Tucked just off MoPac Expressway, where the rush of traffic fades into wind chimes and birdsong, a slice of Austin comes alive on Tuesday evenings in the spring. Music from local artists drifts through the air as children chase each other through blooming wildflowers. The scent of food trucks mingles with the breeze, and old friends catch up over beers from local breweries.
“It’s a little feeling you get when you walk in,” said Erik Flores, a local musician. “There aren’t a whole lot of places to do that, and this is one of them.”
When the typically brutal Texas weather takes a break, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center’s gates open after hours for Tuesday Twilights, with regular admission prices. For the past decade, the weekly event has featured partnerships with local vendors and musicians, offering visitors a midweek escape “from the hustle and bustle,” said Erika Tucker, director of hospitality at the Wildflower Center.
“It’s sort of that old Austin hang-out feel … not feeling like you need to be crowded or rushing; there’s nowhere else to be,” Tucker said. “Enjoy the sunshine, the sunset, the breeze.”
Tuesday Twilights are more than a midweek escape — they help preserve the charm of Austin and support the Wildflower Center’s mission, Tucker said. Founded in 1982 by Lady Bird Johnson and actress Helen Hayes to promote native plants, the center continues Johnson’s legacy through conservation and education. Though affiliated with UT, it operates as a nonprofit, with events like Tuesday Twilights helping fund its work.
“The whole point of Mrs. Johnson’s vision, originally, is that Texas should look like Texas,” Tucker said. “We have to protect the plants, animals and wildlife .… They may not be there for our children and our grandchildren to benefit from.”
Regulars know the drill — many arrive hours early to spread out picnic blankets and snacks, claiming the best spots before the festivities begin at 5 p.m., Tucker said. Families and friends gather to soak in the experience and unwind. One regular, Luann Sandahl, said she used to drive from another town just for the Twilights.
“It’s such a positive ‘Austiny’ thing,” Sandahl said. “You live in Austin, you deal with traffic and legislature, but this is a positive Austin experience.”
The warm, sunny evening was accompanied by the sound of Flores’ soft guitar and soulful lyrics. A regular performer at Tuesday Twilights for the past three years, Flores has been invited back time and again. Even when he’s not on the lineup, he still shows up — for the music, but even more for the sense of community.
His first performance at the center was during a thunderstorm, but the crowd stayed — soaked, huddled under the shallow overhang, listening for nearly three hours.
“Community events are some of my favorite things to be part of,” Flores said. “It’s cool to not only be able to, but to be asked to contribute something that I’ve been working my whole life to do, and that is play music.”
