Austin Travel Guide

  WOW!
by Rich62
 
  • WOW!
      WOW!
    by Rich62
  •   Austin
    by butterfly_girl
  •   Austin
    by Mette-DK
  • Texas State Capitol
      Texas State Capitol
    by alvi21
  • 6th St. during SXSW
      6th St. during SXSW
    by msbrandysue
 

Pro

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 Live Music, the Bats, Willie, Texas weather, Hill Country 


Con

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 No major change in seasons 


In a nutshell

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 Great city for young professional singles and college kids 

 

Explore Austin

Things to Do  

Capitol

Capitol, Austin

 33 Reviews  Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1986 for its "significant contribution to American history," the Texas Capitol is an impressive example of late 19th century public architecture. The largest in gross square footage of all state capitols, it is second in total size only to the National... 

Zilker Park

Zilker Park, Austin

 8 Reviews  ACL ROCKS! If you can make it to Austin for either ACL (Sept.) or SXSW (March), you'll have a wonderful oppurtunity to see some great up and coming bands. This year I got to see Modest Mouse, The Killers, Franz Ferdinand, Ryan Adams, Sheryl Crow, Howie Day, The Pixies, G. Love and Special Sauce,... 

Congress Bridge

Congress Bridge, Austin

 27 Reviews  In the spring, thousands of bats remigrate to Austin and live for the summer under the Congress bridge. And in the spring, thousands of tourists migrate UNDERNEATH the bridge to watch the nightly flight of the bats. While it's not the most exciting thing to do, it makes for great pictures, you meet... 

Mount Bonnell

Mount Bonnell, Austin

 10 Reviews  Yes a mountain in Texas. This place is beautiful. My husband and I are sure to make this a stop every year. We always go to Whole Foods, get some food from their deli, and head to Mt Bonnell for a picnic. There is a look out area, after you climb the never ending stairs, that is perfect to eat and... 

Barton Springs

Barton Springs, Austin

 10 Reviews  I try and make a trip to Barton Springs every time i'm in Austin. The water stays at a year round 72 degrees because the natural spring which feeds the pool. I use the term "pool" very broadly when describing the spring. Diving board is fun. Always amazed by the beautiful people i see. Completely... 

6th Street

6th Street, Austin

 6 Reviews  Everyone kept saying "6th Street". What they dont tell you is that its loaded with college kids. The more mature upscale crowd Jazz venues, bars were off 3rd through 5th, Colorado St and Congress St. The concierge told me the West End side of 6th street is upscale and mature crowd too. I didnt make... 

LBJ Presidential Library

LBJ Presidential Library, Austin

 17 Reviews  I loved my visit to the LBJ Museum and I highly recommend that you visit it as well. The displays/collections were all well thought of and tasteful and moving and insightful. I loved the replica they did of the White House during LBJ’s tenure and the gallery on his wife. Visiting the museum and was... 

University of Texas

University of Texas, Austin

 13 Reviews  The Clock Tower on the campus of the University of Texas has been the school's signature structure since it was completed in 1937. At 301 feet, the 27-floor Tower is six feet taller than the Texas Capitol and can be seen from almost any location in Austin. It is a loved and enduring symbol of... 

Hamilton Pool

Hamilton Pool, Austin

 3 Reviews  Beautiful Hamilton Pool lies about 25 miles west of Austin off Highway 71. It is a hidden oasis and the closest Austin comes to looking like Hawaii. The aqua blue pool is in a canyon feed by a 45-foot waterfall. When the weather is nice you can go for a swim in the inviting waters or just relax on... 

Bob Bullock museum

Bob Bullock museum, Austin

 9 Reviews  UPDATE: We traveled to Austin recently (Aug. 2008) to discover that the admission was waived during Wells Fargo First Saturdays (held 2-6pm on the first Saturday of each month) AND for Music Under the Stars* (from 6-9pm on the first Friday of each month during the summer). It's no coincidence this... 

Riverboat & Tour

Riverboat & Tour, Austin

 6 Reviews  This is a boat tour of Lady Bird Lake in Austin (used to be called Town Lake). The website describes what appears to be a nice tour, but our experience was far from it. The trip was short, expensive, and the service was terrible. Once we paid, we were just a number to these guys. Terrible... 

Lake Travis

Lake Travis, Austin

 3 Reviews  Every Summer, there is always someone you know, or someone you know who knows someone else, who will throw a party on a party barge out at Lake Travis. The party barge usually ends up at Devil's Cove where it will dock for hours, and you can swim, drink, and mingle around with other folks who got... 

Hotels  

Four Seasons Austin

 4 Reviews and 651 Opinions  We decided to stay at the Four Seasons to celebrate a special achievement, but didn't want to go to... 

Lake Austin Spa Resort

 1 Review and 125 Opinions  Perched next to Lake Austin, this is a first class spa resort that is without rival. The grounds and... 

Restaurants  

Hula Hut

Hula Hut, Austin

 8 Reviews  You can hear murmuring sounds from the street. Gets crowded by 6pm and expect a long line of people waiting to be seated at the door by 7pm. I had Shrimp Quesadillas and this mind blowing dessert. Great hang out place. Loved the food. Service was satisfactory even with a large... 

Oasis

Oasis, Austin

 9 Reviews  Definitely come here for the view, but not for the food. This restaurant is huge, 3+ levels on a mountain side overlooking Lake Travis. Because this place is so big, there's hardly ever a wait for a table. It's great to sit outside with a margarita and enjoy the view. My fish tacos weren't bad and... 

Nightlife  

6th Street

6th Street, Austin

 38 Reviews  Cheer's Shot Bar is right in the middle of 6th St. It has great bartenders, waitresses, and crowd. There is a bar and tables when you first walk in but if you keep walking there is a two story courtyard (and two more bars). When we went they had live music on the second floor. There was a waitress... 

4th Street

4th Street, Austin

 10 Reviews  This is one of my bestfriends and my favorite spot to go one the weekends. The crowds are a bit older and it's not so crowded. It's a great place to end the night. And if you're lucky you can sit in one of the huge swinging balls. I'd order a dirty martini.. they make em right. No tennis shoes 

Off The Beaten Path  

Lakes & Water

Lakes & Water, Austin

 16 Reviews  Just about 10 miles south of Austin you'll find the beautiful crystal clear river in San Marcos "Rio Vista Falls" Because it is spring fed it has a constant year round water temperature of about 76 degrees. Recently redeveloped by a kayaker enthusiast. There are now three falls and a nice grassy... 

Parks & Hiking

Parks & Hiking, Austin

 19 Reviews  Located 32 miles west of Austin in the Blanco country, this is a perfect park to go hiking through its 20miles of trails. Take the US290 west and then North on FM3232. Entrance is about 5$ a day. More details and a map are available from their website. 

Favorites  

Capitol

Capitol, Austin

 21 Reviews  Like all Southern States, Texas is justly proud of the men from the Lone Star State who paid the ultimate sacrifice in defending their homeland against the invading Federal armies during the War for Southern Independence. The inscription on the Confederate Monument in front of the State Capitol... 

Music

Music, Austin

 6 Reviews  He is considered as the best world guitar player. In France, at the same date, the world best guitar player was Sacha Distel. He contributed to make Austin the World capital of the livemusic. He died young in an aircrash. We bought some records of his music because he is not known in France. His... 

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