Colorado River

The Colorado River (not the one that runs through the Grand Canyon) is a major water source for the Austin metropolitan area, and the river bisects the city. The river provides a lot of recreational opportunities, such as kayaking, canoeing, crewing, tubing, fishing, boating, and probably others I'm missing. It also offers some just plain nice scenery. Texas actually has more surface water than all but one or two states, belying the "desert wasteland" perception many people have of the state (not to say we don't have some areas that might meet that definition... though personally I'm rather fond of areas others consider to be desert wastelands.)

This area is a bit southeast of Austin proper.