
7 Best Things to Do in Austin
What is Austin Most Famous For?
The dizzying array of things to do in Austin means that, even in a place as unique and remarkable as Texas, the state capital stands out as a thrilling destination. Austin is known for outstanding food, great live music venues, and its general weirdness. The city is rapidly rising in popularity as a place to live and visit, thanks to a fantastic culture and friendly locals.
There are few remarkable landmarks in Austin. However, the experiences you can have and the memories you can make puts the city firmly on the bucket lists of many travelers. To help you get the most out of your visit, we’ve picked out the must-see things to do in Austin.
What are the best things to do in Austin?
Texas Capitol
See the history of the Lone Star State

- History
- Budget
- Photo
They say that everything’s bigger in Texas, and they’re not wrong. The golden dome of the Texas State Capitol is about 22 feet taller than the dome of the Capitol Building in Washington DC. Built in 1885 in an Italian Renaissance Revival style, the imposing building is in the middle of a lovely 22-acre park, which also contains a number of statues and monuments. You can take a 30-minute guided tour of the building for free, which details the history of Texas and the state’s legislature.
Location: 1100 Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78701, USA
Open: Monday–Friday from 7 am to 10 pm, Saturday–Sunday from 9 am to 8 pm
Phone: +1 512-463-4630
Zilker Park
Bring a picnic and your swimsuit

- Couples
- Families
- Budget
- Photo
The 351-acre Zilker Park is packed with fun things to do. There are beautiful picnic sites, playgrounds, volleyball courts, botanical gardens, an outdoor theater and a nature center. The star attraction, however, is the Barton Springs Pool. Formed by natural springs and spanning 3 acres, the water here is at a constant temperature of about 68°F throughout the year. It’s a popular place for Austinites to relax and cool off in summer. Zilker Park is south of the Colorado River from downtown Austin.
Location: 2100 Barton Springs Rd, Austin, TX 78704, USA
Open: Daily from 5 am to 10 pm
Phone: +1 512-974-6700
photo by Wordandgesture (CC BY-SA 3.0) modified
Bullock Texas State History Museum
Learn about Texas through interactive exhibits

- Families
- History
The Bullock Texas State History Museum was designed to tell “the Story of Texas”, and does so across 3 floors of interactive exhibits. Each floor has a different theme, coving the Texan land and identity. The star attraction is the 400-seat IMAX theatre, which shows new and classic movies. Be sure to check out the original NASA Mission Control consoles and oil field drill bits on the 3rd floor. Head to the Story of Texas Café for local comfort food and snacks.
Location: 1800 Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78701, USA
Open: Monday–Saturday from 9 am to 5 pm, Sunday from noon to 5 pm
Phone: +1 512-936-8746
photo by LoneStarMike (CC BY-SA 3.0) modified
Congress Avenue Bridge
Watch over 1 million bats take flight at dusk

- Budget
- Photo
About 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats roost under the Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge, making it among the largest urban bat colonies in the world. Come to the bridge at dusk to see them all take to the sky to feed. You can watch from on the bridge or the nearby riverbanks and there are even boat tours that provide a unique perspective. It’s quite a dramatic sight and a real must-see for Austin.
Location: Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78704, USA
photo by Stuart Seeger (CC BY 2.0) modified
Holly
A trendy neighborhood with Latino influences

- Food
- Budget
Once mostly a Latino area of Austin, Holly has become one of the trendier parts of the city. It’s a fun alternate nightlife destination and contains a number of great coffee shops, food trucks and restaurants. The northern part of the area, along East 7th Street, has an industrial and commercial feel to it, with a couple of small shopping malls. Possibly the area’s star attraction is Juan in a Million, a restaurant on East Cesar Chavez Street. The breakfast tacos there are legendary.
photo by Steve Snodgrass (CC BY 2.0) modified
The Continental Club
A legendary venue in the live music capital of the world

- Nightlife
- Couples
Austin is known as the live music capital of the world, and The Continental Club is the live music capital of Austin. The iconic venue on South Congress Avenue opened its doors in 1955 and has since welcomed legends like Robert Plant and Wanda Jackson. It’s quite a modest place with a small stage, but its reputation is massive and it still hosts great roots, rock, country, swing, blues and rockabilly acts every night.
Location: 1315 S Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78704, USA
Open: Monday from 6 pm to 2 am, Tuesday–Friday from 4 pm to 2 am, Saturday–Sunday from 3 pm to 2 am
Phone: +1 512-441-2444
photo by Tangledupinbleu chs (CC BY-SA 4.0) modified
Dirty Sixth
Half a mile of clubs, bars and regrets

Sixth Street between Congress and Interstate 35 is locally known as Dirty Sixth. Lined with bars and clubs, it has a reputation for being the place where drunken mistakes are made most evenings. Even so, it’s one of those things to do in Austin that you've just got to try, even if it’s just once. Coyote Ugly is particular popular with the local students, so expect wild parties. For something more sophisticated, Midnight Cowboy is a reservation-only lounge. Go to Esther’s Follies if you want a laugh – it’s an excellent comedy club.
photo by Charlie Llewellin (CC BY-SA 2.0) modified
Keep exploring
Texas
United States of America
- Albuquerque
- Amelia Island
- Anaheim
- Anna Maria Island
- Arlington
- Asheville
- Atlanta
- Atlantic City
- Austin
- Baltimore
- Bar Harbor
- Bend
- Big Bear Lake
- Biloxi
- Boston
- Branson
- Broken Bow
- Buffalo
- Cannon Beach
- Cape Canaveral
- Cape Cod
- Cape May
- Carlsbad
- Catalina Island
- Charleston
- Charlotte
- Chattanooga
- Chicago
- Cincinnati
- Clearwater
- Cleveland
- Colorado Springs
- Columbus
- Corpus Christi
- Dallas
- Daytona Beach
- Denver
- Destin
- Detroit
- Door County
- Estes Park
- Flagstaff
- Florida Keys
- Fort Lauderdale
- Fort Walton Beach
- Fort Worth
- Galveston
- Gatlinburg
- Gulf Shores
- Hamptons
- Hawaii Island
- Helen
- Hilton Head Island
- Honolulu
- Houston
- Indianapolis
- Islamorada
- Jacksonville
- Jekyll Island
- Jersey Shore
- Kansas City
- Kauai
- Key West
- Kissimmee
- Laguna Beach
- Lake Charles
- Lake Geneva
- Lake George
- Lake Placid
- Las Vegas
- Laughlin
- Lincoln City
- Long Beach
- Long Beach Island
- Los Angeles
- Louisville
- Mackinac Island
- Mackinaw City
- Malibu
- Mammoth Lakes
- Martha's Vineyard
- Maui
- Memphis
- Miami
- Milwaukee
- Minneapolis
- Montauk
- Monterey
- Montville
- Myrtle Beach
- Napa
- Naples
- Nashville
- New Orleans
- New Shoreham
- New York
- Oahu
- Ocean City
- Oklahoma City
- Orange County
- Orlando
- Outer Banks
- Palm Springs
- Panama City
- Panama City Beach
- Pensacola
- Philadelphia
- Phoenix
- Pigeon Forge
- Pismo Beach
- Pittsburgh
- Pocono Mountains
- Port Aransas
- Portland
- Rehoboth Beach
- Reno
- Ruidoso
- Sacramento
- Salt Lake City
- San Antonio
- San Diego
- San Francisco
- San Jose
- San Luis Obispo
- Sandusky
- Sanibel
- Sanibel Captiva Island
- Santa Barbara
- Santa Cruz
- Santa Fe
- Santa Monica
- Sarasota
- Savannah
- Scottsdale
- Seaside
- Seattle
- Sedona
- South Lake Tahoe
- South Padre Island
- St. Augustine
- St. Louis
- St. Petersburg
- St. Petersburg - Clearwater (and vicinity)
- Tahoe City
- Tampa
- Traverse City
- Tybee Island
- Virginia Beach
- Washington
- Wildwood
- Williamsburg
- Wisconsin Dells
- Yellowstone National Park
- Yosemite National Park
- Zion National Park
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming