During my time in college I would spend afternoons at least once a month on "Photography Excursions." I explored much of the rural areas surrounding the college town & often times ended up with a handful of fairly interesting photos. As a [very amateur] photographer, I feel the urge to just
go take pictures, else wise I get antsy. If you like to go on your own photography excursions or you're just looking for a beautiful backdrop for family photos, I highly recommend
Mayfield Park.
If you're an Austinite, you're most likely familiar with the little oasis of Mayfield Park, and with all the shady trees it's not entirely out of the question during the summer as an outdoor activity. The plot of land has a cottage built in the Bungalow style from the early 1900's and features a lovely garden and pond with various wildlife taking refuge among the foliage (I even spotted a large snake coiled up in a landmass in the middle of a pond once - it left me alone).
For me, the peacocks are the visual highlight of Mayfield Park. They're in trees, on the ground, making their typical ungodly noises, and definitely trying to impress visitors by strutting their gorgeous feathers. Fun fact: the current peacocks are descendants of the original peacocks gifted to the Mayfield family back in the 1930's.
Mayfield Park is worth an outing...Show up. Take Pictures. Get flirted with by peacocks. (Hey, they're pretty when they flirt.)
