Things to Do in Austin Beyond Live Music, BBQ & the Bar Scene

Austin calls itself the Live Music Capital of the World, and on any given night there are over 250 venues proving the point. But the music is just the opening act. The Texas Hill Country starts about 30 minutes west of the city, with swimming holes, ranch roads, and wineries that would justify a trip on their own. The Austin food scene goes deeper than BBQ (though the BBQ alone would justify the trip), East Austin has become one of the more interesting restaurant corridors in the South, and Congress Avenue Bridge is home to roughly 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats that emerge at sunset from March through October.

This Austin Texas guide covers what to prioritize, from the neighborhoods most visitors never leave 6th Street to find, to the Hill Country roads that keep riders coming back every year.

What Is Austin Known For?

Austin is the state capital of Texas, home to the University of Texas, and a city whose identity has been shaped by music, food, and a stubborn resistance to conformity. The "Keep Austin Weird" campaign started as a local radio bit in 2000, and while the city has grown fast since then (roughly 35 people move here every day), that independent streak still runs through the neighborhoods, the restaurants, and the way people spend their weekends. The Texas State Capitol is taller than the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. and free to tour, Congress Avenue Bridge hosts the largest urban bat colony in North America, and the Hill Country starting just past the city limits is one of the most scenic stretches of land in the state.

When to Visit Austin and What to Plan Around

If you're wondering what is the best time to visit Austin, the short answer is spring or fall. March and April bring wildflowers across the Austin Hill Country (bluebonnets peak in mid-April), temperatures in the 70s and 80s, and the bat colony under Congress Avenue Bridge starting its nightly flights in late March. SXSW takes over the city in mid-March with higher hotel prices and packed venues for about two weeks, so plan around it if you're not here for the festival. Fall brings comfortable weather, UT football on Saturdays, and the Austin City Limits Music Festival across two weekends in October at Zilker Park.

What's the Best Time to Visit Austin?

Summer is hot and humid, with highs regularly pushing past 100, but that's also when swimming holes and river tubing are at peak popularity, and Barton Springs Pool stays at a constant 68 to 70 degrees year-round, which is how most Austinites survive July and August. Winter is mild compared to the rest of the country, with highs in the 50s and 60s, comfortable enough for hiking and riding without needing to plan around the weather.

Events to Plan Around

How Many Days Do You Need in Austin?

Three days covers the city well, giving you enough time to explore a couple neighborhoods, eat through a solid restaurant list, catch live music, and get outside for a hike or a swim. Five lets you add a day trip to the Hill Country for Fredericksburg, Enchanted Rock, or the Twisted Sisters, which opens up some of the best riding and scenery in Texas. Whether you're putting together a quick weekend Austin travel guide or planning a longer stay, building in at least one Hill Country day makes the trip.

Austin's Neighborhoods

Austin's personality changes block by block, and the best way to experience the city is to spend time in a few different areas rather than planting yourself downtown for the whole trip. These are the areas you'll want to try to hit while you're in Austin:

South Congress (SoCo)

South Congress Avenue runs south from the Colorado River and is probably the most photographed street in Austin. The "I love you so much" mural on the side of Jo's Coffee has been there since 2010, and the strip is lined with vintage shops, boot stores, and restaurants. Walkable, busy on weekends, and a good place to start if it's your first visit.

East Austin

East of I-35 is where the city's food and bar scene has expanded the fastest over the past decade. The stretch along East 6th (not to be confused with Dirty 6th downtown) has quietly become one of the better places to find Austin beyond 6th Street, with cocktail bars, taquerias, and restaurants pulling from Vietnamese, Tex-Mex, and farm-to-table cooking that reflect the neighborhood's diversity.

Rainey Street

A few blocks of converted bungalow homes turned into bars and restaurants, with porches, backyards, and a neighborhood feel that's completely different from the louder 6th Street scene. Craft Pride has one of the best selections of Texas-only craft beer in the city, and Banger's runs a 100+ tap list alongside a sausage menu that goes well past bratwurst.

Downtown and the Red River Cultural District

Dirty 6th (the blocks between Congress and I-35) is the loud, crowded, late-night stretch most visitors hit on their first night, and it's something to experience once, but the live music is better at the Red River venues a few blocks north, where the city's independent scene lives and where Mohawk, Stubb's, and Cheer Up Charlies all sit within a few blocks of each other.

Outdoor Activities and Swimming Holes

Austin has more urban green space than most cities its size, and the outdoor culture is built into how people spend their weekends. Lady Bird Lake runs through the center of the city with a 10-mile hike-and-bike trail, the Barton Creek Greenbelt stretches nearly 13 miles with multiple access points, and within a 30-mile radius you'll find swimming holes and preserves that feel nothing like the city.

Parks and Trails

Zilker Park anchors the outdoor scene with 351 acres in the middle of the city, including access to Barton Springs Pool, the botanical garden, and the hike-and-bike trail along Lady Bird Lake. Barton Springs is spring-fed, stays at 68 to 70 degrees year-round, and costs $9 for non-residents, which makes it one of the few places in Austin where summer heat is actually welcome. Mount Bonnell is a short, steep climb to the highest point in the city, with views of Lake Austin and the Hill Country waiting at the top of 102 steps.

• Zilker Metropolitan Park 351 acres
• Barton Springs Pool Spring-Fed $9 non-residents, 68 - 70°F year-round
• Barton Creek Greenbelt 13 miles
• Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail Lady Bird Lake
• Mount Bonnell 102 Steps
• McKinney Falls State Park State Park
• Red Bud Isle Off-Leash

Swimming Holes

Hamilton Pool Preserve is about 30 miles west of Austin and one of the most photographed swimming holes in the state, a collapsed grotto with a 50-foot waterfall spilling into a jade-green pool. Advance reservations are required and fill up fast during summer, so book ahead. Westcave Outdoor Discovery Center is nearby and another good stop for its guided canyon trail tours and a grotto with a 40-foot waterfall of its own, and Jacob's Well in Wimberley is a natural artesian spring with a 12-foot diving platform that also requires reservations.

On the Water

Lady Bird Lake doesn't allow motorized boats, which keeps it calm enough for kayaking and paddleboarding right in the middle of the city. For tubing, the San Marcos and Guadalupe Rivers are about 45 minutes to an hour south.

• Zilker Park Boat Rentals Lady Bird Lake
• Rowing Dock Lady Bird Lake
• San Marcos River Tubing 45 min south
• Guadalupe River Tubing 1 hr south

The Austin Food Scene

When people think of Austin's food identity, they think of BBQ. Franklin Barbecue is the one everyone knows (show up by 8 AM if you want brisket before it sells out), but the actual Barbecue Capital of Texas is Lockhart, about 45 minutes south, where Black's has been smoking meat since 1932 and Kreuz Market still serves brisket on butcher paper with no sauce and no forks.

Meanwhile, East Austin has grown into one of the strongest restaurant corridors in the South, with Suerte doing wood-fired contemporary Mexican, Nixta Taqueria turning blue corn masa into something you'll think about for weeks, and Loro combining the Franklin and Uchi teams into an Asian smokehouse that shouldn't work as well as it does.

Restaurants

• Franklin Barbecue East Austin Line forms by 8 AM
• Suerte East Austin
• Nixta Taqueria East Austin
• Uchi South Lamar
• Emmer & Rye Rainey Street
• Launderette East Austin
• Odd Duck South Lamar
• Loro South Lamar
• Fonda San Miguel North Central
• Veracruz All Natural Multiple locations
• Terry Black's Barbecue South Congress
• la Barbecue East Austin
• Torchy's Tacos Multiple locations
• Dai Due East Austin

Coffee and Breakfast

• Jo's Coffee South Congress
• Flitch Coffee Coffee
• Merit Coffee Coffee
• Paperboy East Austin
• Bouldin Creek Café South First
• Juan in a Million East Austin

Breweries

Austin has over 50 breweries, and the best of them feel like full-day destinations with food, patios, and live music. Jester King in Dripping Springs brews farmhouse ales on a Hill Country ranch about 30 minutes from downtown, and that drive alone justifies a visit.

• Jester King Brewery Dripping Springs Farmhouse ales on a Hill Country ranch
• Lazarus Brewing East Austin
• Pinthouse Pizza Multiple locations
• Live Oak Brewing Del Valle
• Austin Beerworks North Austin
• Meanwhile Brewing Co. South Austin
• St. Elmo Brewing Co. South Austin

Live Music and Nightlife

On any given night in Austin you can find jazz in a basement, honky-tonk two-stepping, punk on an outdoor stage, or a Grammy winner doing a warm-up set in a room that holds 200 people. The Red River Cultural District (roughly Red River Street between 6th and 10th) is where the independent scene is most concentrated, but the music spills across every neighborhood. The White Horse on East 6th is where honky-tonk lives, with free live music and two-stepping most nights, and The Continental Club on South Congress has been booking acts since 1955.

Live Music Venues

• The Continental Club South Congress Booking acts since 1955
• The White Horse East 6th Honky-tonk, two-stepping, free music
• Mohawk Red River
• Stubb's Bar-B-Q Red River
• Antone's Downtown
• The Parish 6th Street
• Cheer Up Charlies Red River
• The Elephant Room Downtown
• Hole in the Wall Campus Area
• Scoot Inn East Austin
• ACL Live at The Moody Theater Downtown
• Donn's Depot West Austin

Bars and Nightlife

• Whisler's East Austin
• Half Step Rainey Street
• Midnight Cowboy Downtown Reservations required
• Hotel Vegas East 6th
• The Roosevelt Room Downtown

What Are the Best Austin Day Trips?

The Austin Hill Country starts just past the city limits, and within 90 minutes you can be standing at the base of a 425-foot granite dome, sampling wine at a Hill Country vineyard, or eating smoked brisket in a town the state legislature officially named the Barbecue Capital of Texas.

Getting Around Austin

Downtown and South Congress are walkable, and the hike-and-bike trail along Lady Bird Lake connects several neighborhoods on foot or by bike. Beyond that, the city spreads out and most visitors need transportation to reach East Austin restaurants, trailheads, and anything in the Hill Country. One perk for riders: street parking for motorcycles in Austin is free with a 12-hour time limit.

• CapMetroBuses and MetroRail, limited but affordable.
• RideshareUber and Lyft, available citywide. Surge during SXSW, ACL, F1 weekend.
• Scooters and bikesDockless rentals across downtown and SoCo.
• Car rentalUseful for Austin day trips. Parking downtown can be tricky.
• MotorcycleFree street parking (12-hour limit), lower daily cost than most car rentals, and the best way to experience the Hill Country.

Riding the Hill Country by Motorcycle with Riders Share

Riders Share has the largest selection of motorcycle rentals in Austin, with bikes from local owners across the city. Rentals start at $38/day, and many owners offer delivery to hotels or Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

Book a Rental

Looking to Ride Further Out? Browse Motorcycle Rentals in Texas

Austin is just the starting point. Riders Share has over 170 motorcycle rentals in Texas to choose from, with bikes available across the state starting at just $25/day. The same peer-to-peer network that covers Austin extends to San Antonio, Dallas, Houston, and everywhere in between.

Browse Texas Rentals

Other Hill Country Routes to Ride

• Lime Creek Road · 30 minutes northwest
• Willow City Loop · 1.5 hours west
• Ranch Road 12 to Wimberley · 1 hour south
• Fredericksburg via US 290 and Ranch Road 1376 · 1.5 hours west