About

A former Longhorn, Cynthia earned a BA in English and a communications MA from UT. By day, she works for a digital ad agency, writing in her free time and moonlighting as a bass player in a cover band.

She is always looking for her next story and loves exploring places off the beaten path. Below are a few of her most recently published articles.

Magazines | Austin Monthly - 101 Fun Things, June 2019 | https://www.austinmonthly.com/AM/June-2019/101-Fun-Things-To-Do-In-Austin-This-Summer/

Pack a swimsuit, grab some sunscreen and get ready to have the best summer ever. Here's our annual list of new and classic activities to try in Austin this summer.

Magazines | Austin Monthly - 101 Fun Things for 2018 | http://www.austinmonthly.com/AM/June-2018/101-Fun-Things-to-Do-This-Summer-in-Austin/

Ready for the best summer yet? We've scoured the city for the latest fun-filled activities, from chucking axes to paddleboarding at night to surfing.

Magazines | Austin Monthly - 101 Fun Things for 2017 | http://www.austinmonthly.com/AM/June-2017/101-Fun-Things-to-Do-This-Summer-in-Austin/

 
There's always classics like diving into Barton Springs, live music at Blues on the Green, or cheering on the Round Rock Express. But here's more...

Magazines | Austin Monthly - 101+ Fun Things for 2016 | http://www.austinmonthly.com/AM/May-2016/101-Fun-Things-to-do-this-Summer/

Summer is truly the most wonderful time of the year. Every year we present more than 100 ideas to make your list of fun things bigger and better.

Blogs | World Nomads - Insider's Guide to 6 of the Coolest Cities in America | https://www.worldnomads.com/Media/Default/SafetyGuides/usacityguide/WorldNomads-USA-City-Guide.pdf

Get tips on what to do, see, eat and where to go from World Nomad “insiders” who live and love these 6 cities: Austin, Seattle, Portland, New York, Los Angeles & San Francisco.

Magazines | Eidé Discovery issue | http://issuu.com/eidemagazine/docs/thediscoveryissueweb/137

 
The summer issue covered Austin flagmakers, Wild Standard, James Turrell's Skyspace art installation and the new, sweetly inspired honeybee-themed restaurant, Apiary.

Blogs | World Nomads - Insider's Guide: Traveling to Austin | https://www.worldnomads.com/travel-safety/united-states/is-austin-safe

With 228 sunny days a year on average, basking in the sun while listening to live music and sipping craft beer is perhaps the quintessential Austin experience...

Blogs | Austin Biplane | http://youtu.be/FsbhEE85qxI

Taking a cruise with Austin Biplane proves the only logical answer to Austin's traffic problem is flying.  Here's some video of my aerobatic experience in this open cockpit plane.

Blogs | World Nomads - The Farthest Away Mountain | https://journals.worldnomads.com/nomadcindy/story/133148/Canada/The-Farthest-Away-Mountain

Here is a travel writing piece on a trip to Calgary, where a bout of the flu had me caught somewhere between a fog and a fairytale on the slopes of Banff National Park.

Newspaper | The Daily Texan - Canoeing Big Bend | https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7ehtikh_zOXcHRiNXBTcVZ1cVE/view?usp=sharing

One Spring Break, I trekked 83 miles down the Rio Grande in a canoe. The University of Texas' RecSports department offered an eight-day trip canoeing the Lower Canyons of Big Bend.

Starting in Mexico, our group of paddlers headed down the river... 

Magazines | Austin Monthly - 115 Fun Things for 2015 | http://www.austinmonthly.com/AM/May-2015/115-Fun-Things-to-do-this-Summer/

When it comes to summertime in sunny Austin, there are always two main objectives: stay cool and have fun...

Magazines | Austin Monthly - Hot Tickets | http://www.austinmonthly.com/AM/March-2015/Hot-Tickets/

 
There are more than 250 music venues in Austin. Here's 40 of the best.

Newspaper | The Daily Texan - Big Red Sun Nursery | https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7ehtikh_zOXNEpQSFUtelhSUkE/view?usp=sharing

Opened by a husband and wife duo, Big Red Sun is a full-service architectural and environmentally conscious design firm in East Austin.

Newspaper | The Daily Texan - Downtown Art Night | https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7ehtikh_zOXUTQ1LXo4UjFfMEU/view?usp=sharing

Every third Thursday, eight galleries in the downtown area open from 6-9 pm... 

Blogs | World Nomads - Cypress Valley Canopy Tours | https://journals.worldnomads.com/nomadcindy/story/29730/USA/Cypress-Valley-Canopy-Tours

It was exploring the cypress trees in Spicewood, Texas at Cypress Valley Canopy Tours where I learned to fly. CVCT is open March through November.

Magazines | Austin Monthly - Surf's Up | http://www.austinmonthly.com/AM/October-2012/Surfs-Up/

Try living Pura Vida. Escape it all to go to a surf/yoga retreat in Mal Pais and catch crystal waves in Costa Rica...

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Cynthia Houchin © 2019

Magazines | Eidé Form & Function issue | https://issuu.com/eidemagazine/docs/eide_formandfunction_2015web/153

This spread highlights the free SXSJ music fest, brunch at Odd Duck, floatation therapy, Austin Eastciders and foodie video app, Tastemade.

Blogs | Austinist - Snapshots: Art Night Austin Under the Moon [Art Review] | http://austinist.com/2010/03/04/art_night_austin_art_review.php

A full moon lit up the Austin skyline as Art Night got underway last Saturday. Art lovers in purple wristbands whet their appetites with delicious food and drink as they trekked across town from gallery to gallery...

Blogs | Austinist - Prepare Your TPS Reports: Reclaimed Office at Dougherty Arts Center [Art Review] | http://austinist.com/2010/03/23/reclaimed_office_art_preview.php

Featuring fresh interpretations of humdrum office materials, Reclaimed Office is a must-see for anyone who has ever worked a desk job in a gray cubicle.

Blogs | Austinist - Likely Stories: Fables at Austin Art Garage [Art Review] | http://austinist.com/2010/04/14/seeing_stories_fables_at_austin_art.php

Austin Art Garage recently debuted local artist Graham Francoise’s newest work in their freshly expanded exhibit space. Featuring whimsical characters that seem to have stepped right off the pages of a book...

Magazines | Eidé Travel - 2 Tales, 1 City | http://issuu.com/eidemagazine/docs/thediscoveryissueweb/76

Here's a special travel piece about a trip to the Big Easy. Along with another writer, I share my experiences of a long weekend in New Orleans.

Magazines | Austin Monthly - 2014: 114 Fun Things | http://www.austinmonthly.com/AM/May-2014/Features/114-Fun-Things-to-do-This-Summer/

In a city as vibrant and active as Austin, there’s simply no excuse to be bored in the summertime. Locals know the essential warm-weather diversions, from tubing down the Comal and Guadalupe rivers and slurping an icy snow cone...

Magazines | Austin Monthly - Nature Calls | http://www.austinmonthly.com/AM/September-2013/Nature-Calls/

Austin may be the 11th largest city in the U.S., but there are still plenty of parks, trails, swimming holes and other places to soak in the great outdoors.

Magazines | Austin Monthly - 2013: 113 Fun Things | http://www.austinmonthly.com/AM/May-2013/113-Fun-Things-to-do-in-the-Summer/

Nothing beats living in a city filled to the brim with cool places to go and exciting activities to try. But it’s easy to fall into a rut of relying on your old standbys. Find a list of 113 summer must-dos here, with 56 new activities to try...

Magazines | Austin Monthly - Urban Paradise | http://www.austinmonthly.com/AM/August-2012/Urban-Paradise/

Whether you’re a young professional, doting parent, UT student or empty nester, Austin’s booming downtown area has something for everyone. Explore these 8 dynamic districts in the heart of downtown...

Magazines | Austin Monthly - Best and Worst | http://www.austinmonthly.com/AM/January-2013/Best-Worst-2012/

From an inaugural Formula 1 race, the approval of two weekends of ACL Music Fest and the deaths of local fixtures Leslie Cochran and Darrell K Royal, here’s a look back at 2012.

Magazines | Austin Monthly - 2012: 112 Fun Things | https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7ehtikh_zOXdHlVelBkTHBWdGM/view?usp=sharing

While summer standards include swimming in the always-refreshing Barton Springs Pool, seeing the bats fly out from under the Congress Avenue Bridge and movies at Alamo Drafthouse, we compiled over a hundred other fun activities to try...including hula hooping.

Magazines | Austin Monthly - Best & Worst of the Year | https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7ehtikh_zOXSDNoREpOcXI3RVU/view?usp=sharing

We saw it all in 2011: a record-breaking, sweltering heat wave, the harsh, never-ending drought and the utterly devastating wildfires. And don’t forget the weirder events, from a meat-stealing ring to an escaped bison.

Magazines | Austin Monthly - Clean Sweep | https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7ehtikh_zOXdEpUVHNCTHl3b3M/view?usp=sharing

A citywide guide for easy, timesaving ways to unclutter your home and head.

Magazines | Austin Monthly - Best & Worst of the year | https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7ehtikh_zOXMFY4bk81akdqdEk/view?usp=sharing

Cathedral of Junk, Formula 1, No-Kill and other 2010 stories we won’t soon forget.

Magazines | Austin Woman - A Streetcar Named Stella | https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7ehtikh_zOXbkV4OHlnMWJnQTA/view?usp=sharing

This airstream turned mobile arts studio & boutique is home base for four crafty Etsy Austin ladies.

Magazines | Austin Woman - Where The Heart Is | https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7ehtikh_zOXWHhpUGpzZTVJME0/view?usp=sharing

Eco-friendly Tiny Texas Houses prove bigger isn’t always better.

Magazines | Rare - Find Your Inner Chi | https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7ehtikh_zOXTk5hTE5LM29lUTA/view?usp=sharing

Feng shui is as elusive as its literal translation from Chinese: wind-water. But Feng Shui Places can help take your interior design flow in the right direction.

Magazines | Rare - Hill Country Outdoors | https://issuu.com/raremagazine/docs/april2009green/29

This local sport and social club is all about adventure.

Magazines | Rare - Dart Music International | https://issuu.com/raremagazine/docs/march2009music/35

Dart Music International is a local non-profit bringing international musicians to Texas.

Magazines | Rare - On the Paper Trail | https://issuu.com/raremagazine/docs/december2008/55

These local paper stores offer stylish correspondence.

Magazines | Rare - Architects and Heroes | https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7ehtikh_zOXRTl0WWQ1dE1CejA/view?usp=sharing

Find dauntless decor for your home.

Magazines | Rare - Karma in a Box | https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7ehtikh_zOXb001ZTB5Q1g1Qlk/view?usp=sharing

Do Good Deli is delicious in more ways than one.

Magazines | Rare - Setting Film Fans Aflame | https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7ehtikh_zOXVmxCNlNtdTJ1VFU/view?usp=sharing

Austin Film Society, a local non-profit welcomes movie buffs and filmmakers alike.

Magazines | Rare - State on Center Stage | https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7ehtikh_zOXN3g0Z2EzZHpvaFU/view?usp=sharing

State Theatre’s School of Acting Program hones future stars.

Magazines | Rare - Creative Juice Box | https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7ehtikh_zOXZXJNcWNRMjVjVmc/view?usp=sharing

The Art Pad offers art classes for the whole family.

Magazines | Rare - Rodney Rash | https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7ehtikh_zOXcjlURXBybGV6MG8/view?usp=sharing

This comedian hypnotist's act is mesmerizing.

Magazines | Rare - The Parlor Keeps Rocking | https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7ehtikh_zOXa3QzNW5lbkxSbk0/view?usp=sharing

This family-owned and operated pizza joint knows how to rock.

Magazines | Rare - Carving a Legacy | https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7ehtikh_zOXd3hqaGZGaEhZT0E/view?usp=sharing

Local Carver Branch Library has a long history.

Magazines | Rare - Art Cars | https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7ehtikh_zOXcWJzZk16SzRnYVE/view?usp=sharing

Funky wheels help keep Austin’s roads weird.