After 32 years, one of the last kiddie parks in Texas maintains its focus on the preschool set with seven different rides and plenty of picnic tables for birthday parties. Everything in the park, from the Ferris wheel to the mini train that circles the acres, is just the right size to be thrilling without being intimidating. There are no cartoon character tie-ins, only real ponies the kids can ride. There is no proto-nightclub video-game arcade, only the real challenge of an 18-hole putt-putt green. The only bells and whistles here are from the piped-in calliope music. For over two decades, the Herring family has resisted the urge to give in to the lowest-common attention-grabbing doodads and has instead personally greeted every family who comes to enjoy this old-fashioned fun fair. For the 10 and under crowd, Kiddie Acres is the best spot in Austin.
