Frigid temps and freezing rain left many Central Texas roads dangerous and impassable. Drivers were advised by city and state officials to keep off the roads unless necessary.

The city of Austin and several area school districts shut down as a precaution Thursday morning.

Seventh grader Cameron Frederick was excited about having the day off.

"It's awesome, it's fun," Frederick said.

School districts in Austin and most surrounding areas made the "we're closed" decision due to Wednesday night's freezing rain which turned to a thin sheet of ice by Thursday morning.

"That's a big concern, people aren't used to driving on these roads," parent Brooks Frederick said.

More than 150 wrecks and overturned vehicles in the past 24 hours have littered the streets and highways. TxDOT even shut down some overpasses.

"I was coming west on Ben White just now and they were forcing all the cars off onto Manchaca," driver Heather McMillion said.

Austin Community College and Huston-Tillotson University closed their campuses. The University of Texas Campus was also officially closed, but some students said some of their professors still held class.

Student Jorge Barrera said his class cancellation gave him an extra day to study for finals exams..

"I was like, 'Hey there's no classes today, that's so awesome,' and then I was like, 'Why did I wake up so early?'" Barrera said laughing.

By Thursday morning it seemed like the entire area shut down to shut out the cold.

"I think probably people up north would laugh at us, but we're a warm-weather city and we're not accustomed to this," McMillion said.

The icy roads were an inconvenience for some, but other Central Texans embraced the cooler temps as a novelty. After all, it's not every day you find icicles in Austin.

"It's kind of exciting for a day or two... They (her kids) had a good time crunching on the grass this morning," parent Marsha Tophan said.

Austin and Travis County employees also had the day off, and they weren't the only ones.

"At his work, I think, nobody showed up," Austinite Jenn Dalbey said of her husband's unexpected day off.

"I was going to take the day off anyway, because it was cold," her husband said.

Those who did brave the cold took in some unusual sights, like a partially frozen water fountain near the UT campus, and experienced a rare and arctic Central Texas winter day.

Austin-Travis County EMS responded to more than 500 calls Wednesday.

Some involved car wrecks, but there were also reports of people slipping on ice and injuring themselves on foot.