Summer Lovin'

The 10 best outdoor date night ideas for summer lovin' in Austin

Spring in Austin is wrapping up with summer on its heels, and that means it's time to grab your honey for a romantic night under the stars (or city lights, depending on where you go). Here are a few of our top suggestions.

Gaze at the stars
Every Wednesday night you can gaze at the stars from campus with UT's Department of Astronomy. The department hosts can't-miss "star parties" at the telescope on the roof of Robert Lee Moore Hall.

Catch a movie at the drive-in
Yes, Austin has an old-school drive-in movie theater. The Blue Starlite Mini Urban Drive-in shows all your childhood and pop culture favorites, indie films, and cult classics. So bring some blankets and pillows, snuggle up with your sweetie, and pretend like you've been transported back to the 1950s. (Bonus points if you work in a Grease reference at least once during the date.)

Try your hand at beach volleyball
Blow off some steam with a sporty outing. Rent out a sand volleyball court at Aussie's Grill and Beach Bar, round up some of your coupled-up friends, and have an epic beach volleyball tournament in the heart of Austin.

Or, show off your long drive
TopGolf can get a little pricey, but they have great food and drinks, and you can really show off your skills. The best part is that you don't have to be good at golf to have a good time. (Trust me, I'm really bad, and it's always fun.)

Take a road trip
Travel out to the Hill Country and visit the Salt Lick, one of Central Texas' legendary barbecue joints. If you're in it for the long haul, leave a little early and visit a winery nearby in Driftwood for a few sips of the good stuff before you fall into a meat coma. Driftwood Vineyard, Duchman Family Winery, and Fall Creek Vineyards are all great options close to Salt Lick. Plus, Salt Lick recently opened its own winery and tasting room, so you can have a taste or buy a bottle while you wait.

Rent a watercraft and cruise
Once Lady Bird Lake reopens, take your beau to the many local businesses that let you rent canoes, kayaks, water bikes, paddle boats, and more. If you want to go all out, you can even rent a private boat cruise — super romantic, with really great views of the skyline.

Pack a picnic
Make a meal together and take a hike in one of Austin's local parks or greenbelts, or climb to the top of Pennybacker Bridge or Mount Bonnell for some of Austin's most legendary views — and they make for great photo ops, too!

Go for a night swim
You read that right. Barton Springs Pool is open until 10 pm, but many people don't know that the admission fee is waived after 9 pm. Yes, it's a little colder at night, but there's not a more refreshing way to end a hot Texas summer day than with a dip in that cool water, which averages about 68 to 70 degrees year-round.

Take in a baseball game
Root for the home team with Central Texas' minor league baseball team, the Round Rock Express. Tickets for games are relatively affordable, and there's no better way to spend a summer evening with your S.O. than by singing "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," eating hot dogs, and drinking cold beer.

Go digging for buried treasure
If you're feeling adventurous, try geocaching. If you haven't heard of this, it's like going on a scavenger hunt or looking for buried treasure in the middle of the city. You're provided with coordinates and small clues and you have to find hidden items. There are plenty of geocaches hidden across the city, along greenbelts, in city parks, and in state parks. It's a fun way to get to know more about Austin and spend a day walking around the city! You can download a free geocaching app or visit the Austin geocaching website.

Take a scenic drive through the Hill Country for a winery tour and trip to the Salt Lick.

Duchman Family Winery/Facebook

Take a scenic drive through the Hill Country for a winery tour and trip to the Salt Lick.

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Movie Review

Horror comedy film Y2K gets more mileage out of nostalgia than story

Photo courtesy of A24

Jaeden Martell, Rachel Zegler, and Julian Dennison in Y2K.

Movies that rely on nostalgia can be successful if they’re timed right. Generally, 25-30 years seems about the right amount of time to try to take advantage of people’s fond feelings for a certain era, which is why movies/TV shows about the ‘80s have been prevalent for much of the 21st century, and ‘90s-set films started to pop up in the last 10 years.

Y2K, a horror comedy that plays on the fears of technological mayhem many people thought would happen at the turn of the century, is right on the cusp of that rule, taking place nearly 25 years after its timeline. It centers on two teenage boys, Eli (Jaeden Martell) and Danny (Julian Dennison), who are opposite in demeanor but have an unshakeable bond. Eli likes a popular girl, Laura (Rachel Zegler), and Danny convinces him to crash a New Year’s Eve party where she’ll be.

As the clock strikes midnight and the year moves from 1999 to 2000, everything that uses an electrical current goes haywire, with many of them combining forces to attack the humans around them. Eli and Danny find themselves on the run with Laura, as well as two stoners, Ash (Lachlan Watson) and CJ (Daniel Zolghadri), with each of them trying to use their unique skillset to help defeat a growing robot army.

Directed by Kyle Mooney and written by Mooney and Evan Winter, the film lands some solid jokes about the era in its opening 20 minutes or so, whether it’s the extreme slowness of dial-up internet, the goofy user names from AOL Messenger, or the various high school cliques of the time. However, many of them seem to echo ones told in 1999’s American Pie, a weird kind of art-imitating-art moment instead of commenting on real life.

The jolt of the machines attacking partygoers seems to promise a fun-if-bloody romp, but Mooney and Winter don’t seem to know where to take the story. They establish the computer bona fides of Eli and Laura early on, but when it comes time for them to put their talents in action, it feels like two actors going through the motions instead of real people who know what they’re doing. Almost none of the characters are believable or entertaining, and the few that rise above are dispatched way too early.

And because the filmmakers don’t make you care about the main group, nothing they face is that interesting, either. The villainous robots are made up of a bunch of disparate parts, which would seem to offer the opportunity for funny sight gags. Mooney and his team fumble most of their chances, though, leaving that side of the story stuck in limbo where it’s not absurd enough to be hilarious or scary enough to really count as horror.

Martell, Dennison, and Zegler are each rising stars who have their individual charms, but only Dennison is able to make much of an impact. Zegler, who starred in West Side Story and will soon be Snow White, is especially misused. They try to shoehorn in a cameo by Limp Biskit lead singer Fred Durst, but his appearance makes little sense and adds almost nothing to the story.

Filmmakers who want to mine nostalgia, especially in a comedy, need to really commit to the bit instead of throwing in a few references and needle drops. Mooney, who’s making his directorial debut, demonstrates little feel for timing, and so most of the film is like a car spinning its wheels, going nowhere.

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Y2K is now playing in theaters.

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