The Zilker Botanical Garden (31 acres; 125,000 m) is a botanical garden of varied topography located on the south bank of the Colorado River at 2220 Barton Springs Road, near downtown Austin, Texas , United States .
18-568: Theme gardens include the Taniguchi Japanese Garden, The Riparian Streambed, The Hartman Prehistoric Garden, and The Mabel Davis Rose Garden. The Botanical Garden was established as a non-profit organization in 1955, and is the centerpiece of Zilker Park . It features several independently maintained gardens, each of a particular focus: 30°16′08″N 97°46′17″W / 30.26890°N 97.77140°W / 30.26890; -97.77140 This article related to Austin, Texas
36-399: A karst aquifer made up of limestone with large void spaces. Water then enters the aquifer and fills the voids. All water discharging from Barton Springs originates as rainfall. Some of this rain falls directly onto the area of land where the aquifer limestone rock is exposed, which is known as the recharge zone. Other rainfall enters into creeks that cross the recharge zone, and infiltrates
54-737: A park during the Great Depression in the 1930s. Today the park serves as a hub for many recreational activities and the hike and bike trail around Lady Bird Lake , both of which run next to the park. The large size of the park makes it a capable venue for large-scale events such as the Austin City Limits Music Festival and the Zilker Park Kite Festival. The park was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1997. The land surrounding Barton Springs
72-683: A typical domestic in-ground swimming pool holds about 20,000 US gallons (76 m ), and the City of Austin, a city of about 1 million residents, uses about 120 million US gallons (450,000 m ) per day for its public water supply system. The three other springs associated with Barton Springs are Eliza, Old Mill, and Upper Barton Spring. Each is significantly smaller than Main Barton Spring, discharging an average of 3 million US gallons (11,000 m ) per day. Sometimes, these springs dry up completely. Eliza Spring, also known as Concession Spring,
90-555: A variety of large events each year—notably, the Austin City Limits Music Festival , which fills the park for two weekends each fall with numerous live musical performances by prominent country, folk and rock artists, among others. Barton Springs Barton Springs is a set of four natural water springs located at Barton Creek on the grounds of Zilker Park in Austin, Texas , resulting from water flowing through
108-468: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Zilker Park Zilker Metropolitan Park is a recreational area in south Austin, Texas , at the juncture of Barton Creek and the Colorado River that comprises over 350 acres (142 ha) of publicly owned land. It is named after its benefactor, Andrew Jackson Zilker , who donated the land to the city in 1917. The land was developed into
126-598: Is located in the creek bed of Barton Creek , about a half mile (800 m) upstream or west of Barton Springs Pool. Frequently dry, Upper Barton Spring is fully submerged by Barton Creek during floods. The water at Upper Barton Spring also has a significantly different chemistry than the other springs. The entire area around Barton Springs is riddled with faults from the Balcones Fault Zone and features other, smaller springs. For example, about one mile (2 km) upstream of Upper Barton Spring, an intermittent spring fills
144-476: Is located near the north entrance to Barton Springs Pool, 300 feet (100m) east towards the children's playscape. During the early 20th century, an amphitheater-style swimming enclosure was built around the spring. This structure is no longer open to the public due to safety concerns, and the fact that Eliza Spring has become a sensitive habitat area for the endangered Barton Springs Salamander . Old Mill Spring, also known as Sunken Gardens Spring or Zenobia Spring,
162-453: Is located on the south side of Barton Springs Pool. Like Eliza Spring, the early 20th century structure built around the spring is now closed to public access due to safety and endangered species habitat issues. Scientific analysis show that the water at Old Mill Spring has a slightly different chemistry than that of Main Barton Spring and Eliza Spring, even though it is less than half a mile (800 m) away from these springs. Upper Barton Spring
180-645: The Edwards Aquifer . The largest spring, Main Barton Spring (also known as Parthenia, "the mother spring"), supplies water to Barton Springs Pool , a popular recreational destination in Austin. The smaller springs are located nearby, two with man-made structures built to contain and direct their flow. The springs are the only known habitat of the Barton Springs Salamander , an endangered species . The Barton Creek National Archeological and Historic District
198-484: The City of Austin in a series of sales in 1917, 1923 and 1931; he donated the proceeds of the sale to a trust dedicated to funding Austin's public schools . In the 1930s the city transformed the ranch into a space for public recreation, building park amenities and buildings with help from the Civil Works Administration . Barton Springs Pool was given a concrete dam and an enlarged swimming area. In 1934
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#1732855840586216-555: The limestone bedrock. After water enters the aquifer, it flows along the gradients created by differences in hydraulic pressure into the area of lowest hydraulic pressure. This lowest point of hydraulic pressure is Barton Springs. Main Barton Spring/Parthenia is the most famous, yet least visible of the four springs because it is completely submerged by pool water. Located near the diving board in Barton Springs Pool ,
234-508: The natural history of the Edwards Aquifer that feeds Barton Springs . Every winter the 155-foot (47 m) Zilker Holiday Tree is illuminated, along with a Trail of Lights display. The Zilker Zephyr 12 in ( 305 mm ) gauge miniature railway carries passengers on a tour around the park. It opened in 1961 and ran until 2019. In 2019, it closed down due to erosion. It has been reopened as of August 2023 as Zilker Eagle. The park's amenities and wide, open spaces allow it to host
252-706: The park was named Zilker Metropolitan Park, after its donor and patron. In addition to general-purpose lawns, sports fields, cross country courses, historical markers, concession stands and picnic areas, the park includes numerous public attractions. The Zilker Botanical Garden features several independently maintained gardens located near the center of the park and hosts the Zilker Gardens Festival every spring. The Austin Nature & Science Center offers ecological exhibits, nature hike trails, and children's educational programming. The Umlauf Sculpture Garden adjoins
270-585: The southeast end of the park, displaying sculptural works by artist Charles Umlauf and others. The Zilker Hillside Theater hosts regular performances by local theatre companies, including free "Shakespeare in the Park" every May and an annual summer musical. Barton Springs Pool adjoins the park on the east, offering public swimming; other water activities are available in Barton Creek . The Beverly S. Sheffield Education Center by Barton Springs Pool offers exhibits about
288-454: The spring's flow is not always visible at the surface. The main spring discharges an average flow of about 31 million US gallons (120,000 m ) per day. The lowest discharge ever recorded was 9 million US gallons (34,000 m ) per day during the drought of the 1950s , and the highest discharge ever recorded was 85 million US gallons (320,000 m ) per day during December 1991 and September 2016 flooding. By comparison,
306-514: Was claimed by its namesake, William Barton, in the 1830s for his cattle ranch. In the 1860s it was acquired by the Rabb family, who operated mills on Barton Creek . In the early twentieth century Andrew Jackson Zilker bought a 350-acre (140 ha) plot of land between the Colorado River and Barton Creek, including the Springs, and used the spring water in his ice-making business. Zilker sold his land to
324-629: Was formed in 1985. Barton Springs is the main discharge point for the Barton Springs segment of the Edwards Aquifer of Texas, a well known karst aquifer. Geologically, the aquifer is composed of limestone from the Cretaceous period , about 100 million years old. Fractures , fissures , conduits , and caves have developed in this limestone. Both physical forces, such as faulting , and chemical forces, such as dissolution of limestone by infiltrating water, have enlarged these voids. This results in
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