Lots of people visit Austin, Texas. In fact, the latest stats show that Austin gets over 30 million visitors each year. Those travelers often visit destinations like central 6th Street (the “dirty six”) and Rainey Street, which are both … great if you want a really loud, sloppy night. But there’s so much more to do in Austin, and it’s all way cooler than hanging around a bunch of other tourists in a cheesy bar.
If you really want to explore the city’s vibe (and escape the wailing thirtysomething “woo girls” having a bachelorette party), visit these destinations instead. Trust me, you’ll have a much better experience and see more of what makes Austin truly special.
Explore Zilker and Barton Creek
Zilker is a massive 361-acre park, and it’s located directly in the middle of the city. You can walk there from downtown and once you’re there, you can get some amazing skyline views. Zilker is home to miles of hiking and biking trails, but most famously, it has Barton Springs Pool. A 68-degree, spring-fed public pool, Barton Springs is a must-visit during the summer. Not only does the cold water feel amazing when it’s 100 degrees outside, but it’s also a social hub for locals. Everyone goes to Barton Springs in the summer, so it has a fantastic community feel.
But my personal favorite is Barton Creek. Barton Springs is fenced in and costs $5 dollars ($9 dollars for y’all who don’t live in Austin). But through the fence, the water flows down a creek into the Colorado River. The creek is completely free, and in my opinion, way more fun. People play music, bring their dogs, lounge on their paddleboards, and jump into the creek from rope swings. It’s a really fun time and is a great way to explore Austin’s famous outdoorsy vibe.
Dine on South 1st Street
Yep, I know … all the websites talk about South Congress Ave. and how amazing it is. They’re not wrong. It’s definitely great to stroll down South Congress because it has a lot going on, but for the best food, go one street over to South 1st. For starters, South 1st is still far less developed than South Congress, and many of the restaurants sit under the shade of large trees and have great creekside patios, giving it a way more chill and local feel.
Grab some Vietnamese fusion at Elizabeth Street Cafe, elevated fine dining at Lenoir, or some quirky vegetarian fare at Bouldin Creek Cafe – a spot that’s a total Austin institution and shows off the old “Keep Austin Weird” spirit that initially made ATX so special. On top of South 1st’s many restaurants, you’ll also find coffee shops, bakeries, ice cream shops, and more.
Chill out at a rooftop pool
As I said before, summers in Austin are hot. And to be honest, Austin can be pretty hot long before and after summertime. You can have 90+ degree days from May through October. That’s why almost every apartment complex in the city has a pool. For locals, hanging at the pool is a big part of life.
There are also tons of hotels in the city that have really awesome rooftop pools. I feel like Austin has a bit of Miami vibes when you’re at a pool since many have poolside bars and DJs playing music. Some hotels, like the JW Marriot, even sell day passes for the pool area. The best rooftop pools in town are the Marriot, JW Marriott, Fairmont, W, and Austin Proper.
My personal favorite, though, is the Marriott because next to the pool is a rooftop lounge Zanzibar. The vibe isn’t pretentious or influencer-obnoxious, and is instead, super chill with great views of the city, icy cold drinks, and great topical-inspired snacks like ahi tuna guacamole and plantain chips served with pineapple salsa.
Listen to live music
Austin is known as “The Live Music Capital of the World,” and as much as I normally hate local bands (seriously, to me, they sound like amateur hour at karaoke night), I have to admit that Austin is loaded with some legit talent. What also makes Austin so cool is that there’s such a wide array of talented musicians from different genres. You can find venues for bluegrass, folk, punk, rock, and more. There’s even a busker who performs on South Congress sometimes with an electric violin, and even they’re fantastic.
On top of local music, Austin also gets big-name musicians who come through town, so you can find any type of music you want. Some iconic local institutions include the Continental Club, Stubbs BBQ, and Hole in the Wall, or check out bigger musicians who come to perform at ACL Live and the Moody Center.
Visit during an event
Austin has some seriously cool events throughout the year and the city’s vibe completely changes when something big is going on. The two major events Are South by Southwest (SXSW) in the spring and Austin City Limits (ACL) in the fall.
SXSW has gotten so big it’s almost hard to explain what it is anymore. It’s an ideas festival where prominent voices come to share their stories and innovations in TED Talk-style panels. But it’s also huge for entertainment and has a yearly film festival that premieres massive movies like Everything Everywhere All At Once and Civil War. It also has its own music festival and a whole series of events for the gaming industry … as well as events for travel, sustainability, food, AI, and more. This year Delta even came and opened up a pop-up lounge, and Amazon Prime Video created an apocalyptic wasteland to promote its show Fallout. Whatever your interests are, I guarantee you that someone at SXSW is doing an event for it.
ACL is the other massive annual event. It’s one of the biggest music festivals in the country and takes place over two weekends. Each year the festival gets massive headliners and tons of smaller indie acts, too. In 2023, there was a total 140 performers. Everyone from the Foo Fighters to Paul McCartney and Dua Lipa has played ACL.
Other big events throughout the year include Fantastic Fest, one of the largest horror and sci-fi film festivals in the world, the annual U.S. Grand Prix F1 race, the Moontower Comedy Festival, and if you’re one of the athletically inclined among us, there’s also the Austin marathon and the CapTex triathlon.
Venture away from 6th Street to find the city’s coolest bars
Austin has tons of fun and unique bars where there’s lots more to do than just drink. My favorite spot in town is Cidercade. This arcade bar sits on the river and has a great outdoor patio overlooking the water. Inside, there are over 150 arcade games, pinball machines, skeeball, and more, and the bar serves over a dozen varieties of Bishop hard ciders. During the day, it has a good number of kids, but it becomes 18+ after 9 p.m. (s0 go at night for the best experience).
Another great spot is Cosmic, which now has two locations, though the South Austin spot is the more famous one. Grab beer, wine, or coffee and sit under large trees strung up with camp lights as you play board games and listen to music. There’s also a big array of food trucks on the property serving up some seriously good eats. The outdoor setting makes Cosmic feel inviting and casual while still being really fun. It’s great for a Friday night or Sunday afternoon.
Another personal favorite is the Hula Hut. Technically a restaurant, the Hut sits right on the lake and has a massive deck overlooking the water. Lots of people visit to sit on the deck and grab an app or two (which are all Polynesian takes on Tex-Mex favorites) while sipping on some of the establishment’s signature drinks like the Hu-La-La and the boozy Lake Austin Lemonade. It’s not exactly Hawaii, but with drinks and snacks this good, you won’t care.
