Retail Roundup: Volente Area Shopping, Dining and Entertainment

Lakeline Mall, less than 10 minutes away from Volente, has more than 160 shops and restaurants in a comfortable, welcoming atmosphere. In addition to Macy’s, Sears, Old Navy, Footlocker and many others, parents and children from the neighborhood appreciate Lakeline’s stores dedicated to the younger set — Build-a-Bear Workshop, Gymboree, GAP Kids, and The Disney Store, to name a few.

Hungry shoppers enjoy American classics at Applebee’s or Chili’s, Japanese flavors at Little Tokyo and stuffed potatoes at Potato Club. The mall is also home to the Lakeline 9 cinema multiplex.

For Volente homeowners, most grocery shopping is done at the handy HEB on Highway 620, about 10 minutes away, or at Randalls about 15 minutes from home. There is also an HEB plus! nearby, which includes a larger selection as well as outdoor furnishings, linens, electronics and more. And for even more variety, neighboring cities of Leander and Cedar Park each have farmers’ markets for fresh produce.

A Fun Day of Shopping, Movies and Great Food at 1890 Ranch

The sprawling 1890 Ranch shopping center has more than 70 stores and restaurants and is only about 20 minutes from home. The center is a favorite choice for shopping or a night out. Some of the most popular retailers include SuperTarget, Bealls, Academy Sports and Outdoors, Famous Footwear, Natural Grocers, PetSmart, Office Max, Ross Dress for Less, Bikram Yoga, Claire’s Boutique, Hemispheres, Mardel’s and Hobby Lobby.

Parents sometimes place their children in the care of 1890 Ranch’s Adventure Kids Playcare where youngsters can play and enjoy themselves in safety while their folks take in a movie at the Cinemark Movie Theater. To top off a day of fun, there are plenty of choices for a delicious dinner at one of the several locally owned or popular restaurants.

Volente Beach Club Waterpark and Restaurant

Volente Beach Club — walkable from many parts of Volente and a less than 5-minute car trip from others — is Lake Travis’ only water park. Kids of all ages enjoy the waterpark’s pools and waterslides, and everyone loves the boats and wave runners available for rental. Volente Beach offers daily passes as well as annual and monthly memberships that grant easy access to the fun activities at Volente.

Volente Beach Club also features The Shore Club and Restaurant. The place has a fun, shoreside vibe and a large outdoor seating area as well as an indoor dining room. The menu runs from burgers and sandwiches to grilled steak and seafood, along with tasty appetizers like bacon-wrapped barbecued shrimp and an avocado with crab, crawfish, and a special spicy sour cream. During the hot Texas summers, diners enjoy the salads. In addition to a chicken Caesar salad and a Cobb salad, the menu also has a special summer salad. Many diners find the refreshing mix of greens, grapes, sliced almonds, mandarin oranges, feta cheese, carrot, avocado, and tomato to be the perfect combination on a warm summer day.

People from all over Austin enjoy the fine dining, water park, beach volleyball courts, weekly summer concerts, and other events throughout the year.

Fresh Sushi and a Spicy Connection to Southwest Cuisine

Local dining includes two highly praised Japanese restaurants, Soto and Umiya. Other notable restaurants include Cedar Park’s Surf and Turf, Mighty Fine Burgers, the visually striking Oasis on Lake Travis, and the Blue Corn Harvest Bar & Grill.

The Blue Corn Harvest Bar & Grill adds a spicy twist to the local dinner scene with fresh Southwestern-style dishes such as their New Mexico Pork Verde, local farm fresh and creative salads —  and their Blue Corn Crispy Salmon, one of several signature dinner offerings, is accompanied by crab avocado salad and roasted tomatillo buerre blanc, cheddar-seared potato cake, and farm-fresh vegetables of the day.

More than Just a Name, These Burgers are Mighty Fine

Mighty Fine serves those who crave comfort food what may just be the best burgers, fries and shakes in town. The delicious burgers are built with care from scratch. Each of Mighty Fine’s patties begin with premium 100% fresh all-natural beef that is ground on-site and hand-formed in a kitchen where you can watch the process through large glass panels. Not only is the meat antibiotic and preservative-free, it is also sustainable and sourced from certified small ranchers. In other words, Mighty Fine only buys cows that have been vegetarian fed and have been allowed to grow at their natural pace.