The Top 10 Things to Do in Austin

Our Local Expert Says:

Simply the best place to be on a hot summer day. Cool water, shade trees and guitar-playing hipsters.

Description:

The water in Barton Springs swimming pool hovers around 68 degrees year-round, which means that it feels cool -- even cold -- in the heat of summer. It feels relatively warm in winter, though, and a few rugged souls swim there every morning, regardless of the weather. If you're more into lounging than exercise, there's a part of the massive pool dedicated to floats and floaters. On the hillsides surrounding the pool, you will see a snapshot of Austin culture. There's usually a group of twentysomethings kicking around a hacky-sack ball, a sixtyish man doing yoga, and (kid warning) a woman of indeterminate age without her top. Occasionally, a drum circle forms at the top of the hill. Guitars are almost as common as smart phones. On summer days when the temperature can soar above 100 degrees, this is the only reasonable place to be.

Description:

As the principal art museum in the Austin metropolitan area, the Jack S. Blanton Museum of Art has a massive collection featuring more than 17,000 works, including modern and contemporary American and Latin American art, as well as 15th century to contemporary prints and drawings. Situated on the southeastern corner of the University of Texas campus, adjacent to the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum and within walking distance of the Texas State Capitol, the Blanton building itself embodies the clean lines of modern art with its simple granite and limestone facade, white walls and crisp interior angles. Plan a multi-day visit, if possible. With 124,000 square feet of space, the museum can't be fully explored in one day. Along with the established collections and touring exhibits, the museum also organizes lectures, gallery talks, concerts, workshops and the ever popular B Scene, a monthly evening of mingling, cocktails and musical entertainment among the art.

Our Local Expert Says:

Before beginning your tour of the three levels of the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum, purchase your tickets for the popular IMAX Theater. Six shows run at any one time so the lines can get long just before the show.

Description:

With a grand facade that includes a 35-foot-tall bronze star, the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum is hard to miss. The three-story museum, open since 2001, turns the fascinating and sometimes sordid history of the state into imaginative interactive exhibits for the enjoyment of all ages. Meet the state's first occupants on the first floor, hear Stephen F. Austin announce the Texas Revolution on the second and peruse the third level for an understanding of how big business -- mostly cotton, cattle, and oil -- has played a part in the making of the Lone Star State. Located just south of the University of Texas campus, a stone's throw from the Jack S. Blanton Museum of Art and a short walk from the Texas State Capitol, the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum also features Austin's only IMAX theater as well as the Spirit Theater, a 200-seat multimedia special effects theater with history-based shows.

Our Local Expert Says:

Though the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is worthwhile year-round, consider visiting in late March or early April when the blooms are at their peak.

Description:

While many may remember that Lady Bird Johnson was the First Lady who championed the planting of wildflowers along highways, Texans know her as an all-around environmental advocate. Her passion was not only for wildflowers but native plants of all kinds. So it's fitting that the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is both a showplace for beautiful plants and a botanical research center. The public botanical garden introduces visitors to the beauty of wildflowers and other native plants and natural landscapes through experience and education. Stroll through the 16 distinct gardens, the Ann and O.J. Weber Butterfly Garden, the sprawling South Meadow, or relax along the Erma Lowe Hill Country Stream. Knowledgeable docents explain the many roles of indigenous plants, as well as conservation techniques such as controlled burning and invasive species removal. For a more in-depth look at the former First Lady and her husband, visit the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum on the University of Texas at Austin campus.

Our Local Expert Says:

On occasion, this old-fashioned train offers specialty trips, including annual Christmastime trips on the Polar Express. Tickets go quickly for these particular rides, so be sure to plan ahead.

Description:

For an enjoyable afternoon, take a scenic journey on this Central Texas vintage steam train. Traveling deep through the Hill Country, this excursion is a must-see for any train buff. Wander through small Texas towns and view the beauty of an era gone by, all while enjoying a relaxing trip in an old-time rail car.

Description:

One part vaudeville and one part stinging political/social satire, this place has amused and delighted its guests, as well as the pedestrians who pass by its front-stage windows and observe its goings-on, since the late 1970s. A troupe of multi-talented performers write, act, sing and dance their way across a broad comedic map that pokes fun at our elected officials, celebrity icons, and regular citizens, and the material is constantly being updated. It is not all for laughs, though; a magical act comes on a couple of times per show to startle and captivate your senses. This is a true downtown institution.

Our Local Expert Says:

The University of Texas Tower has seen tragedy and triumph. Take a guided tour to get the full story.

Description:

Soaring 28 stories and 307 feet into the sky above the University of Texas campus, the University of Texas Tower is the campus' most easily recognizable landmark. A few miles north of downtown, the tower remains one of the tallest buildings in the campus area, and it's on top of a large hill, so it's viewable from many vantage points around town. Since its debut in 1937, the structure has served as the main building of the UT campus. The observation deck just below the clock tower was closed for several years after a gunman, Charles Whitman, went on a shooting spree from the tower in August 1966. Now, observation deck tours are available by reservation, and visitors can enjoy sweeping views of the cityscape. The Texas State Capitol, Mount Bonnell and other Austin landmarks are easily visible from this height. The tower is normally illuminated with a white light at night, but after athletic victories and other achievements, the tower lights turn burnt-orange, the official school color.

Description:

After being sealed for over 10,000 years, this cave was discovered in 1963 when a group of workers were digging to build a highway overpass. Daily tours are available and last just over an hour. The cave stays a comfortable 72 degrees Farenheit year-round, and features not only beautiful rock formations but also the remains of prehistoric mastodons, saber-tooth cats and other ice age animals. After your tour, enjoy the shaded picnic area with a playscape for children. Its located 24 miles north of Austin on IH 35, exit 259.

Description:

Enjoy a hill country setting in a family environment. This privately owned home originally started with a small selection of farm animals and has now grown into a wild animal sanctuary and zoo. See Bengal tigers, lemurs, a butterfly garden and more! The picnic areas are perfect for a birthday party or company event.

Description:

If you favor activities that are likely to keep you from sleeping, these tours are for you. Not only are the various outings held in the evening, but they're all concerned with ghouls. The Ghosts of Austin Downtown Walking Tour explores the stories of those that even death couldn't separate from downtown, while the tavern-crawl Haunted Sixth Street Tour capitalizes on the spirits that liked their spirits (and visitors who like both the spectral and the alcoholic manifestations). Austin Ghost Tours has also teamed up with the Austin Museum of Art for a special 90-minute Haunted History Walking Tour, featuring the museum exhibit "The Disembodied Spirit," the Wooten building, the Old Miller Opera House, and the Capitol. A variety of other tours are available as well, so be sure to check the website, and then call ahead to make the required reservations.