The best things to do in Austin, by mood: the spring-fed pools and the greenbelt, the bats, the live music, and the free, only-here stuff.
The best things to do in Austin, sorted by what you are actually in the mood for: the spring-fed pools and the greenbelt, the only-in-Austin landmarks, the live music and the two-stepping, the art, and the things to do with kids. Built from citywide research and the spots locals send visitors to, not a tourist checklist. Everything here is evergreen, so we describe it by season and rhythm rather than a date. For what is happening this particular weekend, that is what the newsletter is for.
- Outdoors and the water
- 01
Barton Springs Pool
Zilker · spring-fed pool · about 68°F year-roundPhoto: Fredlyfish4 / CC BY-SA 4.0 The three-acre, spring-fed pool in the middle of Zilker Park, holding steady around 68 degrees every day of the year, which feels glorious in July and bracing in January. It is the heart of how Austin actually spends a hot day. Mornings and the free early hours are the calm window. Bring a towel, a book, and low expectations about staying dry.
Visit site → - 02
Barton Creek Greenbelt
South-central · free · swimming holes and trailsPhoto: Tomek Baginski / Unsplash Miles of shaded limestone trail and a string of swimming holes (Twin Falls, Sculpture Falls) threading right through the city, free and open to all. How much water is flowing depends on the rain, so it shifts from a clear swimming creek to a dry hike across the year. Wear real shoes, and check recent reports before you count on a swim.
Visit site → - 03
Lady Bird Lake and the Hike-and-Bike Trail
Downtown · free · 10-mile loop, kayak and paddleboardPhoto: Mack Ramirez / Unsplash The ten-mile loop around the downtown lake is the city’s front porch: runners, dogs, paddleboards, and the skyline reflected in the water. Rent a kayak or a paddleboard at one of the docks, or just walk the pedestrian bridge at sunset. It is the easiest, most quintessentially Austin hour you can spend, and it is free.
Visit site → - Get the newsletter
Like this guide? We send one email a week with the best of Austin: where to eat, what to do, and what to know. Free, and a five-minute read.
- 04
Mount Bonnell
Northwest · free · the sunset overlookPhoto: Larry D. Moore / CC BY 4.0 The classic overlook, a hundred or so steps up to the highest point in town and a panorama of Lake Austin, the hills, and the skyline. It takes ten minutes and pays off most at sunset, when the light goes gold over the water. Go on a weekday evening to avoid the crowd, and bring something to drink for the top.
Visit site → - 05
Hamilton Pool Preserve
Dripping Springs (about 30 min) · reservation requiredA collapsed grotto with a waterfall spilling into a jade-green pool, about half an hour west of town and worth the drive. You must reserve a slot online before you go, and whether swimming is allowed depends on the water quality that week, so check first. Even when the pool is closed to swimmers, the short hike down to it is a stunner.
Visit site → - 06
McKinney Falls State Park
Southeast · state park · waterfalls and hikingPhoto: Trac Vu / Unsplash A state park inside the city limits, with two waterfalls on Onion Creek, swimming when the flow is right, and easy trails through the Hill Country edge. It is the closest real nature escape that does not require a reservation lottery. Go early on summer weekends, pay the day-use fee at the gate, and bring water shoes for the limestone.
Visit site → - Only in Austin
- 07
The Congress Avenue Bridge bats
Downtown · free · at dusk, spring through fallThe largest urban bat colony in North America, around 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats, streams out from under the Congress Avenue Bridge at dusk on warm evenings from roughly spring through fall. It is free, strange, and unmistakably Austin. Watch from the bridge, the lawn at the Statesman bat observation area, or a kayak below. August is the peak.
Visit site → - 08
The Texas State Capitol
Downtown · free tours · taller than the US CapitolPhoto: Carol M. Highsmith (public domain) The pink-granite Capitol is the anchor of the skyline and, by design, a few feet taller than the US Capitol in Washington. Free guided and self-guided tours run daily, the grounds are a pleasant walk, and the rotunda is genuinely worth the look up. An easy, free, air-conditioned hour in the middle of downtown.
Visit site → - 09
South Congress (SoCo)
South Congress · free to wander · shops, murals, musicPhoto: Justin Wallace / Unsplash The most walkable stretch of old-and-new Austin: independent boutiques, vintage shops, food trailers, the “i love you so much” mural, and the Continental Club at the end of it. You can spend an afternoon here without a plan and without spending much. Park once and wander, and look up at the skyline from the bridge on your way in.
Visit site → - 10
The Cathedral of Junk
South · free, by appointment · backyard artA three-story castle of salvaged junk built over decades in a South Austin backyard, and one of the purest expressions of old, weird Austin still standing. It is free but appointment-only, so you call ahead and the artist lets you in, usually on a weekday morning. Bring a few dollars to tip, and let the kids climb.
Visit site → - 11
HOPE Outdoor Gallery
East (Dalton Ln) · free · paint a mural wall, Wed-SunThe beloved community graffiti park reopened in a new home near the airport, with large-scale mural walls anyone can paint and a rotating canvas of local street art. It is free and open Wednesday through Sunday. Bring your own spray paint if you want to leave a mark, or just come to photograph the ever-changing walls.
Visit site → - Live music and dancing
- 12
The Continental Club
South Congress · live music nightly · the historic oneThe 1950s South Congress club that is still the soul of Austin live music, with a packed calendar of roots, country, and rock in a small, sweaty, perfect room. There is almost always something on, and the early happy-hour sets are a low-commitment way in. Cash for the cover, and stand close. This is the “live music capital” claim made real.
Visit site → - 13
The Broken Spoke
South Lamar · honky-tonk · two-step lessonsA genuine Texas dance hall that has somehow survived the high-rises growing up around it, with live country, chicken-fried steak, and two-step lessons earlier in the evening. Take the lesson, then stay for the band and dance with strangers. It is touristy in the best, most authentic way, and there is nothing else like it left.
Visit site → - Art and museums
- 14
The Blanton Museum of Art
UT campus · home of Ellsworth Kelly’s AustinThe university’s art museum, and the home of Ellsworth Kelly’s Austin, the luminous stone chapel of colored glass that was the only building the artist ever designed. The permanent collection is strong, but Austin alone is worth the trip, especially on a bright day when the light moves through the windows. Check for the free admission day if you are watching the budget.
Visit site → - 15
The Bullock Texas State History Museum
Downtown · the Texas story · IMAXThree floors telling the sprawling, complicated story of Texas, plus a big IMAX screen, a short walk from the Capitol. It is well done and genuinely kid-friendly, the right call on a too-hot or rainy afternoon. Pair it with the Capitol and the nearby UT campus for an easy downtown day. Tickets at the door or online.
Visit site → - With kids
- 16
Zilker Metropolitan Park
Zilker · free + the train · playground, garden, springsPhoto: Megan Bucknall / Unsplash The city’s great central park, and a full day on its own: a big playground, the little Zilker Eagle train, the Botanical Garden, disc golf, and Barton Springs at the edge. It is where Austin holds its biggest festivals, but on an ordinary weekend it is just a wide green place to let kids run. Free to enter, with small fees for the train and garden.
Visit site → - 17
Thinkery
Mueller · children’s museum · hands-onAustin’s children’s museum in Mueller, built for hands-on play across water tables, a maker space, and light and motion exhibits, aimed squarely at the under-ten crowd. It is the reliable answer to a rainy day or a long summer afternoon with kids. Check for the discounted community evening hours, and budget for the gift shop on the way out.
Visit site → - Plan around the festivals
- 18
Time it to a festival
Citywide · by month · the marquee annual eventsIf you can choose when to come, time it to the calendar. SXSW takes over the city in March; the Zilker kite festival and Austin Food and Wine land in spring; Bat Fest celebrates the colony in August; ACL fills Zilker across two October weekends; and the Trail of Lights glows through Zilker in December. Book lodging early for SXSW and ACL, when the whole city fills up.
Visit site →
The things we passed on are part of the value. Documented for editorial discipline.
- The Sixth Street bar crawlThe neon downtown strip is a rite of passage for exactly one night and not the best of the city. For where Austinites actually drink, see our bars guide. We kept this list to things worth a trip.
- Anything tied to a single dateWe kept this guide evergreen, so a one-off concert or a pop-up does not belong here. That is what the weekly newsletter is for: the two or three things worth leaving the house for this particular weekend.
- The big-bus tourist trapsThe hop-on attractions and chain experiences are easy to find and rarely the point. We pointed you at the springs, the bats, the music, and the parks that make Austin itself instead.
- What are the best free things to do in Austin?
- Most of the best of Austin is free: the Barton Creek Greenbelt, the Congress Avenue bats at dusk, a tour of the Texas State Capitol, the sunset from Mount Bonnell, the Lady Bird Lake trail, wandering South Congress, and painting a wall at HOPE Outdoor Gallery. Barton Springs and the Cathedral of Junk are free or close to it.
- What are the best things to do in Austin with kids?
- Zilker Park for the playground, the little train, and the Botanical Garden, the Thinkery children’s museum for a rainy day, the Congress Avenue bats at dusk, a splash at Barton Springs or McKinney Falls, and the kid-friendly Bullock Texas State History Museum downtown.
- What are the best things to do in downtown Austin?
- The Texas State Capitol and its grounds, the Congress Avenue bats at sunset, the Lady Bird Lake Hike-and-Bike Trail, the Bullock museum, and live music at clubs a short walk or rideshare away. South Congress and its shops and murals are just across the river.
- What are some unique, only-in-Austin things to do?
- Watch 1.5 million bats stream from the Congress Avenue Bridge, climb the three-story Cathedral of Junk, paint a wall at HOPE Outdoor Gallery, swim the 68-degree spring at Barton Springs, and learn to two-step at the Broken Spoke. None of them exist anywhere else quite like this.
- What are the best outdoor things to do in Austin?
- Swim at Barton Springs, hike and swim the Barton Creek Greenbelt, walk or paddle the Lady Bird Lake trail, catch the sunset from Mount Bonnell, reserve a slot at Hamilton Pool, and explore the waterfalls at McKinney Falls State Park.
- What is the best time of year to visit Austin?
- Spring (March through May) and fall (September through November) bring the best weather and the marquee festivals, SXSW and ACL. Summers are hot, but the spring-fed pools and the greenbelt are built for it, and the bats are most active from late spring through fall. December brings the Trail of Lights.
Featured here? Add a free badge to your site and link back. No signup, no catch.
<a href="https://theaustinnewsletter.com/guides/things-to-do-in-austin?utm_source=badge&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=featured-badge" rel="ugc" target="_blank"> <img src="https://theaustinnewsletter.com/badges/featured" alt="Featured in The Austin Newsletter" width="240" height="64" style="border:0;max-width:100%;height:auto;" /> </a>