The Highland Park West Balconies neighborhood
Two beautiful neighborhoods can be found in Austin, just north of 35th Street and west of MoPac Blvd., collectively called the Highland Park-West Balcones neighborhood, as it is now generally considered a residential area. The other two boundaries are Mount Bonnell Road and RR 2222, with Bull Creek Road as the boundary between 45th St. and Hancock Road. The neighborhood is home to about 1,750 residences, and the MoPac Expressway runs through approximately two miles of the eastern part of the neighborhood.
This neighborhood, which is actually a blended neighborhood made up of the Highland Park and West Balcones residences, features three well-known attractions, all located in the neighborhood: Bright Leaf State Natural Area, Mayfield Park and Nature Preserve, and Mount Bonnell, all of which are interesting from both a historical and recreational point of view.
Bright Leaf State Natural Area is a 217-acre scenic park that was donated to the City of Austin in 1995 by Georgia Lucas, although the area was donated on the condition that the park remain minimally developed, as it has. Lucas’ former residence can be found among the many trails and is called the Lucas Conference Center. There are two main entrances to the park, one at RR 2222 and Creek Mountain Rd., but the entrance is often closed as the park is officially a gated park. The other entrance is located at Crestway and Monte Vista, and that entrance leads to the conference center.
On the second Saturday and Sunday of every month, guided tours can be arranged at Bright Leaf, and many of the trails lead into neighboring residential areas, but most are closed and all will be closed in the future.
Mayfield Park and Nature Preserve is located at 3505 West 35th Street, adjacent to the Laguna Gloria Art Museum, and the park contains 35 acres of landscaped land, with the Mayfield-Gutsch House and Gardens at its center. The Nature Center is named for Allison Mayfield, who purchased the property in 1901 and was Texas Secretary of State from 1894 to 1896. The park is open to the public and peacocks roam the grounds among picnic trees, ponds of lilies, streams and paths.
Mount Bonnell, in Covert Park, is a 780-foot vantage point located off Mount Bonnell Road and Balcones Drive, and from Mount Bonnell visitors can get stunning views of Cat Mountain, Lake Austin, and the Loop 360 Bridge. Admission to Mount Bonnell is free, but there is a curfew between 9:00 p.m. and 4:00 a.m.
Another attraction in the Highland Park West Balcones area is Westfield Drive, which was Austin’s first Parade of Houses in September 1953, and the street has many charming and historic homes. The Frisco Shop, one of Austin’s oldest restaurants, which finally closed its doors recently, opened the same year as the parade of houses near the Highland Park neighborhood boundary on nearby Burnet Road.
Austin’s only Parks and Recreation Department. The official park in the neighborhood is Perry Playground Park, which is next to Highland Park Elementary School, and behind the park is the old quarry. This park contains several playground equipment, a baseball field, a soccer field, basketball hoops, a nature area, and numerous trails and picnic tables, and the park includes a geological area with a pavilion since the park was originally a rock quarry. The park also includes the Perry Park Learning Center, a facility built in 1988 for local eagle scouts. At one time the quarry was a working rock quarry called Sneed’s Quarry, and remnants of the quarry can be found in and around the park.
Today, this area is very accessible to downtown and major metropolitan highways, and is packed with shops, restaurants, and places to live, so be sure to check this area out when you’re in Austin!
