What you hear is true. With vibrant entertainment, art and culture, inspiring cuisine and stunning outdoor experiences, Austin lets you create your own soundtrack. So, look around and put the Live Music Capital of the World® on your playlist.
In addition to the 11 ideas below, you can always keep up to date with 50 Cheap & Free Things to Do in Austin, TX and Do 512 Under 21.
1. Wonderspaces
An immersive and interactive art show presenting 17 extraordinary art installations. Open year-round with regular changes to the artwork lineup.
2. Lady Bird Lake
Runs through the edge of downtown Austin and features a full 10.2-mile hike and bike trail along the water. It also serves as home to the Congress Avenue Bridge Bats and several companies offer tours to view the bats by boat and kayak, best seen from March to early fall.
3. South Congress
South Congress, or SoCo, is a lively district south of Lady Bird Lake full of great restaurants, boutiques, vintage shops, and live music venues. The famous "I Love You So Much" mural is found here at Jo's Coffee, and Monkey See Monkey Do is a treasure trove of vintage toys and gifts.
4. Barton Springs
One of the crown jewels of Austin, this pool measures three acres in size and is fed from underground springs with an average temperature of 68-70 degrees, ideal for year-round swimming or simple lounging on the grassy areas. Barton Springs is also home to an endangered Barton Springs Salamander. Located within the 351-acre Zilker Metropolitan Park.
5. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
On 284 acres in the Hill Country, this center boasts many beautiful gardens of Texas native plants, trails, an arboretum, and a savanna meadow where you can learn about karst landscapes. The center has recorded sightings of more than 143 species of birds, 15 species of mammals, and 1,800 species of insects.
6. Street Mural Tour
Across the city, vibrant murals don the walls of buildings, displaying everything from Janis Joplin and Willie Nelson to an enormous golden-cheeked warbler.
7. Hearse Limo Tours
Hop into a hearse that's been converted into a limo or a passenger van wrapped in spooky art to visit historic locations and hear the tales of ghosts that haunt these landmarks. The tour blends scary stories with Austin’s history and deep dives into some intriguing tales behind some of Austin's most iconic buildings.
8. Austin Duck Adventures
The narrated Austin tour is approximately 75 minutes long. It covers Austin highlights, including the State Capital Building, the Governor's Mansion, the University of Texas campus, music-rich Sixth Street, historic Congress Avenue and a 15–20-minute tour of scenic Lake Austin.
9. Blanton Museum
With more than 19,000 works in the permanent collection, the Blanton is known for its European paintings, modern and contemporary American and Latin art, and a wide range of prints and drawings.
10. Capital City Tours
Learn about Texas history while admiring the statehouse and its surrounding grounds. The 60-minute walking tour offers a look at some of the Texas State Capitol’s principal features, along with captivating tales. Get to know about the downtown area of Austin, how it came to be, the significance of different monuments and go inside the capitol.
11. Lake Travis Zipline Adventures
A world-class tour that offers 5 Ziplines where the last three lines are the longest and fastest ziplines in Texas.
