Discover Austin: Live Music, Bats, and Barbecue
Travel guide · editorial"Keep Austin Weird" is printed on T-shirts and bumper stickers – and the Texas capital really is different from the rest of the state: liberal, obsessed with music, and full of green swimming spots. A trip to Austin means live music every night, barbecue worth waiting hours for, and sunsets on Lady Bird Lake. For a city break in spring or fall, the "Live Music Capital of the World" is a wonderful choice.
From Frontier Settlement to Tech Metropolis
In 1839, the young Republic of Texas chose a spot on the Colorado River as its capital and named it after Stephen F. Austin, the "Father of Texas." For a long time, Austin was primarily a seat of government and a university town – the University of Texas, with more than 50,000 students, still shapes the city today. In the 1970s, a unique music scene emerged that blended country, rock, and blues, and the TV show "Austin City Limits" made it famous nationwide. Starting in the 1990s, Dell arrived, followed by Apple, Google, Tesla, and countless startups, so that Austin is now known as "Silicon Hills." Rapid growth has pushed up rents and traffic, but the laid-back spirit has endured.
Sights in Austin
The Texas State Capitol, built of pink granite, stands a few feet taller than the U.S. Capitol in Washington, and the free guided tours are well worth your time. From the Congress Avenue Bridge, you can watch a natural spectacle at dusk between March and October: around 1.5 million bats stream out of the crevices under the bridge, the largest urban bat colony in North America. Lady Bird Lake, a reservoir on the Colorado River, is ringed by a bike and running trail and invites you to go kayaking or stand-up paddleboarding. In Zilker Park you'll find Barton Springs Pool, a spring-fed natural pool with a water temperature of around 68°F year-round. A stroll along South Congress Avenue, with its boutiques, murals, and food trucks, is a must, as is the view over Lake Austin from Mount Bonnell.
Music, Museums, and Nightlife
At night, things get loud: Sixth Street is lined with bars and clubs, Rainey Street draws crowds with bars in old wooden houses, and indie bands play in the Red River Cultural District. The Continental Club on South Congress and the Broken Spoke, a honky-tonk dance hall for two-step nights, are legendary. In March, the South by Southwest festival turns the city into one giant stage for music, film, and technology, followed in the fall by the Austin City Limits Festival in Zilker Park. For culture, head to the Blanton Museum of Art with Ellsworth Kelly's chapel "Austin," the Bullock Texas State History Museum, and the Harry Ransom Center, which houses a Gutenberg Bible and the world's first photograph.
Neighborhoods and Food in Austin
East Austin, once shaped by Hispanic and African American families, is now the neighborhood of breweries, cafés, and food trucks, with plenty of taquerías around East Cesar Chavez and Holly. In the north, Allandale, Brentwood, and Wooten are quiet residential areas with local favorites, while Mueller, on the site of the old airport, is a showcase of modern urban planning. Barbecue is a cult in Austin – Central Texas–style smoked brisket, seasoned with just salt and pepper, which has people lining up for hours at the best-known spots. Breakfast tacos are the city's morning meal, and queso is an essential dip. Restaurants in Austin range from food truck parks to creative Tex-Mex cuisine.
Getting Around, When to Go, and Day Trips
Austin-Bergstrom Airport is about 9 miles southeast of downtown, and buses run to the city center. Downtown, South Congress, and East Austin are easy to reach on foot, by rental bike, or by e-scooter, but you'll need a car for day trips. The best times to visit are spring, when the bluebonnets bloom, and fall; in summer, temperatures often climb above 95°F. Worthwhile day trips lead into the Hill Country with its wineries and the German-influenced town of Fredericksburg, to Lockhart, the "Barbecue Capital of Texas," to Hamilton Pool, a swimming grotto with a waterfall, and to San Antonio, a little over an hour's drive south.