Things to do in Austin
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Salt Lick BBQ
Many people say the Salt Lick is well worth the drive for the vast Hill Country horizons seen from its rustic outdoor tables. The family-style meal includes all-you-can-eat beef, sausage, pork ribs and sides. There’s also live music on weekends.
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Güero’s Taco Bar
Oh, Güero’s, how we love you. Why must you make us wait? Well, clearly it’s because of the three million other hungry people crammed into your bar area. Still, we’ll try to be patient, because we love the atmosphere lent by the century-old former feed-and-seed store, and because we have an obsessive craving for your chicken tortilla soup.
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Whole Foods Market
Austinites remember Whole Foods back when it was just a low-key hippie grocer, and look at it now, with more than 140 stores nationwide focusing on healthy, natural and organic groceries. There’s a great selection of takeout at this enormous flagship store, perfect for stocking a picnic.
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Zilker Zephyr
The Zilker Zephyr miniature railroad has trains that make the 25-minute, 2-mile ride along Barton Creek and Town Lake year-round. They leave the depot near the playground every hour on the hour weekdays and every 30 to 40 minutes on weekends.
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Barton Springs Pool
- Austin, USA
- Activities › Other
Hot? Not for long. Even when the temperature hits 100, you’ll be shivering in a jiff after you jump into this icy-cold natural spring pool.
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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.
Locals are proud of this, the largest urban bat colony in North America. The colony, which is made up entirely of female and young animals, is at its most active when swarming out for the nightly feed. Such is the bat-density that bat-radars have detected bat-columns up to 10,000 bat-feet (3,050m) high. In June, each female give…
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Blanton Museum of Art
A big university with a big endowment is bound to have a big art collection, and now, finally, it has a suitable building to show it off properly. Ranking among the best university art collections in the USA, the Blanton showcases a variety of styles. It doesn’t go very in-depth into any of them, but then again you’re bound to find something of interest. Especially striking is the installment of Missao/Missoes [How to Build Cathedrals] – which involves 600,000 pennies, 800 communion wafers and 2000 cattle bones.
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Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum
Wander along the hoof-marked ground of a cattle drive, look through a rough-hewn slave cabin or duck into a 1930s-era movie. High-tech interactive exhibits and fun theatrics characterize the superb (and superbly humongous) Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum. While you're downtown, you should wander by Austin's own piece of living history:
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Alamo Drafthouse Cinema
Easily the most fun you can have at the movies: sing along with Grease, quote along with Princess Bride, or listen to professional hecklers skewer whatever movie they feel like mocking as part of the Master Pancake series. All that, and you can have food and drink delivered right to your seat.
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County Line
Unless you have an enormous appetite, there’s no need to splurge on the all-you-can-eat meals. Most of the combos and platters of delicious ribs, brisket and sausage are – truly – all you can eat. We love the lakeside location (enjoy a beer on the dock while you wait) and the lake-lodge decor.
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Polvos
Fun, festive and just a little divey, Polvos serves central-Mexican food that always packs in a crowd. Try some of the dozen or so salsa varieties with one of the fierce margaritas.
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Casa de Luz
A peaceful commune feel wafts from Casa De Luz, where the set macrobiotic, organic, gluten-free - yet somehow tasty - meal changes at each sitting (daily menu posted on web).
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Half Price Books, Records & Magazines
A broad selection of excellent new and used books, with multiple locations around town.
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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.
The LBJ Library, named for the 36th President, is a highlight of any visit to Austin. It much propaganda, but also offers a candid look at the social and political climate of the 1960s.
Also on campus, the Texas Memorial Museum packs a huge art deco building with displays of Texas' natural and social history. Exhibits focus on geology, paleontology, anthropology and natural history. Don't miss the impressive pterodactyl skeleton.
The …
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Broken Spoke
If you are ready for a little Texas two-steppin’, there is only one place you should dream of going: the Broken Spoke. This is country-and-western nirvana – a totally authentic Texas dancehall that’s been in business since 1964. Here you’ll find dudes in boots and Wranglers two-stepping around a crowded dance floor alongside hipsters, college students and slackers; many consider it an essential Austin experience. (You’ll know you’ve arrived when you spot a big old oak tree propping up an old wagon wheel out front.)
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University of Texas
Whatever you do, don’t call it ‘Texas University’ – them are fightin’ words, usually used derisively by Texas Agriculture & Mining students and alum to take their rivals down a notch. Sorry, A&M, but the main campus of the University of Texas is kind of a big deal. Established in 1883, UT (and no, don’t call it ‘TU, ’ either) has the largest enrollment in the state – about 50,000 students hailing not just from around Texas, but from all over the USA and more than 100 foreign countries.
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Emo’s
Long one of Austin’s great punk-rock clubs, the expanded Emo’s still has some of the cheapest cover charges in town. Alternative bands rule here, including quite a few touring acts. There are at least three or four bands nearly every night with punk, alternative rock and heavy-metal tendencies, and two stages along with outdoor tables. Shows are all ages unless explicitly stated otherwise.
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Shady Grove Restaurant
‘Do you want inside or out?’ Really, what kind of question is that? We came for the shady patio, like everyone else. The lodgelike stone building is fine if it’s raining, or if you’re too hungry to wait, but outdoors under the pecan trees is prime real estate for enjoying everything from chili cheese fries to the vegetarian Hippie Sandwich.
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Tiniest Bar in Texas
The lounges around the Warehouse District (near the intersection of W 4th and Colorado Sts) are a bit more upscale and attract a more sophisticated crowd. Far W 6th St (from Lamar Blvd to Congress Ave) is the newest eat-and-drink destination: the fun-loving Tiniest Bar in Texas has a Wii game inside and a huge patio outside.
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Threadgill’s World Headquarters
Taking home cooking to a gluttonous new level, Threadgill’s lets you choose from a ridiculously long list of vegetable sides – something you just don’t get at home. Pair your meatloaf or chicken-fried steak with spinach casserole, butter beans, mac and cheese (not technically a vegetable, but still) and classic mashed potatoes and gravy.
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Lyndon Baines Johnson (LBJ) Library & Museum
History buffs aren’t the only ones who can find something of interest at the LBJ Library & Museum. There are some fascinating mementos from the 36th US president, including his presidential limo, a moon rock, and gifts from heads of state (‘Why, thank you Chiang Kai-shek, for this lovely Chinese tomb sculpture!’).
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Zilker Park Boat Rentals
- Austin, USA
- Activities › Other
Zilker Park Boat Rentals, just downstream from Barton Springs Pool, rents 17ft canoes and open-deck ocean kayaks. It also has maps and will describe the best routes. The price includes paddles and life jackets; arrive early on the weekends before the boats are all gone.
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Cactus Cafe
Inside the UT student union, this tiny venue has seen a stellar array of performers, including Lyle Lovett and Shawn Colvin, since it opened in the 1970s. Seating starts 45 minutes before showtime, but people start lining up even earlier. The focus is on the music, mostly acoustic.
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Uncommon Objects
‘Curious oddities’ is what they advertise at this quirky antique store that sells all manner of fabulous knick-knackery. The merchandise is displayed with an artful eye that makes browsing akin to visiting a rambling museum of memorabilia, all of which happens to be for sale.
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Trudy’s Texas Star
Get your Tex-Mex fix here; the menu is consistently good, with several healthier-than-usual options. But we’ll let you in on a little secret: this place could serve beans and dirt and people would still line up for the margaritas, which might very well be the best in Austin.
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