Where to See Bluebonnets in Austin

When it comes to finding the perfect spot to see our beautiful state flower, we’ve got you covered with this guide.

When spring comes, Texans get serious about snapping the perfect bluebonnet picture. It just makes sense—the state flower is a picturesque blue hue, and the bluebonnet fields in Austin bloom beautifully. Bluebonnet season in Texas runs from the end of March into mid-April. Couples, families, and even pets get their picture taken surrounded by the flowers, and driving to see them is a great seasonal pastime. They’re loved so much that you can even attend a bluebonnet festival.

According to the fact-checking website Snopes, it is not actually illegal to pick bluebonnets in Texas, with some stipulations. You can’t pick or trample on the state flower if it is on private property or on state land, like a state park. But that law is in place for any flower, not just the bluebonnet. 

In order to allow other people to enjoy the beautiful blue display that nature puts on every spring, it is best to leave them be and take care not to trample them when taking your photos or appreciating them across the city. You can still get great photos of you and your loved ones surrounded by the flowers by carefully watching where you step. 

Bluebonnets rely on their seeds to grow, so if they are picked and taken from an area, it ruins the fun for the next season. Another pro-tip is to check the area for fire ants, snakes, or other wildlife that also love the blooms before you stop to take a picture.

Now, it’s time to brighten your day with a trip outdoors to see the bluebonnets, which got their name because they resemble a pioneer-era women’s hat. Enjoy the Texas Hill Country and our beautiful state flower at one of these destinations known to be the best places to spot Texas bluebonnets. 

• Balcones District Park
• Brushy Creek Lake Park
• Capital of Texas Highway (Loop 360)
• Circle C Metropolitan Park
• Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
• Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail
• McKinney Falls State Park
• Montopolis Drive across from Roy G. Guerrero Park
• Muleshoe Bend Recreation Area
• Old Settlers Park
• Pace Bend Park
• St. Edward’s University
• Toll Road 130 & FM 969 in East Austin
• Turkey Bend
• Westinghouse Road in Teravista Subdivision
• Wildseed Farms
• Willow City Loop

BALCONES DISTRICT PARK
12017 Amherst Dr, Austin, TX 78759
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Enjoy the peaceful trails at Balcones District Park with bluebonnets blanketing the area. You can bask in the sight of these beautiful flowers by having a picnic with your family or friends, hiking by the park’s natural waterfall, or playing a game of volleyball or basketball.

BRUSHY CREEK LAKE PARK
3300 Brushy Creek Rd, Cedar Park, TX 78613
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Brushy Creek Lake Park is a 90-acre park with nature trails, a lake full of ducks that you can feed, and picnic areas. So come out and bring a lunch to enjoy the beautiful bluebonnets on display. Brushy Creek also features a kid and pet-friendly walking trail through its bluebonnet field and has a fun playscape!

CAPITAL OF TEXAS HIGHWAY (LOOP 360)
Multiple locations
Website

There are so many beautiful bluebonnets and so many other pretty wildflowers to check out along the Capital of Texas Highway this spring. The drive along Loop 360 is always filled with amazing sights of Lake Austin and the rolling hills, but it only gets better when the bluebonnets start to pop up!

CIRCLE C METROPOLITAN PARK
6301 W Slaughter Ln, Austin, TX 78739
Website

There are so many beautiful bluebonnets and so many other pretty wildflowers to check out along the Capital of Texas Highway this spring. The drive along Loop 360 is always filled with amazing sights of Lake Austin and the rolling hills, but it only gets better when the bluebonnets start to pop up!

LADY BIRD JOHNSON WILDFLOWER CENTER
4801 La Crosse Ave, Austin, TX 78739
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The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is the perfect starting point for your bluebonnet adventure because it offers plenty of photo opportunities. While this location has beautiful flowers and trees year-round, the bluebonnets are in mass at the Wildflower Center during peak wildflower season (early April). They even have a bluebonnet FAQ page.

ANN AND ROY BUTTLER HIKE-AND-BIKE TRAIL
Multiple locations
Website | Facebook

Walk, bike, or hike along Lady Bird Lake while looking at the large patches of wildflowers just beyond the fields. Bluebonnets bloom along the shoreline of the lake and spring is welcomed by the vibrant flowering of the redbud trees and wisteria blooms!

MCKINNEY FALLS STATE PARK
5808 McKinney Falls Pkwy, Austin, TX 78744
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Located just 13 miles southeast of downtown, McKinney Falls State Park is a laid-back and peaceful Hill Country oasis! The park offers 726 acres of hiking and biking trails, playgrounds, picnic areas, a campground, and beautiful swathes of bluebonnets. It’s one of the best hiking spots in town, and the masses of spring blooms just make it sweeter!

MONTOPOLIS DRIVE (ACROSS FROM ROY G. GUERRERO PARK)
400 Grove Blvd, Austin, TX 78741
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This little-known gem is a great place to snap a sea of bluebonnets for your family pictures away from highway traffic! Enjoy a day full of fun at Roy G. Guerrero Park and enjoy these magnificent bluebonnets. The old church in the background is the perfect backdrop to make your floral family pictures unique.

MULESHOE BEND RECREATION AREA
2820 Co Rd 414, Spicewood, TX 78669
Website | Facebook

Muleshoe Bend Recreation Area in Spicewood looks like the backdrop to a fairytale. The park has 9.8-miles of trails that are perfect for viewing fields of bluebonnets, and they run along the south side of the Colorado River on western Lake Travis. There are also scenic lake views, and campsites are available.

OLD SETTLERS PARK
3300 E Palm Valley Blvd, Round Rock, TX 78665
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You don’t have to drive far out into the Hill Country to take photos as there are several spots in Round Rock, like Old Settlers Park, that are perfect locations to see the blooms. Old Settlers Park has beautiful bluebonnet patches to take family photos in! It’s also a great place to bring a picnic or take a walk or jog while taking in the beauty of the bluebonnets.

PACE BEND PARK
2805 Pace Bend Rd N, Spicewood, TX 78669
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Pace Bend is one of the most popular camping areas in Austin, offering visitors a wide range of recreational opportunities. The park features amazing bluebonnet spots and high limestone cliffs. The cliffs have numerous rocky coves with some of the most impressive views available of Lake Travis—especially at sunset. If you have a boat, this is a great place to take it out and enjoy spotting bluebonnets from the water. 

EDWARD’S UNIVERSITY
3001 S Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78704
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Snap a picture with the bluebonnets on the St. Edward’s University campus and enjoy the great views of downtown Austin. Bluebonnets are in full bloom all over Austin in the spring, but St. Edward’s has some of the most impressive fields in the city!

TOLL ROAD 130 & FM 969 IN EAST AUSTIN
Multiple locations
Website

Bluebonnets are in full bloom and blanketing the roadside along Toll Road 130 & FM 969 in East Austin in March and April. These bluebonnets will make your morning commute a little more beautiful. Due to heavy and fast-moving traffic this bluebonnet spot is one best viewed from your car, so be extra careful here!

TURKEY BEND
4000 Shaw Dr, Marble Falls, TX 78654
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Discover the relaxation waiting for you at Turkey Bend Recreation Area. This 1,100-acre park is blanketed with spectacular scenes of bluebonnets! Whether you come for a day of picnicking or for a night of camping, Turkey Bend is the place for an adventure worth remembering.

WESTINGHOUSE ROAD IN TERAVISTA SUBDIVISION
4211 Teravista Club Dr, Round Rock, TX 78665
Website 

There are wildflower patches throughout the Round Rock subdivision throughout the year, and local residents say that there are some of the most beautiful patches of bluebonnets on Westinghouse Road, near the east part of the Terravista back entrance.

WILDSEED FARMS
100 Legacy Dr, Fredericksburg, TX 78624
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Wildseed Farms has been growing fields of wildflowers for over 35 years, and they’re worth the drive from Austin. They are the nation’s largest working wildflower farm with over 200 acres in Fredericksburg Texas alone. With their sheer size and dedication to wildflowers, you better believe they’ll have one of the most beautiful bluebonnet fields!

WILLOW CITY LOOP
GPS Coordinates: 30.447602, -98.657510
Website 

Willow City Loop is the iconic Texas Hill Country scenic drive. While you’re in Fredericksburg checking out Wildseed Farms, take the time to drive this incredible loop. The narrow two-lane ranch road winds for 13 miles through some of the oldest and unique geology in central Texas. The deep canyons are picturesque, and the meadows offer up splashes of blue, yellow, orange, and white depending on the season and which bluebonnets are blooming down below. Keep in mind the land along the loop is private property, so do not block driveways or step on the flowers.

BURNET BLUEBONNET FESTIVAL
101 N Pierce St, Burnet, TX 78611
Website

Take a drive to the town of Burnet to see the 39th annual Bluebonnet Festival! Burnet is one of the best places in Texas to see wildflowers. Burnet was officially recognized as the Bluebonnet Capital of Texas in 1981 by the Texas State Legislature. The festival draws more than 30,000 people each year to witness the wonders of the rolling hills covered in a wash of blue.

FREDERICKSBURG BLUEBONNET FESTIVAL
8142 Old San Antonio Road, Fredricksburg, TX 78624
Website

Make a trip to Fredericksburg in April for the 3rd annual Bluebonnet Festival. This will take place at the Bankermith Dance Hall and Saloon, where they planted 1,500 bluebonnets. 

Even though we just shared a list of places to go see bluebonnets, Austin is covered in bluebonnets anywhere you go. Let us know your favorite spots to admire the state flower!