Sights—The Texas State Capitol, inside and out; the thick stream of bats flying out from under the Congress Avenue Bridge at dusk (March-November); the University of Texas Tower; Town Lake and Zilker Park; Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
Museums—The Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum; the Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library and Museum; the Blanton Museum of Art; Austin Museum of Art; Harry Ransom Center.
Memorable Meals—Duck and shrimp at Jeffrey's Restaurant; barbecue at Sam's BBQ or The Salt Lick; ancho-chili fudge pie at Z Tejas Grill; wild game at Hudson's on the Bend; Amy's handmade ice cream with mix-ins.
Late Night—Country music and dancing (likely two-stepping) at the Broken Spoke; roots rock at the Continental Club; blues at Antone's; cocktails at Club de Ville; people-watching, alcohol and more music on Sixth Street; drinks and a flick at the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema.
Walks—Town Lake Hike and Bike Trail; Barton Creek Greenbelt; University of Texas campus.
Especially for Kids—The bats under the Congress Avenue Bridge; the Austin Children's Museum; the Barton Springs Pool; a ride on the miniature train in Zilker Park.
Most things in Austin are located by their relationship to Interstate 35 and the Colorado River (not the same Colorado that runs through the Grand Canyon). The river (somewhat confusingly known as Town Lake in the downtown area and Lake Austin farther west because of damming) divides the north and south sides of town; I-35 divides east and west. Most attractions of interest to visitors are west of I-35 and within 3 mi/5 km of either side of the river.
Downtown sits on the north shore of the river immediately west of I-35. The university area begins north of downtown and the Capitol District. The West End is immediately west of downtown, on the far side of Lamar Boulevard. Austinites used to use the term "South Austin" to refer to any place south of the river, but with the city's growth, much of old South Austin is now pretty central. Regardless, central Austin attractions are generally found between the MoPac Expressway (Loop 1) and I-35. Likewise, East Austin can mean anything east of I-35, but the areas of most interest to visitors are the growing, increasingly gentrified neighborhoods adjacent to downtown and the university.
A note on the city's numbered streets: Most are on the north side of the river and run east-west. The numbers get higher as you move north, away from the river, and the east and west designations indicate where the roads are in relation to Congress Avenue (the street running through the center of downtown to the Capitol). There are, however, a few numbered streets south of the river. They run north-south and are all designated as south. South First Street is one example.
Before it became the capital of Texas, Austin wasn't Austin—it was the settlement of Waterloo and little more than a small group of log cabins. Mirabeau B. Lamar, vice president of the newly independent Republic of Texas, visited Waterloo the year it was founded (1838). The site apparently made an impression, for after becoming president of the republic the following year, Lamar established the modest settlement as the capital and renamed it in honor of the recently deceased Stephen F. Austin, who had led Anglo settlers into Texas.
The city remained the capital after Texas became part of the U.S. in 1845. During the Civil War, Austin saw no battles except for a brief pillaging of the state treasury by some rowdy Texas Confederates. Many in the Austin area were opposed to the state's secession from the U.S., an early indication of the liberal tendencies that the city continues to maintain. In 1883, when the University of Texas opened, the city assumed the role of college town.
During the first half of the 1900s, Austin was a quiet and fairly small southern town, though prominent political leaders made their mark, among them Lyndon Johnson. The future president of the U.S. entered politics as a state legislator in Austin in the 1950s. Lately, of course, Austin has seen both benefits and fallout from the rise and fall of the national Republican legislature under former Texas governor President George W. Bush, and his nearby home in Midland has kept the city in the news.
The 1970s and '80s saw Austin's music scene explode into prominence, led by Willie Nelson and Stevie Ray Vaughan. The city mushroomed in other ways in the 1990s. As the home of computer-related companies since the 1960s, it was well-placed to capitalize on the technology boom. However, when the boom went bust in 2000, Austin's technology growth slowed dramatically. Today, homegrown Dell Computers remains one of the area's largest employers, but the city credits its ongoing recovery to new jobs in the service and health industries.
Meanwhile, the Austin-born natural-foods grocery chain Whole Foods has gained a national profile and engendered local competition from the specialty supermarket Central Market. Local hero Lance Armstrong survived cancer and won a record seven Tour de France championships on his way to becoming one of the nation's most celebrated athletes, and school pride got a boost when the 2005 University of Texas Longhorn football team won the national championship.
Austin has been the setting for countless novels and the backdrop for an increasing number of movies (
Dazed and Confused,
The Ringer). Politically minded readers will be curious to compare and contrast the novel
Waterloo by Karen Olsson and the 1961 classic
The Gay Place by Billy Lee Bremmer.
Film stars who call Austin home include Matthew McConaughey and Sandra Bullock. Directors Robert Rodriguez (El Mariachi, Sin City, Grindhouse) and Richard Linklater (Slacker, Waking Life) live and work in Austin as well.
The city is home base for public television's national music show Austin City Limits, which is taped at the University of Texas. Since 2002, an immensely popular spin-off three-day outdoor music festival of the same name has brought an incredible array of talent to the city late each summer; acts range from Lucinda Williams to Elvis Costello to Al Green. Austin is also host to the South by Southwest music, film and interactive festivals, industry showcases that take place in the spring and draws lots of onlookers.
The most famous tree in Austin is Treaty Oak, located at Baylor and Sixth streets, a former meeting place for Native Americans. The oak got its name when Stephen F. Austin allegedly signed a treaty with the local tribes at this spot. It is an enormous live oak, estimated to be about 500 years old. It was nearly killed when vandals attempted to poison the tree in 1989. Today, the city uses the tree to teach about conservation and history.
Austin is a leader in Wi-Fi technology, with dozens of parks and hundreds of businesses offering wireless service. Since 2004, a group of local entrepreneurs has been working to "Keep Wi-Fi Free." The Austin Wireless City project provides free hot spots, often powered by recycled computers, to any business that requests one.
Writer William Sydney Porter, better known as O. Henry, spent some time living in Austin. Every May, the O. Henry Museum hosts a Pun-Off World Championship competition, which draws a crowd of people who enjoy a good groan and roll of the eyes.
One of Austin's favorite cult musicians, Daniel Johnston painted his iconic Hi, How Are You mural that features a sort of alien frog, on the side of what was then a university-area record store. The artwork was later saved from demolition and can still be seen at the corner of 21st and Guadalupe streets.
Austin is a spot of blue in a sea of red. The liberal-for-Texas city is also pretty green—residents are ecominded, and the city has won kudos for its Green Building Program, which encourages the use of sustainable building techniques.
