Best of Austin®

Best Nonfunctioning Windmill

Johnson Creek Trailhead

click to enlarge Best Nonfunctioning Windmill
photo by Zeke Barbaro

Homesteaders Wylie and Effie Bennett are commemorated along the Johnson Creek Trailhead by a useless windmill constructed with stone. Apparently they used to live there. That's about all the information you'll find about this strange landmark tucked under the shadow of MoPac. Despite its proximity to Downtown and the six-lane highway, this stretch of the Hike & Bike Trail is a surprisingly quiet green space. You can find the windmill easily enough on a map, but better to stumble onto it as if in a dream on a long aimless walk around the city.