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VISIT AUSTIN

The City Austin, Texas

Getting Around Austin

Arts & Culture

THE CITY AUSTIN, TEXAS

Are you visiting Austin for the first time? 

Here are top things to do to enjoy your trip experience in this vibrant city!

  • Listen to Live Music: Austin is the Live Music Capital of the World, and has more than 250 live music venues. Explore the many iconic music venues such as The Saxon Pub, Hotel Vegas, The Elephant Room and the White Horse.
  • Eat Barbecue and Tex-Mex: Austin is known for its legendary barbecue, Tex-Mex and farm-to-table cuisine! You can find Austin’s Best BBQ at Franklin Barbecue, Sam’s Bar-B-Que, Loro, Terry Black’s Barbecue and the list goes on. Unique food trucks are all over town. Vegetarian and vegan restaurants are also available in town.
  • Enjoy a Cocktail with Local Spirits, Hill Country Wine or Craft Beer: Visit the grapevines, the local craft breweries and the scenic Hill Country wine trail. 
  • Get Outdoors: Austin is known for its immense variety of trails to walk, hike, run or bike. You can easily access the Ann and Roy Butler Hike & Bike Trail at Lady Bird Lake from downtown. Explore the 800+ acre Barton Creek Greenbelt and take a dip in the refreshing natural springs.
  • Experience the Famous Bat Bridge in the heart of Downtown Austin: Experience the magnificent nightly bat watching right as the sun sets over Lady Bird Lake. For an on the water experience, consider taking a bat tour boat cruise withLone Star Riverboat or Capital Cruises.
  • Visit A Film Location: Austin was recently named by Moviemaker magazine as one of the “Best Places to Live and Work as a Moviemaker.” Film buffs should visit locations from movies and shows filmed in Austin including Boyhood, Dazed and Confused and Friday Night Lights. 
  • Take a City Tour: Sign up for a guided city tour to learn more about the state capitol of Texas. Enjoy Austin Duck Adventures or have a Downtown Walking Tour with expereinced guides. Find out more about Austin Tours and Sightseeing. 

GETTING AROUND AUSTIN

  • Capital Metro Bus Line 
    Austin is serviced by multiple local bus routes, limited stop/flyer routes, express routes, and University of Texas shuttle routes. Download the CapMetro App for comprehensive maps and details.
  • MetroRail
    It stretches all the way from the city of Leander to downtown Austin next to the Convention Center. MetroRail provides $1-$2.75 trips. Services run six days a week until around 7, and until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.
  • Taxi/Ride-hailing
    Get on-demand rides any time of day and find deals on local cabs and ride-hailing options with the Austin Insider Deals program.
  • Shuttles 
    SuperShuttle is one of the leading airport shuttle services. For a VIP experience, try their private black car service ExecuCar. Learn more about additional shuttle, limousine and charter services here.
  • Rent a Bike
    On-the-go bike rentals from Austin B-cycle are available to use at more than 40 stations located throughout the city. Also available are a number bike shops that offer hourly and daily rentals. Maps and bike routes can be found here.
  • Pedicab
    These carts pulled by local cyclists can be found all throughout Austin. Each driver is licensed by the City of Austin Ground Transportation Department and work solely on tips.

ARTS & CULTURE

Art is part of Austin’s soul and creative spirit. The city is an epicenter of creativity, with a vibrant cultural arts scenes. 

Austin is not only home to some world-class museums like the Blanton, with the nation’s largest University-owned collection on exhibit, and the Harry Ransom Center, featuring the First Photograph and Gutenberg Bible, it is also home to plenty of artists themselves. You can explore the work of designers, painters, sculptors, writers, photographers, filmmakers, dancers and musicians in Austin, at any time of year, any day of the week, in a variety of venues.

Get yourself surrounded by art at Big Medium’s East or West Austin Studio Tours and check out galleries, like the Contemporary at the Jones Center, which feature new and established artists. Visit museums dedicated to the diverse cultural heritage, such as the Mexic-Arte Museum and the Carver Museum and the Bullock Museum. Austin celebrates its eccentricity with the Cathedral of Junk, the Fusebox Festival and many more displays and events around town.

Annual Art Events in June: The Austin African American Book Festival, typically held in June at the George Washington Carver Museum & Library, is a free, annual literary event that showcases new works by and about African-Americans. Don’t miss the author talks, book discussions, and vendor marketplace.

THINGS TO DO IN ATLANTA

Tyrannosaurus-rex skeleton on display at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Science.

Fernbank
Museum of
Natural History

Some of the most eye-catching exhibits at the museum are the huge dinosaur statues at the entrance and the dinosaur skeletons in the Great Hall

Centennial
Olympic Park

The most popular thing to do in Centennial Olympic Park is watching the dancing fountain, with its choreographed program of water spouts and colored lights set to music

Georgia
Aquarium

The world's largest aquarium, it houses more than 100,000 aquatic creatures

Stone
Mountain
Park

One of the most popular places to visit near Atlanta is Stone Mountain Park, 16 miles east of the city center in DeKalb County