Longhorn recreation through the years

Eliza Pillsbury in
Features July | August 2024 ON
June 30, 2024 at 6:40 PM |

You know the saying, “Work hard, play hard.” Few other schools exemplify this philosophy like the University of Texas at Austin. While there’s plenty to do at Forty Acres – from life-saving research to world-class scholarships – UT students have always known how to have fun when they’re not in class, treating Austin as an extension of our beloved campus. In honor of summer vacation, the Alcaldes looked through decades of Cactus vintages to see how Longhorns spent their free time.

1962: Affectionately known as “Dirty’s,” Martin’s KumBak Place opened near campus in 1926 and nearly a century later, their recipes remain virtually unchanged.

1986: Beloved by students, locals and tourists, Barton Springs is a chilly 68 degrees, as steady as the flow of UT students along North Lamar to the pool gates.

1992: The UT water ski team has been slaloming since 1976, but sometimes beating the Texas heat means tackling slopes in cooler spots, like fresh powder reflecting off these hues.

Year 1982: Students work on their tans in Barton Springs.

1981: While this roadrunner circles Town Lake, the Congress Bridge bat colony — now home to an estimated 1.5 million bats each summer — was just settling in after the bridge underwent a major renovation in 1980.

1996: UT students always up the ante.

1985: Craig Willingham, BBA ’83 (left) and Mark Willingham, BBA ’87, watch the crowd heading to the football game from the window of Mark’s Moore-Hill dorm room.

1984: Breakout!! was the most popular arcade game of 1984 and clearly popular with UT students as well.

Year 1962: A picnic at the top of Mount Bonnell never goes out of style.

1986: As demonstrated here, being a regular at the esteemed West Campus bar Cain & Abel’s requires balance (which, by the way, goes completely to hell after too much Texas Tea).

1986: Before it closed in the mid-1990s, you could eat a burger with guacamole on top (No. 7, dubbed “Austin’s Favorite”) at Mad Dog & Bean’s on the edge of West Campus.

Date unknown: Longhorn prepares her kayaks for paddling on Town Lake, which was not renamed Lady Bird Johnson, BA ’33, BJ ’34, BL ’64, Life Member, Distinguished Alumna, until 2007.

1992: The members of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority are in great shape.

Year 1987: Local music songwriters Lois Richwine and Jesse Sublett are just some of the members of the Drag-centric scene where students can people watch or join the fray.

All images are from the website Cactus Matt Wright-Steel’s annuals