NATIONAL PET MONTH

Austin animal lovers live in one of the most pet-friendly cities in the U.S., report says

Austin ranked No. 4 in the report.

Photo courtesy of HomeToGo

In addition to being National Moving Month (yes, it’s weird), May is also National Pet Month. To commemorate the month, experts from vacation rental marketplace HomeToGo have released their 2023 report of the most pet-friendly cities in the nation, and Austin made it into the top five.

Austin ranked No. 4 on a shortlist of 25 American cities that had the highest ratio of pet-friendly offers on HomeToGo, compared to a total 100 of the largest cities nationwide.

Some of the main attractions that Austin’s pups enjoy the most include Banger’s Sausage House on Rainey Street, where their menu includes dog-friendly sausages, and the Domain, where dogs are allowed in a majority of stores, and restaurants and bars have pet-friendly patios.

Other off-leash havens for pets include Auditorium Shores and its neighbor Zilker Park, with perfectly wide-open spaces suitable for keeping your pet active. Austin is also a well-established no-kill city, with some very active shelters, and we have a growing roster of mobile vet businesses.

Ahead of Austin was Boston (No. 3), Seattle (No. 2), with Portland, Oregon taking the No. 1 spot for the United States’ most pet-friendly city. Coming in at No. 5 is Washington, D.C.

In a comparison of only Southern cities, Austin ranked No. 2, with Tampa, Florida outranking the Texas Capital. Rounding out the top four are Tulsa, Oklahoma (No. 3), and Orlando, Florida (No. 4).

The only other Texas cities that made it onto HomeToGo’s shortlist was El Paso and Dallas, ranking No. 20 and No. 22, respectively.

The top 10 most pet-friendly cities in the U.S. are:

No. 1 – Portland, Oregon
No. 2 – Seattle, Washington
No. 3 – Boston, Massachusetts
No. 4 – Austin, Texas
No. 5 – Washington, D.C.
No. 6 – Louisville, Kentucky
No. 7 – Virginia Beach, Virginia
No. 8 – Charlotte, North Carolina
No. 9 – Jacksonville, Florida
No. 10 – (tie) Denver, Colorado and Atlanta, Georgia

The full report can be found on hometogo.com.

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New Treasure Trove

Iconic Austin crystal shop celebrates new location and 25-year milestone

Photo courtesy of Nature's Treasures

Nature's Treasures is officially debuting its new location.

Nature's Treasures, one of Austin's most famous, yet niche stores, is officially making its comeback after being relocated from its spot on I-35. It's one of more than 100 stores that were forced to close locations to make way for a massive highway expansion project, but it's ready to show off its new digs with a "Re-Grand Opening" on Saturday and Sunday, January 25-26.

With help from the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), the crystal shop was able to make a relatively smooth transition from its former location to 11055 N. IH35 Frontage Rd. It has maintained both locations at once for several weeks, but now it's time for the new space's official debut. So far, there is no specified end date for operations at the original location.

The new space is in an event center, meaning much more space for retail; the business graduated from 14,000 square feet (still nothing to scoff at) to 18,000 for retail and 5,200 for events.

Nature's Treasures event center interior A photo from early in the setup shows how much room there is to fill at the event center.Photo courtesy of Nature's Treasures

The grand opening will also celebrate Nature's Treasures' 25th year of being in business. It'll feature 30 vendors selling everything from jewelry to apothecary blends or offering services like reiki, tarot reading, energy work, and other eclectic spiritual and wellness modalities.

There will be presentation by "Austin's Crystal Whisperer," tours of the new space, and giveaways including a large heart-shaped amethyst geode valued at more than $900, per a press release. The food truck Juli's Tacos will also be at the event.

A walkthrough video on Instagram gives a preview of the space during a similar event.

See on Instagram

This is far from the only chance to attend a vendor event at Nature's Treasures. It hosts a monthly metaphysical and holistic fair, a biannual jewelry bazaar, and a variety of workshops and other smaller events.

The grand opening is scheduled for 11 am to 5 pm on January 25 and 26, according to Instagram posts. The event is free to attend, and the location has free parking.

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