Waller Beach at Town Lake Metropolitan Park

The limestone steps dropping directly into the green water of Lady Bird Lake mark Waller Beach. Long before the park existed, this stretch of the Colorado River served as a natural gathering point for early Austin residents. In the nineteen seventies, the city transformed this eroded riverbank into a formal public space. It carries the name of Edwin Waller, the man who laid out Austin’s original street grid. Today, paddleboarders launch from these shallow stairs while the downtown skyline climbs behind them.