Austin Sights

  1. Austin Children's Museum

    Kids will love the Austin Children's Museum, where they can make their own dinosaur movie, be TV weathercasters, hang under a bridge like an Austin bat or live out their star fantasies performing on 'Austin Kiddie Limits', a re-creation of the well known music TV show 'Austin City Limits'.

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  2. Blanton Museum of Art

    Austin's artiness isn't limited to its rich rock 'n' roll heritage: the city is also home to the country's largest University art collection. The Blanton Museum of Art is famed for its Old Masters (Rembrandt, Dürer and Rubens all make an appearance), and its modern and contemporary American and Latin American works. It also stages regular temporary exhibitions.

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  3. Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum

    Wander along the hoof-marked ground of a cattle drive, look through rough-hewn slave cabins or duck into a movie theater beneath a 1930s-era marquee. High-tech interactive exhibits and fun theatrics characterize the superb (and superbly humongous) Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum.

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  4. Capitol Complex

    The 1888 Renaissance revival Texas State Capitol shimmers over Austin from its hilltop location like a pink mirage; views of its imposing dome from vantage points around town are protected by law. While you're in the vicinity, take a stroll through the Capitol grounds or wander through the Greek revival-style 1856 Governor's Mansion.

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  5. Congress Ave Bridge

    Every year up to 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats make their home upon a platform beneath the Congress Ave Bridge. It's become an Austin tradition to sit on the grassy banks and watch as the bats swarm out to feed on the local insect population. Capitol Cruises, behind the Hyatt Hotel, offers bat-watching cruises on Town Lake below the bridge.

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  7. KLRU Studio

    Local PBS affiliate KLRU Studio records the super-cool Austin City Limits, a Texas music-TV program (aired Friday). Tickets for tapings are hard to come by since they're given away at radio-announced locations and run out fast. Call the studio for schedule information, or you can take a free tour on Fridays at .

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  8. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

    Anyone with an interest in flora and fauna should visit this first-class centre just south of downtown Austin. Founded in 1982 with assistance from the eponymous Lady Bird, the Center displays every type of wildflower and plant that grows in Texas, separated by geographical region.

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  9. Texas State Capitol

    Yes, the 1888, stunning, pink-granite Texas State Capitol really is 15ft taller than the US Capitol. For an echoing ovation, stand dead center under the dome and clap - the state senators don't mind, really. The nearby Capitol Complex Visitors Center is the place to book tours.

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  10. University of Texas Museums & Galleries

    The University of Texas, if not quite in the Ivy League, is a rich and prestigious school boasting several impressive museums and galleries. The Lyndon Baines Johnson, Archer Huntington and Texas Memorial museums are particularly worthwhile.

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  11. Zilker Park

    The enormous Zilker Park has a nature centre, botanical gardens and a sculpture garden. The park is also home to Barton Springs Pool, a locally beloved spring-fed swimming hole with chilly, sparkling clear waters and lots of bathing beauties.

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