Couch cushion forts were doomed once kids could construct mansions from an iPad in Minecraft instead of scrounging together every blanket and pillow in the house to make a constantly collapsing box. However, the Fortlandia outdoor exhibit at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center may be just the thing to revive the lost art of backyard fort building. The $10,000 forts – custom-built by 10 local designers with sustainability in mind and bearing names like Fairy Pavilion, Fortmosa, and Color Keep – will inspire kids to start drawing up blueprints for their own backyard hideouts.
