Must-see attractions in Austin

  • Top Choice
    Bat Colony Under Congress Avenue Bridge

    Austin is known as the capital of Texas quirk, so it shouldn't be surprising that it's a city tradition to sit on the grassy banks of Lady Bird Lake and…

  • Top Choice
    Texas State Capitol

    Completed in 1888 using sunset-red granite, Texas’ state capitol is the largest in the US, backing up the familiar claim that everything’s bigger…

  • Zilker Park

    This 350-acre park is a slice of green heaven, lined with hiking and biking trails. The park also provides access to the famed Barton Springs natural…

  • University of Texas at Austin

    Whatever you do, don't call it 'Texas University' – them's fightin' words, usually used derisively by Texas A&M students to take their rivals down a notch…

  • Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

    Anyone with an interest in Texas' flora and fauna should make the 20-minute drive to the wonderful gardens of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center,…

  • 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. With…

  • Mt Bonnell

    On the weekend, you might find yourself tiptoeing around a wedding ceremony at Mt Bonnell, the highest point in the city at 775ft. This pretty overlook…

  • Greetings from Austin Mural

    Well of course you're going to pull over and take a photo in front of this wall-sized postcard. It's awesome. The eye-catching mural adorns the southside…

  • Mexic-Arte Museum

    This wonderful, eclectic downtown museum features works from Mexican and Mexican American artists in exhibitions that change every two months. Many are…

  • I Love You So Much Mural

    This simple expression of devotion draws legions of photo-taking lovebirds. Spray-painted on the side of Jo's Coffee on South Congress, it now joins the…

  • Zilker Botanical Garden

    These lush gardens cover 31 acres on the south bank of the Colorado River, with displays including natural grottoes, a Japanese garden and a fragrant herb…

  • Elisabet Ney Museum

    A German-born sculptor and spirited trailblazer, Elisabet Ney lived in Austin in the early 1880s, and her former studio is now one of the oldest museums…

  • George Washington Carver Museum

    On 19 June 1865, slaves in Texas were freed pursuant to the Emancipation Proclamation – 2½ years after it was signed by President Lincoln. This day is now…

  • Thinkery

    This huge, red, box-like building north of downtown inspires young minds with hands-on activities in the realms of science, technology and the arts. Kids…

  • Hope Outdoor Gallery

    For a wild collision of colors and art, make your way to this sprawling collection of graffiti that's been spray-painted across multilevel concrete ruins…

  • Museum of the Weird

    Pay the entrance fee in the gift shop, then step inside Austin's version of a cabinet of curiosities. It's more of a hallway of curiosities, really, lined…