A relatively small city, my friend Abby and I didn’t know quite what to expect of Austin, Texas. Every person we asked for recommendations said two things: bars and barbecue. While that’s great, we wanted to see a bit more of what this growing metropolis has to offer (and share that with you). We visited over the course of a long-weekend and felt like that was the perfect amount of time to get a taste of this vibrant capital city. Sampling art, culture, history, nature, and yes, bars and barbecue, here are our top fifteen recommendations for what to do in Austin, Texas!
1. Zilker Botanical Garden
Unmentioned in many of the blogs and TikToks we utilized in the planning of our trip, we were surprised at how much we loved Zilker Botanical Gardens. While you’re able to leisurely explore it in full in under two hours, there is plenty to see. From the koi pond and bonsai trees in the Taniguchi Japanese Garden to the Esperanza Schoolhouse circa 1866 in the Pioneer Village section, to the butterfly trail and oak grove, you’ll continue to discover more with every turn. My favorite part of our visit was walking through the Hartman Prehistoric Garden. Following in the footsteps of dinosaurs, you’ll get to see a bit of what plant life in Austin might have looked like during the Cretaceous period. Located in the heart of the city, Zilker Botanical Gardens is one of Austin, Texas’ easier outdoor activities to get to via public transit or walking. While admission is under $10 per person, we happened to be visiting on one of their free days. You can find upcoming ones on their website. Make sure to bring headphones if you plan on enjoying their free audio tour.
2. Barton Springs
Also located in the greater Zilker Metropolitan Park, you can’t miss checking out the famous Barton Springs. These four converging natural, underground springs are a favorite amongst both locals and tourists to escape the Texas heat, with the water staying on average between 68-70 degrees. While we didn’t have the nerve to jump in on a chilly November day (though others did), Barton Springs is still worth visiting any time of year (and free to visit in the off-season). Give yourself about thirty minutes here if you’re planning to simply read the placards and take a quick walk around the vibrant water.
3. View Art Around the City
Austin is becoming progressively popular in the art scene, and it shows around the city. You won’t have to go out of your way to see painted guitar sculptures or murals! I love getting a photo that exclaims the city you’re in, so I had to go outside Roadhouse Relics to get a photo with the “Austin” mural. Just a short walk from South Congress Ave, this is worth a quick pop-over. While you’re here, make sure to stop into Art For The People Gallery right across the street. This gallery showcases charming and funky local art across a variety of mediums at surprisingly affordable prices.
4. South Congress Ave
Give yourself a couple hours to explore South Congress Ave, one of the most popular tourist destinations in the city. South Congress Ave is a retail district lined with unique shops, from candy counters to candle boutiques to boot stores with live music. Even if you’re not looking to buy too much, it’s still a fun place to observe the blend of cultures that make this city special. Having already had some Texas tacos, we grabbed some grub from Home Slice Pizza, but there are plenty of food options all along South Congress Ave.
5. Bats at South Congress Bridge
Though “bars” and “barbecue” are the two most famous “b’s” of Austin, the third is “bats.” South Congress Bridge rivals Batman’s very own batcave. From late March to early November, it’s home to migrating Mexican free-tailed bats. With over one million of our nocturnal friends, Austin can proudly say they have the largest urban bat population in the country. During their residency, you can expect to see the bats fly out from under the bridge for about 45 minutes starting at sunset. We viewed from the south park along the Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail (you can just put “bat viewing site” into Google maps) and from on the bridge as well. We preferred the park, where you could hear the squeaks of the bats instead of traffic and more clearly see them against the darkening sky than against the water. There are boat tours that view the bats and more of Lady Bird Lake (the river), or you can visit the flagship Yeti store and bar — complete with Yeti cooler seats and foosball — across the street while waiting for the bats to wake up.
6. Go Dancing at Broken Spoke
Fans of the show Queer Eye may recognize Broken Spoke from Season 6 of the series when the group learned to do the iconic two-step. Wanting an authentic “Texas” experience for ourselves, we had to check this place out! If you’re from a small town, I’m sure you’ve seen a bar with an interior similar to Broken Spoke — a bit run down, but with a lot of heart. Make sure to peruse the gallery of Broken Spoke’s previous patrons; Dolly Parton, Quentin Tarantino, and Vince Vaughn to name a few. The dance lesson was $10 in addition to the cover. Since the lesson was crowded and difficult to hear, I’d recommend simply showing up after and paying only the cover. That way you’ll still get a fun night of dancing which you’ll be able to pick up as you go. Please note, Broken Spoke doesn’t allow line dancing and some people on the dance floor take things quite seriously. You’ll want to stick to the two-step!
7. The Contemporary Austin - Laguna Gloria
This leisurely excursion is a perfect way to break up some of your other activities. While you’ll need to take an Uber to get there, don’t miss out on Laguna Gloria, a unique sculpture garden where art is interwoven with nature. Laguna Gloria is one of two locations of The Contemporary. The other is the Jones Center, their downtown museum which you can visit using the same $10 ticket within seven days. We opted to visit the Laguna Gloria location as we wanted to spend a little more time outdoors and it allowed us to peacefully walk from sculpture to sculpture along the Colorado River.
8. Mount Bonnell
Just under a mile from Laguna Gloria is Mount Bonnell. Mount Bonnell is the highest point in Austin and a common sunset spot. Sunset didn’t align with our schedule and we found it still worth visiting at any time of day. With a long history of being a favorite popular vantage point — even in the mid 1800s for picnics — Mount Bonnell now shows a new side of Austin. From here, you’ll be able to view some of the multi-million dollar homes along the river. To get to the top, you’ll have to climb 102 steps. We walked from Laguna Gloria, and while this was a nice route, it was a steep one! If you’re doing both, consider Ubering to Mount Bonnell first and then walking down to the gardens.
9. Terry Black's BBQ
As a non-meateater, I don’t suggest you take my advice on where to get barbecue. However, I do suggest you take the advice of the other hundred or so people who also waited in a 45-minute line for Terry Black’s BBQ. With a family legacy of barbecue in the nearby town of Lockhart and now with locations in Austin and Dallas, Terry Black’s BBQ is considered some of the best in the city. You can mix and match your meats and they sell beers for you to sip on while you wait in line. If you’re a non-meat eater like me, don’t be turned off from joining your carnivorous friends here as you can still indulge in the sides. I particularly loved the creamed corn.
10. Rainey Street
Given everything you know about the city, if you tried picturing Austin in your mind, I bet Rainey Street is what you’d be imagining. With food trucks galore, bungalows converted into bars, and live music coming out of almost every covered porch, this street is vibrancy overload in all of the best ways. As many seem to enjoy day-drinking and bar-hopping here, Rainey Street is also a great place to people-watch. Many of the venues seemed to have dj’s bumping house-music (not our idea of “Texas” at 4 p.m.), but we did find a live folk band — complete with a banjo — at Bangers Sausage House & Beer Garden. With over 200 beers on tap and the feeling of being transported to a barnyard in Vermont, I think we might have found the best place to pop into on all of Rainey Street.
11. Look into Local Events
Filled with youthful energy, Austin is certainly a contender to be the best “live-events” city in the United States. Most people are familiar with South by Southwest, but there are a variety of other local events throughout the year as well. During our visit (the first weekend of November 2023), it happened to be the Texas Book Festival, one of the largest free and open-to-the-public literary festivals in the country. We attended the festival’s happy hour at Vintage Bookstore and Wine Bar and stayed for the TORCH Literary Arts showcase. The showcase was amazing and the cozy wine bar is definitely worth an additional visit on a less crowded evening. Make sure to look up what events might be taking place while you’re in Austin!
12. 6th Street
Reminiscent of chaotic — yet fun — streets of New Orleans’ French Quarter, bars on 6th flow out into the road. You have practically endless options along East 6th for bar hopping and the atmospheres vary. Ranging from local dives to new-age upscale and hipster haunts, you’ll be able to find whatever vibe your group of friends is looking for. Have a little bit of backyard fun with the games at Inn Cahoots and line your stomach for a night of drinking with some grub from a food truck. Food trucks are a big part of the Austin cuisine scene and you should try at least one during your trip! Please note that some areas near 6th Street can feel a little unsafe. As two ~slightly inebriated~ female travelers, we preferred to Uber home rather than walk to public transport.
13. Tour The Capitol Building
“Everything’s bigger in Texas,” and they’ll certainly tell you that on your tour of the Texas State Capitol Building. Built in 1888, this is the largest capitol building in the country, including the National Capitol in Washington, D.C. Every 30 to 45 minutes daily, they offer free tours, or you can take a self-guided tour as well. We appreciated the group tour as it was only about 30 minutes long and gave you a lot of information that you might otherwise miss. Learn about the baby photos of senate members’ families in the chamber, how they have to move a LOT of portraits each time there is a new governor, the historical battles in paintings around the building, and the sheer weight of the door hinges!
14. Bullock Texas State History Museum
If you want to get a bit more in-depth with Texas’ history, head to the Bullock Texas State History Museum. From tribal communities, to sunken Spanish ships, to the battle of the Alamo, striking oil, the World’s Fair, cattle ranching, cowboys in Hollywood, and modern Texas, you can spend hours here without getting bored! The exhibitions are laid out amongst several floors and you progress through Texas’ history as you explore. There is also an IMAX theater and temporary exhibits. During my visit in November 2023, there was a shark exhibition that was worth the price of admission alone.
15. Tyson’s Tacos
Originally recommended by our Airbnb host, Tyson’s Tacos became a staple of our trip to Austin (we may or may not have eaten there daily). Although it’s further north in the Hyde Park neighborhood, this taco stand is worth a visit. With a neon sign and patio covered in stickers — complete with a disco ball — Tyson’s Tacos serves low-key fare with a vintage flair. What else is vintage? The pricing! You can order your tacos a la carte and even get local beers and ciders for under $3 a can!
Honorable Mentions
If you’ve read any of my previous blogs, you’ll know that I’m a big coffee fan, so for me to have a list of the top places to go in a city and NOT include a coffee shop is an anomaly. That being said, I loved the pumpkin spice latte from Flightpath Coffeehouse and the house-crafted chai from Cenote. The atmosphere of both of these shops was “hipster-chic” and they’re clearly hotspots for locals. I loved the paintings hanging from the ceiling at Flightpath and the fact Cenote kept its house-turned-cafe vibe still very homey. The reason both of these fall under “honorable mentions” is that they are quite out of the way of where you’ll likely spend most of your time in Austin and may not be worth the trip if you don’t have a car.
Two more honorable mentions are the Museum of the Weird and the Blanton Museum of Art. We didn’t have time to explore these ourselves as other must-sees on our list won out. Therefore, we cannot vouch for them, but they do look intriguing and have good reviews on Yelp! You can enjoy some of the outdoor art structures at Blanton for free when visiting the adjacent Bullock Texas State History Museum.
Additional Practical Points
Austin, Texas is a relatively affordable city to visit, especially if you utilize public transport. You should download the CapMetro app to pre-buy your bus passes and check routes. Each ride is $1.75 and the app will cap you at a $2.50 charge per day. The bus schedule wasn’t always the most reliable and I found it easier to use Google Maps to track in real-time. Local Uber rates were affordable as well.
If you’re staying in an Airbnb (we stayed at this one in Hyde Park and found it to be a lovely home-away-from-home in a safe neighborhood) and looking for luggage storage at the beginning or end of your trip, you can drop your bags at the Austin Visitor’s Center for the day for $8 per bag.
As mentioned, we spent a long weekend in Austin, but if you were looking to extend your trip, drive just over an hour to San Antonio, Texas. Check out our post on what to do in San Antonio HERE.
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