Angel and deer sculpture
While Laguna Gloria’s formal gardens enjoy the view of Lake Austin and get all the glory with weddings and galas that are held there, the informal garden has its own attractions. Amid the junipers and live oaks, you can find peacocks from nearby Mayfield Park stalking through the underbrush, a xeriscaped rain garden, and numerous student-made sculptures ornamenting the grounds.

One of the resident peacocks

This is my favorite sculpture at Laguna Gloria. I don’t know what it’s called. It’s just stuck out there in a grassy area between two buildings, and the plaster or whatever it’s made of is starting to crumble, exposing its metal frame to rain and rust, but I just love it. Both poignant and bizarre, the angel and the deer—which has been shot in the flank with two arrows, martyr-like—gaze at each other with curiosity and tenderness. Their giraffe-like necks seem to embody their ascension to heaven.

A dry streambed curves away from a small pond with a fountain, hinting at flowing water even during dry spells. When it rains, the streambed moves the water into a shady rain garden.

Another xeric bed, with what I think is an acacia tree, Mexican feathergrass, and salvias.
Beyond the gardens and sculptures, there is of course the glorious lagoon itself. Laguna Gloria is built on a peninsula that juts into Lake Austin, and it offers views of the lagoon on the east side and the lake on the west. Paths lead visitors along the lagoon out to the peninsula’s point, where a Greek Temple of Love set in the woods marks the end of the trail. More fun for another day.