Austin Tourist Traps

Just wanted to be more specific on 6th street to counteract what the other people have said....There is east and west 6th street. The east side is a little more...trashy--where you will find the younger crowd...the west side is nicer and you will find older people--who havent just turned 21 years old. 6th street is NOT overrated and is NOT a waste of time...the only reason it would be a waste of time is if you don't drink...in that case, go there in the afternoon for lunch, its still (to me) fun to drive through/walk/and sit at a table outside and people watch...

Somone will try to drag you here to watch the Sunset.

http://www.oasis-austin.com/

Overpriced drinks, bad food, and long drive.

Unique Suggestions: Enjoy the sunset.

Fun Alternatives: Go to Mt Bonnell instead. Then have a beer at dry creek saloon.

If you are older than 20 years old-maybe 6th street isn't for you, unless you like silly, immature girls who tend to barf all over themselves by 10 pm, dirty streets, mediocre bands and thugs. 5th street is far more trendy with better clubs and restaraunts.

Unique Suggestions: A walk down 6th street is okay-just to windowshop. Head to 5th for a true Austin experience.

Go to 6th street if you are 22-23 and under. You will stick out like a sore thumb if you are over 30 on 6th street. In response to the other tip about the uncertainty of whether its true that you get free shots on your 21st birthday...Yes this is true.. be prepared to show your id, and be prepared for a very nasty night ;)

Warehouse district is for anyone over 23... these are the bars on 5th and 4th street mostly west of Congress. Drinks are slightly more expensive.. but at least your feet don't stick to the ground from the gallons of alcohol spilled in bars on 6th. The crowd is still young enough and attractive. I remember when I went to UT, we would go down to 4th and 5th whenever it was a big night or somehow one of us broke rich for the night. So you'll get a mix of college students who come for a more sophisticated night out... all the way up to people in there early 40s. Recently, there's been a growing number of trendy NYC style lounges, but you can still find your more typical down-to-earth Austin bars.

i know it's been mentioned, but really... 6th street is just a lot of bars that a lot of fraternity/sorority girls think is the bees knees.
it's not...
it's a lot of underaged kids and just turned 21 girls and boys pushing their way through bachelorette parties.
if you want to get a drink, and enjoy yourself... go up or down a few street numbers... or just go somewhere else completely.

Unique Suggestions: don't forget yoru credit cards. a lot of places will charge you "18%" or similar if you leave a tab open and come back the next day.

Fun Alternatives: hole in the wall, ego's, trophy's... there's plenty o' places that are far more enjoyable.

I wouldn't necessarily call this a Tourist Trap, but I wanted to put this tip under this title to make sure you do not waste all your time in Austin here. Although this is really an impressive building, you may spend more time walking around it then actually seeing the real town! This is just your run of a mill convention center, so go enjoy 6th St instead!

Unique Suggestions: http://www.austinconventioncenter.com/MainPage/index.htm

Fun Alternatives: 6th St, Zilker Park, Bob Bullock's Museum, etc.

The capitol in Austin is absolutely gorgeous. You can tell that Texas has spent a lot of money restoring it. It is like a palace!

I reccomend that everyone see it. It doesn't take too long. You are free to walk around or go with a tour. Its free too. They also have some good literature with pictures in the lobby.

The only thing I can say that might annoy some people are the kids there. Be prepared to share the building with a bunch of young kids on a field trip.

Unique Suggestions: GO!

Fun Alternatives: Make sure that you walk around the grounds too. A lot of the buildings are behind the capitol. The capitol is lovely, and the grounds are too.

There are a lot of clothings stores on Guadalupe Avenue adjacent to the university. A number of these stores remind me of urban outfitters. They sell retro semi-recycled clothing. There is also a skater/ surf shop.
This area was ok to look around in but I can't see myself buying anything.

However, the UT co-op was a cool store. They have UT everything under the sun.

There are tons of homeless young people hanging out around there. (Gutter punk type)

Unique Suggestions: If you love to go shopping, I don't think you will be so thrilled with these stores. At least I wasn't.

Fun Alternatives: South Congress shopping is a little more interesting. There is a crazy costume store, boutiques, boot shop, and a thrift store. While I was shopping around I found a real Channel bag in good condition for $80!

However, the shops on South Congress are very expensive. (As all boutiques are.)