Austin

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The Texas State Capitol, completed in 1888, is built of pink granite quarried in the nearby Hill Country, Austin, Texas

The Bullock Texas State History Museum tells the story of Texas a few blocks north of the Capitol, Austin, Texas

Ellsworth Kelly's Austin is a walk-in artwork with colored glass windows on the Blanton Museum grounds, Texas

Mexican free-tailed bats emerge from under the Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge on warm evenings, Austin, Texas

About Austin

Austin, the capital of Texas, sits where the Colorado River leaves the Hill Country and spreads onto the plains. Home to the main campus of the University of Texas, it earned a reputation as a laid-back live-music city, and a long technology boom has since made it one of the fastest-growing metro areas in the country.

The pink granite Texas State Capitol anchors downtown, and to the north the Bullock Texas State History Museum and the Blanton Museum of Art sit near the university. On warm evenings from spring into fall, crowds line the Congress Avenue Bridge to watch an enormous bat colony stream out at dusk. Lady Bird Lake, a dammed stretch of the river, is circled by the Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail and busy with paddleboarders. In Zilker Park, spring-fed Barton Springs Pool stays cool year-round, and Mount Bonnell offers a short climb to river views. South Congress Avenue mixes boutiques, food trucks and music, while East Austin, Sixth Street and Rainey Street fill with bars at night. The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is at its best in spring.

Austin suits music fans, food lovers and travelers who like spending time outdoors. Summers are long and very hot. Major events such as SXSW and Austin City Limits push hotel prices up, and Hill Country towns and wineries make easy day trips.

Best seasonMarch through May brings wildflowers and mild weather, and October and November are also pleasant.

Ideal stayThree days covers downtown, Zilker Park, South Congress and a few nights of live music.

ArrivingAustin-Bergstrom International Airport lies southeast of downtown, and Interstate 35 runs through the city.

WiserMap travel guideAustin Texas Barton Springs Bats Barbecue and Live MusicPlan a trip to Austin, Texas: the Capitol, Barton Springs, the Congress Avenue bats, South Congress, Hill Country swimming holes, barbecue and live music.Read the guide

12 Reasons to Visit Austin

Landmarks 1

Texas State Capitol

Completed in 1888, the Texas State Capitol is built of pinkish sunset red granite quarried in the Hill Country, and its dome rises...

Museums 3

Bullock Texas State History Museum

A few blocks north of the Capitol, a giant bronze star marks the entrance to the Bullock Texas State History Museum, which tells t...

Blanton Museum of Art

On the University of Texas campus, the Blanton is one of the largest university art museums in the United States, with a collectio...

LBJ Presidential Library

Set on the University of Texas campus, the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum is housed in a monumental travertine building...

Wildlife 1

Congress Avenue Bridge bats

Every evening from spring to autumn, as many as one and a half million Mexican free-tailed bats pour out from beneath the Ann W. R...

Parks 2

Lady Bird Lake and the Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail

Lady Bird Lake is a calm reservoir on the Colorado River that winds right through downtown Austin, named in honour of Lady Bird Jo...

Zilker Park and Barton Springs Pool

Zilker Park is Austin's favourite green space, a large stretch of lawns, trails and gardens just southwest of downtown that hosts...

Viewpoints 1

Mount Bonnell

Mount Bonnell is one of the highest points in Austin, a limestone hill above the Colorado River where a short but steep flight of...

Neighborhoods 2

South Congress Avenue

South Congress, known locally as SoCo, runs south from the river with a classic view straight back to the Capitol dome. The avenue...

East Austin, Sixth Street and Rainey Street

Austin's nightlife is spread across three very different districts close to downtown. Sixth Street, east of Congress Avenue, is th...

Nature 2

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Founded by Lady Bird Johnson and actress Helen Hayes in 1982, the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is the botanic garden of the...

Hamilton Pool Preserve

About an hour west of Austin, Hamilton Pool is a natural swimming hole formed when the dome of an underground river collapsed thou...

Businesses in Austin

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Top-rated local businesses in Austin, with real reviews on WiserMap.

Repair Service

Modern Compactor Repair

4.2(5)

FM 973 2900 C North, Austin

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