Things to do · Austin · United States
17 best things to do in Austin
17 sights and experiences ranked for a first visit, with honest notes on time, cost and crowds.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Downtown Austin, Public domain
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Quick answer
The essential sights in Austin are Texas State Capitol, Barton Springs Pool and Congress Avenue Bridge bats. Of the 17 picks below, 7 are free, 5 work on a rainy day and 7 suit children. Allow about 4 days to see the highlights without rushing.
Key facts
- Top sight
- Texas State Capitol
- Free sights
- 7
- Good on a rainy day
- Texas State Capitol
- Time to see the highlights
- 4 days
At a glance
| Sight | Area | Time needed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Texas State Capitol | Downtown | 1–1.5 hours | Free |
| Barton Springs Pool | Zilker and Barton Hills | 2–3 hours | Low cost |
| Congress Avenue Bridge bats | Downtown | 1 hour | Free |
| Sixth Street and Red River | Downtown | An evening | Low cost |
| Lady Bird Lake and the Butler Trail | Downtown | 1–3 hours | Free |
| Zilker Park | Zilker and Barton Hills | 2–4 hours | Free |
| South Congress Avenue | South Congress (SoCo) | 2–3 hours | Free |
| Bullock Texas State History Museum | Hyde Park and the University | 2–3 hours | Mid-priced |
| Blanton Museum of Art | Hyde Park and the University | 2 hours | Mid-priced |
| LBJ Presidential Library | Hyde Park and the University | 2 hours | Mid-priced |
| Mount Bonnell | West Austin | 45 minutes | Free |
| Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center | Southwest Austin | 2 hours | Mid-priced |
| Harry Ransom Center | Hyde Park and the University | 1 hour | Free |
| McKinney Falls State Park | Southeast Austin | Half a day | Low cost |
| Deep Eddy Pool | Clarksville and Old West Austin | 2 hours | Low cost |
| Continental Club | South Congress (SoCo) | An evening | Low cost |
| Umlauf Sculpture Garden | Zilker and Barton Hills | 1 hour | Low cost |
The 17 best things to do
Architecture · Downtown
1.Texas State Capitol
Completed in 1888 from pink Texas granite, the Capitol is taller than the US Capitol in Washington. Free guided tours visit the rotunda, the House and Senate chambers and the underground extension, and the grounds hold monuments across 9 hectares of lawns.
Stand in the centre of the rotunda and look up at the star in the dome, then walk the grounds' monuments.
- Time needed
- 1–1.5 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- History
- Architecture
- Rainy day
Nature · Zilker and Barton Hills
2.Barton Springs Pool
A 275-metre-long natural pool fed by underground springs that keep the water around 20°C all year, with a grassy slope for sunbathing. It is home to the endangered Barton Springs salamander and is a central part of Austin summer life.
Swim early in the morning on a summer weekday before the crowds and the heat.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- Outdoors
- Nature
- Kids
Experience · Downtown
3.Congress Avenue Bridge bats
Up to 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats live under the Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge from about March to October, forming the largest urban bat colony in North America. Around sunset they stream out to feed in a long dark ribbon over Lady Bird Lake.
Arrive about 30 minutes before sunset; August, when the young join the flight, is usually the biggest show. Bat-watching boat tours give a close view from the water.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Iconic
- Free
- Nature
- Kids
- After dark
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Street · Downtown
4.Sixth Street and Red River
East Sixth Street between Congress Avenue and Interstate 35 is Austin's famous bar strip, closed to traffic on weekend nights, while the Red River Cultural District around the corner has many of the city's long-running original-music clubs.
For original bands rather than covers and shots, head to the clubs on Red River Street.
- Time needed
- An evening
- Cost
- Low cost
- After dark
- Iconic
Waterfront · Downtown
5.Lady Bird Lake and the Butler Trail
A reservoir on the Colorado River through central Austin, circled by the Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail, a loop of about 16 km. Motorboats are banned, so the water is popular with kayakers, canoeists and paddleboarders, and a boardwalk carries the trail over the water on the south shore.
Rent a kayak or paddleboard from one of the rental docks and paddle towards the downtown skyline at sunset.
- Time needed
- 1–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Outdoors
- Active
- Views
Park · Zilker and Barton Hills
6.Zilker Park
Austin's main green space covers about 140 hectares south of the river, with lawns, Barton Springs Pool, the Zilker Botanical Garden, canoe rentals and the Zilker Zephyr miniature train. It hosts the Austin City Limits Music Festival in October and the Trail of Lights in December.
Combine it with Barton Springs and the Umlauf Sculpture Garden just across Barton Springs Road.
- Time needed
- 2–4 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Outdoors
- Kids
Street · South Congress (SoCo)
7.South Congress Avenue
The best-known shopping and eating strip in Austin, with Western boots and vintage clothing shops, food trucks, neon signs, the 'I love you so much' mural and a direct view up Congress Avenue to the Capitol.
Stay into the evening for live music at the Continental Club.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Shopping
- Food
- Photo spot
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Museum · Hyde Park and the University
8.Bullock Texas State History Museum
Three floors trace Texas history from Indigenous peoples and Spanish missions to the Republic of Texas, oil and space, including the hull of La Belle, a 17th-century French ship recovered from Matagorda Bay. It also has an IMAX theatre.
It is a few minutes' walk from the Capitol and the Blanton, so pair the three.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Rainy day
- Kids
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Museum · Hyde Park and the University
1.Blanton Museum of Art
The University of Texas art museum has strong European, American and Latin American collections, and Ellsworth Kelly's 'Austin', a chapel-like building of coloured glass windows, the artist's only built work of architecture.
Visit 'Austin' in the morning when sunlight casts coloured patterns across the floor.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- Rainy day
- Architecture
Museum · Hyde Park and the University
2.LBJ Presidential Library
The presidential library of Lyndon B. Johnson on the UT campus covers civil rights legislation, the Vietnam War and the 1960s, with a replica of the Oval Office and the president's recorded phone calls.
Allow time for the civil-rights galleries, which are the museum's strongest section.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Rainy day
Viewpoint · West Austin
3.Mount Bonnell
A short flight of about 100 stone steps climbs to one of the highest points in Austin, above Lake Austin, with views over the river, the hills and the 360 Bridge. It has been a popular lookout since the 1850s.
Go at sunset, but arrive early as the small parking area fills.
- Time needed
- 45 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Views
- Couples
- Photo spot
Garden · Southwest Austin
4.Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
The University of Texas botanical garden, founded by the former First Lady, showcases native Texas plants in meadows, gardens and an observation tower. In spring, bluebonnets and other wildflowers carpet the grounds.
Late March to April is peak bluebonnet season and the best time to visit.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Nature
- Kids
- Outdoors
- Photo spot
Museum · Hyde Park and the University
5.Harry Ransom Center
A research library and museum on the UT campus that displays one of the few complete Gutenberg Bibles in the world and the earliest surviving photograph, Niépce's view from a window at Le Gras, along with rotating exhibitions from its literary and film archives.
Entry is free; check the current exhibition before you go.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
Nature · Southeast Austin
6.McKinney Falls State Park
Within city limits, Onion Creek drops over limestone ledges in two falls, with swimming in the pools when water quality allows, hiking and biking trails and the ruins of an early homestead.
Check the park's swimming status and day-pass availability before going on a weekend.
- Time needed
- Half a day
- Cost
- Low cost
- Book ahead
- Day passes can sell out on busy weekends; reserve online through Texas Parks and Wildlife.
- Nature
- Outdoors
- Kids
- Active
Park · Clarksville and Old West Austin
7.Deep Eddy Pool
The oldest swimming pool in Texas, a 1930s spring-fed pool with a shallow section for children and lap lanes, beside the hike-and-bike trail west of downtown.
Combine a swim with a walk or bike ride on the lake trail.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- Kids
- Outdoors
- Off the beaten path
Experience · South Congress (SoCo)
8.Continental Club
Opened in 1955, this small club on South Congress is one of Austin's most celebrated live-music venues, with rockabilly, blues, country and roots bands on its stage most nights.
Early evening happy-hour sets are often free or low-cost and less crowded.
- Time needed
- An evening
- Cost
- Low cost
- After dark
- History
Garden · Zilker and Barton Hills
9.Umlauf Sculpture Garden
A shady garden and small museum showing bronze and stone sculptures by Charles Umlauf, a long-time University of Texas art professor, set among ponds and paths just across from Zilker Park.
A calm, shaded stop before or after Barton Springs.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Art
- Couples
- Off the beaten path
Pick by interest
| Interest | Best picks |
|---|---|
| Art and museums | Bullock Texas State History Museum, Blanton Museum of Art, LBJ Presidential Library and Harry Ransom Center |
| History | Texas State Capitol, Bullock Texas State History Museum, LBJ Presidential Library and Harry Ransom Center |
| Views | Lady Bird Lake and the Butler Trail and Mount Bonnell |
| Outdoors and nature | Barton Springs Pool, Congress Avenue Bridge bats, Lady Bird Lake and the Butler Trail and Zilker Park |
| Food and markets | South Congress Avenue |
| After dark | Congress Avenue Bridge bats, Sixth Street and Red River and Continental Club |
| With children | Barton Springs Pool, Congress Avenue Bridge bats, Zilker Park and Bullock Texas State History Museum |
| On a rainy day | Texas State Capitol, Bullock Texas State History Museum, Blanton Museum of Art and LBJ Presidential Library |
What to book ahead
- McKinney Falls State Park: Day passes can sell out on busy weekends; reserve online through Texas Parks and Wildlife.
Plan the rest of your trip
Questions travellers ask
+What is the number one thing to do in Austin?
Texas State Capitol. Completed in 1888 from pink Texas granite, the Capitol is taller than the US Capitol in Washington.
+What can you do for free in Austin?
Texas State Capitol, Congress Avenue Bridge bats, Lady Bird Lake and the Butler Trail, Zilker Park and South Congress Avenue. More free things to do.
+What is there to do in Austin when it rains?
Head indoors to Texas State Capitol, Bullock Texas State History Museum, Blanton Museum of Art and LBJ Presidential Library.
+What is there to do in Austin at night?
Congress Avenue Bridge bats, Sixth Street and Red River and Continental Club are best after dark.