! And Kathy is great with horses, that's evident, but she has a special gift with children. In just 3 months my daughter has become driven and dedicated to this new passion, and has progressed so much because Kathy is an incredible mentor. I trust her, I love her and I'm grateful we found her and her wonderful Riding Center!

Our whole family loves Bee Caves Riding Center. While our child has a lesson we can just relax on…read morethe beautiful property and unwind. It's our favorite day and time of the week. My child has had lessons here for 5 months and we can not say enough wonderful things about Mrs. Kathy and her staff. All the instructors are so kind with children and really have the inside track on how a child will best understand what instruction is needed. I have owned my own horse and had wonderful instructors and have also been on the other side when my other daughter took riding lessons and they were not nice or seemed to care about my child. I highly recommend Bee Caves Riding Center!!

Mad Science

3.8

(15 reviews)

I took my kids to a Mad Science show and all three of us left disappointed. No science was…read morepresented and the show was boring. They gave every kid a chance to come up front, which is good, but it meant that the same cheap tricks were repeated several times. For example, we watched 16 different kids spin a tube in the air and make a WOO WOO WOO noise with it. They did not explain why the tube makes the noise. We sat, watching even more kids pull a string attached to a bucket to make a vaguely thunder like noise over and over and over again. Again, no explanation of sound waves or vibrations. I don't know why the presenter was in a lab coat. I don't know why the show was recommended for ages 8 and up only. By the time you're 8, you've already shaken a slinky around (another one of the 'scientific demonstrations') Some kids went up twice, while there were still others raising their hand for their turn to go up the first time. The presenter never asked for only those who haven't been up yet to raise their hand. Several families left immediately after their kid finished their turn on stage.

Great folks, doing a fabulous job. Five stars or more, would definitely recommend for birthdays and…read morecelebrations.

Magic Pest and Lawn

(817 reviews)

Brent C. was very fast and communicated well. He treated for mosquitoes and wasps…read more He even swung back by later to knock out a nest that had been well hidden from sight in a light fixture. Thanks!

I'm trying to understand why my experience is so different from these 5 star reviews…read more. After talking to a few pest companies, not only did they get the species of ants wrong (acrobat vs carpenter) which affects the bait being used, but they also can't get their story straight. I contacted them about an ant infestation inside my home. The technician who came out placed sugar bait inside to eliminate colony. He told me that an exterior treatment was not necessary at that time. I accepted that recommendation, due to potential exposure for my active dog. Months later, I called to follow up because the ant problem had not been resolved. I was then told the $216.50 treatment of simply adding sugar bait for the interior also included exterior treatment during the original visit. That was surprising because I was never told an exterior treatment had been done. When I asked where it had been applied, they did not give me a clear answer regarding the exterior. Paying for another treatment isn't the issue. If the ants require another visit, I'm happy to pay for it. My concern is that the explanation of what was actually done has changed. Now, they're saying I have to pay another $216 for their services again. Something just isn't adding up. If there's a reasonable explanation, I'd like to hear it. Based on the conflicting information, I have little confidence in their service.

Blue Dragon Plumbing

(530 reviews)

We are renovating our kitchen because of a water leak. Gilbert fixed the leak and came back when…read morethere was a question about a gas line. He is responsive, upbeat, and awesome at fixing whatever is needed related to plumbing (both the water and gas lines). He's always who we call first.

I'm super grateful to Gilbert and Blue Dragon Plumbing for a job well done and for being so…read moreresponsive and personable. He didn't once try to upsell me and give me services I didn't need; the upselling and price gouging is a major problem I've run into with other companies trying to cover their overhead. Gilbert was cost-competitive, honest, professional, and when I needed follow-up assistance he came straight away to get things sorted for me. As a female homeowner, I look for professionals I can trust; I trust Gilbert/Blue Dragon Plumbing and will absolutely call them again in the future. Thank you!!

A-Tex Pest Management

(525 reviews)

I've had a great experience with Atex and highly recommend their annual subscription service. Over…read morethe past several visits, Doug G, Carlos R, and Jeffrey R have each come to my home for either quarterly maintenance or targeted treatments, and they've all been professional, knowledgeable, and friendly. One thing I really appreciated was that they identified a honey bee colony on my property. Instead of simply treating it, they let me know so I could have the bees safely rehomed before they started producing honey inside my walls. That level of care and attention really stood out. The quarterly exterior treatments have been well worth it for me. Wasps and ants are a recurring issue around my home, so keeping up with regular service has made a big difference. If I have a specific problem between visits, like a wasp nest, they're quick to come out and take care of it. Most of what I need is included in the annual service. Mosquito treatment is an additional charge, but that's separate from the standard plan. I also appreciate that they don't push unnecessary interior treatments when there aren't any issues. Their pricing is competitive, and their payment and scheduling system is excellent. It's easy to manage appointments, and they're very responsive by text whenever I have a question or need service. Overall, I've been very happy with Atex and would definitely recommend them.

Daniel was wonderful! He tried to chase the rat out of the garage but the little bugger was hiding…read more Daniel set two traps, and lo and behold the rat was caught! He figured out that the garage doors had small openings where critters can get in, so those will be sealed up when techinicians arrive this morning. He then went the extra mile to measure everything and give us a bid on termite control. You guys are the best!

Peace Frog Specialty Cleaning

(739 reviews)

Earlier this week I booked Peace Frog to come clean my carpets and it was a great experience…read more Jorrel performed our service and he was extremely professional with great attention to detail. He cleaned two rooms, a hallway, and stairs and was in and out in 1.5 hours! He took great care with our home, protected our walls/corners well, and was so friendly with our pets! I feel like the pricing was transparent and very fair (we didn't exceed the minimum until adding stairs!) The scheduling communication was also excellent and was very professional over email with accurate quotes and invoices. I'd absolutely pick Peace Frog again!

We have always had excellent service with Peace Frog. The appointment was easy to schedule, they…read morelet you know when they are on thier way, which is great! The techs are always friendly, profeesional and respectful of our home. I also like to keep my dollars with locally owned companies. They appreciate thier customers, which is why we continue to use them. Thanks Peace Frog!

ATX Junk-A-Haulics

(359 reviews)

They responded to my service request promptly. They communicated very well through my request…read more They provided a flat rate fee of $120 for my junk removal i have been needing for quite some time out of my garage. I had some old scrap wood and pallets to get rid of along with an old twin metal bed frame that was bent. I have used these guys in the past for broken TVs and they have always provided a delightful customer experience. You have the options of leaving stuff out on the curb but I couldn't do that because of my HOA. Also, last time I had left a desk that someone snatched up from the curb. So I didn't want to waste their time again. Their technology use is pretty awesome and respectfully as a IT guy I appreciate how it makes billing simple and easy. You cannot go wrong with this company hauling your junk for you. It saves you time and effort than doing it yourself and paying for the fees at the landfill. I highly recommend using them from my own personal experience.

Fast service, and very communicative. Needed to get rid of three reclining couches and one of them…read morewas upstairs. The crew came, was very professional and got rid of the couches in a hurry. They were running a little behind schedule, but called me during my window to let me know of the delay. Great company would absolutely hire again for Junk removal.

Michael A Laundromat

(322 reviews)

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I've used them several times over the past few weeks, and the service has consistently been fast,…read morereliable, and convenient. Their same-day wash-and-fold service is a huge plus, and they even managed to get the lingering sulfur smell out of my clothes after I'd been struggling with it through several washes. Adel is also extremely personable and makes the whole experience feel welcoming. Highly recommend.

Best laundromat option in the area, hands down. No frills and small, but the machines work and it's…read moreclean inside. They also offer wash & fold services which I used for my heavyweight comforter set and it was only $25! Well worth the saving on time and hassle. Owner is very responsive and kind.

Apex Heating & Air Conditioning

4.7

(298 reviews)

The Good Apex deserves credit for their emergency…read moreavailability and quick response time. When my A/C failed at 2AM on a Sunday, they were the only company able to come out immediately (I called at least 5 others). The technician arrived promptly, diagnosed the problem efficiently (faulty fan motor on my Carrier unit), and completed the repair within a couple hours, including a trip to source the part from their vendor. The Concerning The final cost was $2,303.60 for what I've since learned should typically cost $700-$1,000 (that is including emergency service fees). While I understand emergency calls command premium pricing, this felt excessive. Additionally, the quoted price increased from $2,000 to $2,303.60 when it was time to pay without clear explanation of the additional charges. My Takeaway Apex delivers on availability and technical competence when you're in a crisis. However, I'd strongly recommend getting multiple quotes if time permits, as their emergency pricing appears significantly above market rate. The convenience of immediate service came at a steep premium that I wasn't prepared for. Would I use them again? Only in a true emergency where no other options exist, and I'd request detailed pricing breakdowns upfront. For future customers: Get clear, written estimates before work begins, and ask about all potential additional fees.

I called Apex on a Friday afternoon after my AC started blowing hot air. John made it out in under…read morean hour and had my problem fixed soon after. I appreciated him not trying to hard sell and would recommend Apex to anyone looking for an honest technician.

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