20 Best Things to Do in Austin

Barton Springs Pool — the 68°F spring-fed pool inside Zilker Park; go early morning or dusk to skip the crowds.

The Congress Avenue Bridge bat colony — 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats fly out at sunset from March to early November; watch from the Statesman Bat Observation Center lawn.

Lady Bird Lake trail loop — 10 miles paved around the lake; rent a kayak or SUP at Rowing Dock; the shortest 4-mile loop is the sunrise classic.

The Texas State Capitol — free 45-minute guided tour of the tallest state capitol in the US.

The LBJ Presidential Library on the UT campus — an underrated 2-hour visit; the Oval Office replica alone is worth it.

South Congress (SoCo): vintage boots at Allens, breakfast tacos at Veracruz, cocktails at Hotel San José. The most photographed strip in the city.

East Austin: taco crawl (Nixta, Cuantos, Suerte), coffee at Cenote, a live show at Hotel Vegas or the White Horse for two-stepping.

Rainey Street: converted 1900s bungalows into cocktail bars — Half Step, Craft Pride, Container Bar. Loud on weekends.

South Lamar / Zilker: Loro (Uchi + Franklin BBQ collaboration), Odd Duck, Barley Swine — some of the best restaurants in Texas.

The Domain (North Austin): if you want a shopping-and-dining afternoon in AC rather than the summer heat.

Fredericksburg (1.5 hours west): German-Texan winery country; 60+ wineries on Highway 290. Do it as a driver-included tour rather than DIY.

Hamilton Pool Preserve (45 minutes west): collapsed grotto with a waterfall — reserve entry online 30 days ahead; jade-green in winter, brown by summer heat.

Waco (1.5 hours north): Magnolia Market at the Silos and Chip & Joanna Gaines' downtown revival, plus Dr Pepper Museum.

San Antonio (1.25 hours south): the River Walk, the Alamo and the four other Spanish missions — a full day.

New Braunfels + Gruene (45 minutes south): Schlitterbahn waterpark in summer; Gruene Hall (1878) for live country music.

Franklin Barbecue — arrive by 9am for the 11am opening or use the reservation system for large parties.

Uchi or Uchiko tasting menu — Austin's benchmark Japanese; 4-6 weeks ahead.

Hamilton Pool Preserve timed entry — 30 days ahead, sold out most summer weekends by 9am the day tickets release.

A Congress Avenue Bridge bat-viewing kayak or SUP tour — from March to early November; sunset slots go first.

A pre-booked airport transfer from AUS — $35-$65 fixed, easier than surge-priced rideshare on SXSW / ACL Fest weekends.

Live music: Continental Club (SoCo), Antone's (Downtown), the Broken Spoke (South Lamar for old-school two-stepping), Mohawk (Red River), Stubb's Bar-B-Q (bigger acts).

Breakfast tacos: Veracruz All Natural (multiple), Tacodeli, Joe's Bakery, Nixta Taqueria.

Barbecue beyond Franklin: LeRoy and Lewis, la Barbecue, Terry Black's, Interstellar BBQ.

Coffee: Cuvée, Third Coast Coffee, Fleet Coffee, Greater Goods Coffee.