If we’re the first to say it, we certainly won’t be the last: Welcome to Austin. Once a small college town, the Capital of Texas has spent the last decade attracting big businesses, building new skyscrapers, and greeting an average of 56,000 newcomers every year.
While a few OGs grumble about the growth, most residents celebrate every restaurant, shop, and gallery opening, not to mention the city’s increasing diversity and influx of bicoastal energy. And all Austinites rave about the capital’s laid-back vibe, great music, and easy access to the outdoors. So get out there and explore—and make your own mark on this evolving city.
Your friends and family back home are gonna want proof you’ve seen “the sights.” Below are some classic Austin attractions you can hit during your first weekend in the city—then, keep scrolling to get to the real Texas.
Texans are quick to note that their state capitol is taller than the mothership in Washington, D.C. Step inside to see the grand rotunda: The domed ceiling has an eight-foot metal star, and the floor showcases seals from the six sovereign nations that have governed Texas. Also keep an eye out for the portrait of David "Davy" Crockett as well as the elegant legislative chambers.
Austinites of all stripes—tattooed in tank tops, bikini-clad college grads, cannonballing kiddos—hit up this public watering hole flanked by green lawns dotted with oak trees. Its 68-degree waters are fed by underground springs.
This state university’s 431-acre campus is anchored by the UT tower, which lights up in burnt orange after major wins and milestones. There’s loads to see on the school grounds, such as the Blanton Museum, which houses some of the oldest Latin American artworks in the country. Head to the Harry Ransom Center to see manuscripts, diaries, and drafts of writers such James Joyce, as well as a Gutenberg Bible—it’s one of only 21 complete surviving versions. Also on campus, you’ll find James Turell’s The Color Inside, an observatory-like permanent installation that harnesses artificial and natural light.
Rainey Street—where bars and restaurants are housed in converted bungalows—is a great place to land any night of the week. Along with 100-plus beers on tap at Banger’s you can pad your stomach with classic bratwursts or Andouille sausages. Lustre Pearl has a laid-back patio as well as ping-pong and hula hoops, and the new Electric Shuffle invites you to play a tech-forward version of—you guessed it—shuffleboard, all while sipping cocktails and eating savory bites.
From March to early November, up to 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats fly out from under Congress Bridge at dusk. The city verges on obsessed: Come sunset, the bridge is packed with bat fans, and there are river cruises dedicated to the evening flight. Local tip: Wear a hat, because, guano.
Whole Foods Market launched in Austin in 1980 as a small health foods shop. Today’s mothership is more than a grocery store, it’s a social hotspot thanks to beer, wine, and noodle bars, a seafood restaurant, and a landscaped rooftop patio.
With a tour bus-worth’s of the city’s highlights under your belt, you’re ready to explore the places that residents love best, from a state-of-the-art public library and vegan foods sanctuary to a slew of independent shops and miles of hiking trails.
