# Things to do with kids in Bastrop County, TX

> 21 upcoming family events and 7 places and ongoing programs in Bastrop County, TX, in the Austin–Round Rock–San Marcos area. Listings whose address ZIP code is in this county (Census Bureau ZIP-to-county file). Dates and times are Central Time. Today is Sat, Oct 24.

Source: Grassy Knees is a directory of real family events, places and programs for kids across major U.S. metro areas, where every listing is researched from the organizer’s own page and shows the date we last checked it. https://grassyknees.com covers 42 metro areas as of Oct 24, 2026, with more added regularly. About: https://grassyknees.com/about
Freshness: listings are re-checked on a daily research run (latest check 2026-10-24), and new events are added as organizers post them. Sell-outs, weather cancellations and time changes show up on the live page first: https://grassyknees.com/austin/counties/bastrop-county-tx

## Events ahead

- [Día de los Muertos Community Display at the Bastrop County Museum](https://grassyknees.com/austin/activities/dia-de-los-muertos-community-display-at-the-bastrop-county-museum--listing-a827cdeeb744d3802e00940f) — Oct 24 – Nov 1 · 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM · Bastrop County Museum & Visitor Center · All ages · With admission · checked Oct 24. The Bastrop County Museum & Visitor Center on Main Street hosts its long-running Día de los Muertos Community Display through November 1. Local families build ofrendas (altars)…
- [Going Batty – Bat Craft at Bastrop State Park](https://grassyknees.com/austin/activities/going-batty-bat-craft-at-bastrop-state-park--listing-0e1a1a398a8600de352cf747) — Sat, Oct 24 · 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM · Bastrop State Park · With admission · checked Oct 16. A one-hour ranger craft program in the Lost Pines. Families learn about some of the bat species that live in Texas, then each child builds a bat of their own to take home. The…
- [Spooky Season Pollinators – Exploration Station](https://grassyknees.com/austin/activities/spooky-season-pollinators-exploration-station--listing-c62fad469e272a6e7e264a86) — Sat, Oct 24 · 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM · Bastrop State Park · With admission · checked Oct 16. A come-and-go discovery table run by Lost Pines Master Naturalist volunteers. The October theme looks past bees and butterflies to the 'creepy' pollinators — bats, beetles…
- [Trail Mix: Edible Plants Guided Hike at Buescher State Park](https://grassyknees.com/austin/activities/trail-mix-edible-plants-guided-hike-at-buescher-state-park--listing-92fa9d951c97c14f24c2ffe9) — Sat, Oct 24 (+2 more dates) · 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM · Buescher State Park, Smithville · With admission · checked Oct 16. A Lost Pines Master Naturalist leads a 1 to 1.5 mile hike through Buescher State Park explaining which plants in the forest are edible and which are inedible or poisonous — what…
- [Tricks, Treats and Trails at McKinney Roughs Nature Park](https://grassyknees.com/austin/activities/tricks-treats-and-trails-at-mckinney-roughs-nature-park--listing-2bb8a575420a086106c8d694) — Sat, Oct 24 · 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM · McKinney Roughs Nature Park, Cedar Creek · From $15 · checked Oct 24. LCRA's sixth annual Halloween day at McKinney Roughs Nature Park near Cedar Creek turns the wooded trails into a trick-or-treat route. Families come in costume and collect candy…
- [BOO! B.A.R.K. Ranger Halloween Hike with Your Dog](https://grassyknees.com/austin/activities/boo-b-a-r-k-ranger-halloween-hike-with-your-dog--listing-c63cf1928987f1ffe5e5a07d) — Sat, Oct 31 · 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM · Bastrop State Park · With admission · checked Oct 16. A Howl-O-Ween guided hike for families and their dogs. Rangers lead a one-mile loop while teaching the B.A.R.K. Ranger rules for keeping pets safe on trails, and every pup that…
- [Spooky Spanish Moss – Halloween Craft at Buescher State Park](https://grassyknees.com/austin/activities/spooky-spanish-moss-halloween-craft-at-buescher-state-park--listing-e107e0f817b37a64b41f7697) — Sat, Oct 31 · 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM · Buescher State Park, Smithville · With admission · checked Oct 16. A Halloween-afternoon nature craft at Buescher State Park. A ranger shares the legends and origin stories told about the Spanish moss that drapes the park's trees, then children…
- [Lost Pines Wildlife Habitat Day](https://grassyknees.com/austin/activities/lost-pines-wildlife-habitat-day--listing-991a747be1787860bc823f42) — Sat, Nov 7 · 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM · Bastrop State Park · All ages · Free · checked Oct 14. Free day of nature-based hands-on activities, educational booths, live wildlife and speaker presentations about the wildlife and habitat of the Lost Pines. Booths and activities…
- [Wild Calm – Guided Sensory Hike in the Lost Pines](https://grassyknees.com/austin/activities/wild-calm-guided-sensory-hike-in-the-lost-pines--listing-873ae28569f500974e4956d5) — Sat, Nov 7 · 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM · Bastrop State Park · All ages · With admission · checked Oct 16. A one-mile guided exploration hike led by Lost Pines Master Naturalist Aliceanne. Through observation, playful sensory activities and the natural history of the pine forest, the…
- [The Forest You Almost Missed – Family Guided Hike](https://grassyknees.com/austin/activities/the-forest-you-almost-missed-family-guided-hike--listing-10a3d1e0e3109ec68e34204b) — Sat, Nov 14 · 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM · Buescher State Park, Smithville · With admission · checked Oct 14. Slow, curious 1-mile family-friendly guided hike through the Lost Pines with Master Naturalist Ryan, using the senses to discover tiny worlds, listen for hidden sounds and search…
- [Elgin Christmas Tree Farm – Christmas Season 2026](https://grassyknees.com/austin/activities/elgin-christmas-tree-farm-christmas-season-2026--listing-d6bd954801284af05b7d3502) — Sat, Nov 21 · Elgin Christmas Tree Farm · Free · checked Oct 14. Family Christmas tree farm serving Central Texas for over 35 years: choose and cut your own Pine or Cypress tree or browse pre-cut Firs (Fraser Firs shipped from North Carolina)…
- [Fa La La Through The Forest Scavenger Hunt](https://grassyknees.com/austin/activities/fa-la-la-through-the-forest-scavenger-hunt--listing-a39fdbd53c00428fe0520310) — Nov 21 – Jan 10 · Bastrop State Park · All ages · With admission · checked Oct 14. Self-guided holiday scavenger hunt: start at park headquarters, find ornaments with clues hidden around the park (some lead down trails) and follow them to a hidden cache where…
- [Predators of the Pines – Guided Hike](https://grassyknees.com/austin/activities/predators-of-the-pines-guided-hike--listing-df6f5fac63990ab887e81fd2) — Sat, Nov 21 · 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM · Bastrop State Park · With admission · checked Oct 14. Guided 1-mile hike with a Lost Pines Master Naturalist about how predators use adaptations to stalk prey (why cats' eyes glow, why dogs lick their noses). Meet at the Playground…
- [Bastrop River of Lights](https://grassyknees.com/austin/activities/bastrop-river-of-lights--listing-d90fba044c68bb78a3e14235) — Nov 27 – Jan 4 · 6:00 PM – 10:00 PM · Fisherman's Park / June Hill Pape Riverwalk, Bastrop · Free · checked Oct 14. The half-mile June Hill Pape Riverwalk along the Colorado River is decorated with hundreds of light displays in holiday themes, open nightly through the holiday season. Access is…
- [Bastrop's Annual Christmas Tree Lighting](https://grassyknees.com/austin/activities/bastrop-s-annual-christmas-tree-lighting--listing-c119523baaee856a98ea0fcc) — Fri, Nov 27 · 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM · Fisherman's Park, Bastrop · All ages · Free · checked Oct 14. The City of Bastrop's annual tree lighting on the Friday after Thanksgiving opens the Lost Pines Christmas season at Fisherman's Park. Bastrop ISD children's choirs sing carols…
- [Renegade Holiday Wagon Rides at Hyatt Regency Lost Pines](https://grassyknees.com/austin/activities/renegade-holiday-wagon-rides-at-hyatt-regency-lost-pines--listing-571d47ef229fc3f413d4d7b0) — Fri, Nov 27 · Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort & Spa (behind Mavericks, left of the firepit) · All ages · From $20 · checked Oct 20. TD Renegade Adventures runs 15-minute horse-drawn rustic wagon rides around the grounds of the Hyatt Regency Lost Pines resort, with music along the way, as part of the Lost…
- [Santa's Workshop (Frost Pines) at Hyatt Regency Lost Pines](https://grassyknees.com/austin/activities/santa-s-workshop-frost-pines-at-hyatt-regency-lost-pines--listing-344ea12ef3ceef3beb9fe82c) — Nov 27 – Dec 24 · 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM · Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort & Spa · checked Oct 20. Throughout the holiday season the Hyatt Regency Lost Pines resort near Bastrop turns a space into 'Frost Pines', its own Santa's Workshop. Children can craft holiday keepsakes…
- [Tiny Predators, Tiny Prey – Guided Bug Hike at Bastrop State Park](https://grassyknees.com/austin/activities/tiny-predators-tiny-prey-guided-bug-hike-at-bastrop-state-park--listing-4712708e74787cf755561d36) — Sat, Dec 5 · 10:00 AM – 11:30 AM · Bastrop State Park · With admission · checked Oct 16. It's a bug-eat-bug world on this one-mile guided hike with a Lost Pines Master Naturalist. Using close observation, the group hunts for the tiny critters living at their feet and…
- [A Dinah 4 Christmas — Christmas Lights at Dinah 4 Ranch, Smithville](https://grassyknees.com/austin/activities/a-dinah-4-christmas-christmas-lights-at-dinah-4-ranch-smithville--listing-faef1a000677a03beb7faed6) — Sat, Dec 12 (+6 more dates) · Dinah 4 Ranch, Smithville · All ages · Free · checked Oct 24. A Dinah 4 Christmas is a free, family-run holiday celebration at the Dinah 4 Ranch on FM 153 outside Smithville, now in its fifth year. Families stroll among thousands of…
- [Happy Holly-Days at Bastrop State Park](https://grassyknees.com/austin/activities/happy-holly-days-at-bastrop-state-park--listing-670004e8c55d8314c41abaf8) — Sat, Dec 19 · 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM · Bastrop State Park · All ages · With admission · checked Oct 14. Christmas morning program inside the historic Bastrop State Park Refectory: tour the building and learn how the Civilian Conservation Corps celebrated Christmas, decorate a…
- [Notice. Wonder. Wander – Family Guided Hike](https://grassyknees.com/austin/activities/notice-wonder-wander-family-guided-hike--listing-0128ec33a60751038db8fc7c) — Sat, Dec 19 · 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM · Bastrop State Park · With admission · checked Oct 16. A slow, family-friendly guided hike in Bastrop State Park where the aim is noticing rather than covering distance. A Lost Pines Master Naturalist leads the group along about one…

## Places and ongoing programs

- [Bastrop State Park (Lost Pines)](https://grassyknees.com/austin/activities/bastrop-state-park-lost-pines--listing-1d52e525c5949c263a942d94) — Open daily, 6 a.m.–10 p.m. Interpretive Center Friday–Sunday 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m. (hours… · Bastrop State Park · All ages · From $5 · checked Oct 14. Lost Pines state park 32 miles east of Austin, recovering after wildfires and floods. Families can camp, picnic, swim in the seasonal pool, bike, hike seven miles of trail, fish…
- [Buescher State Park](https://grassyknees.com/austin/activities/buescher-state-park--listing-ab7c2db55d6709f345eca231) — Open daily (see park page for current hours). · Buescher State Park, Smithville · All ages · From $5 · checked Oct 14. State park near Smithville in Bastrop County, adjacent to Bastrop State Park via scenic Park Road 1C, with a lake, camping loops, a covered Picnic Pavilion and Lost Pines forest…
- [Family Movie Night at Elgin Public Library](https://grassyknees.com/austin/activities/family-movie-night-at-elgin-public-library--listing-14bcad0d8e659d493494e9d0) — Third Friday of each month, 6:30–8:00 pm · Elgin Public Library · Free · checked Oct 16. On the third Friday of each month at 6:30 pm, Elgin Public Library turns into a cozy family movie theatre. Families settle in with fresh, buttery popcorn and a drink provided by…
- [Little Learners at Elgin Public Library](https://grassyknees.com/austin/activities/little-learners-at-elgin-public-library--listing-76ef8c4e68d9cc8c27884f29) — Fridays 10:30–11:30 a.m. (city calendar shows Oct 23 and Oct 30, 2026) · Elgin Public Library · Ages 4–6 · Free · checked Oct 20. Little Learners is Elgin Public Library's weekly storytime-plus-craft hour for children ages 4 to 6, pitched at getting preschoolers and kindergarteners ready for school. Each…
- [McKinney Roughs Nature Park](https://grassyknees.com/austin/activities/mckinney-roughs-nature-park--listing-c614b0d6323fb20be25b7d9d) — Open daily, sunrise to sunset; gift shop 8 a.m.–5 p.m. · McKinney Roughs Nature Park, Cedar Creek · All ages · From $5 · checked Oct 24. McKinney Roughs is an LCRA nature park on the Colorado River between Bastrop and Austin, with miles of multiuse trails through the Lost Pines edge, river bottomland and rugged…
- [Reading Ranger at Smithville Public Library](https://grassyknees.com/austin/activities/reading-ranger-at-smithville-public-library--listing-50c803b8ecdfb20b7e015821) — Third Wednesday of most months, 10:30–11:30 a.m. (Oct 21, Nov 18, Dec 16, 2026; Jan 20… · Smithville Public Library · All ages · Free · checked Oct 20. On the third Wednesday of almost every month, Ranger Madalyn from Buescher State Park visits Little Bookworms, the children's storytime at Smithville Public Library, as a guest…
- [Tween Art Club at Elgin Public Library](https://grassyknees.com/austin/activities/tween-art-club-at-elgin-public-library--listing-722213448f4c1b52fa908eaa) — Fourth Tuesday of the month, 5:00–6:30 p.m. · Elgin Public Library · Free · checked Oct 20. A monthly art club for tweens at Elgin Public Library, held on the fourth Tuesday of each month from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Young artists draw, paint, craft and create alongside other…

## Recently ended

- [Picnic in the Park at Buescher State Park](https://grassyknees.com/austin/activities/picnic-in-the-park-at-buescher-state-park--listing-725d6f7dc316162a03d2dadd) — ended Thu, Oct 22

## Nearby

- Towns in Bastrop County, TX: [Bastrop, TX](https://grassyknees.com/austin/towns/bastrop-tx) (Markdown: https://grassyknees.com/austin/towns/bastrop-tx.md), [Smithville, TX](https://grassyknees.com/austin/towns/smithville-tx) (Markdown: https://grassyknees.com/austin/towns/smithville-tx.md), [Elgin, TX](https://grassyknees.com/austin/towns/elgin-tx) (Markdown: https://grassyknees.com/austin/towns/elgin-tx.md)
- [Things to do with kids in Austin](https://grassyknees.com/austin) (Markdown: https://grassyknees.com/austin.md)
- [This weekend in Austin](https://grassyknees.com/austin/this-weekend) (Markdown: https://grassyknees.com/austin/this-weekend.md)

Town pages are listed once a town has 3 current listings, county pages at 10.