Free Mindful Summer Walking Program

Did you know that walking is good for your heart and weight, and can also benefit your brain and overall life? An AARP report shows that walking also helps you see better. The benefits of this low-impact life-changing activity and Austin's history motivated us to organize a mindful summer walking program in our state capitol.

The idea is to have you journey outside with AARP Texas and Walking as Practice to explore Austin neighborhoods on foot. In this 8-week walking group, certified walking coach and founder of Walking as Practice Katie Deolloz will lead you on walks throughout Austin.

Not only will you learn about proper walking mechanics to keep you walking safely and comfortably, but you will also learn about neighborhood infrastructure that allows residents to get around their community in various ways.

The program has begun, but there is time for you to join us for upcoming walks and explorations. Here is a list of dates and locations for our next walks.

Click here to register for each of the walks you want to attend.

• July 07, 8:00 AM – 9:00 AM Hyde Park: The hot spot for date nights in Hyde Park in the 1870s was the grounds of the local State Lunatic Asylum! Times have changed, but there is still a great deal to see and learn while taking a walk through Austin’s first planned suburb.
  
  
• July 14, 8:00 AM – 9:00 AM Seaholm EcoDistrict: Thanks to stakeholders who committed to transforming a Brownfield site into a vibrant, activated place for people, over 22,300 cubic yards of contaminated soil were removed and in its place put a public library, restaurants, as well as the intentional repurposing of the former City of Austin Power Plant! This is your chance to take a tour of what is possible for cities of the future… and the now.
  
  
• July 21, 8:00 AM – 9:00 AM Holly Neighborhood: Holly is one of Austin’s most quickly gentrifying neighborhoods and has proven to be the cause of both angst and celebration. Exploring this area at a slower pace creates the opportunity to see firsthand the impacts of population change on housing, transportation, art, and future history.
  
  
• July 28, 8:00 AM - 9 AM Travis Heights: Named in honor of a heroic Alamo veteran, the Travis Heights neighborhood has a storied history as a suburb south of the Colorado River that endured significant flooding yet nevertheless persevered. Take a stroll along the Blunn Creek Greenbelt, passing by artwork memorializing local personalities, and through a linear historic district.