Austin, TX Road Trips

1 Austin Visitor Center, 602 East 4th Street, ☏ +1-866 GO-AUSTIN (46-287846). Daily 8:30AM–5:30PM. Austin weather is generally nice most of the year; activities are generally not limited by season. However, as Austin lies within Central Texas, be prepared to deal with the long, hot summers if you are visiting between May and September. It is not uncommon for daily high temperatures to be between 90 and 100 °F (32-38 °C) during this time — in fact, a day in the 80s is rare, and several days may even reach triple digits (90 days in 2011). The average heat index factoring in humidity is 101 °F (38 °C) during the day and 77 °F (25 °C) at night, and it's not unheard of to have a heat index upwards of 113 °F (45 °C) and not go below 81 °F (27 °C) at night on some particularly hot and sweltering days. If you are here when the weather is like this, dress accordingly, drink plenty of water, and do not plan on staying outside for long (nearly all indoor places are air-conditioned) — unless you're taking the opportunity to take a dip in Barton Springs Pool or any of the other swimming holes in the area. This is especially true if the heat index is around 105 or higher, which is considered to be dangerous. The interior of cars will get dangerously hot, especially if the windows are up and it's parked in the sun — don't leave pets or children in there, no matter how briefly. How hot the summer gets usually depends on the amount of precipitation the area has been getting.

Take a beautiful stroll around The University of Texas at Austin. While there you might want to visit the Blanton Museum of Art, the Harry Ransom Center, Texas Memorial Museum of Science and History, or view the public art around campus. The famous UT tower may or may not be open; inquire at the university. If it is, it is worth a look for the breathtaking views and history lesson. It is a tour though so you need to make reservations (see the previous link). The theater and music departments are both well regarded and have performances throughout the school year. If you visit during football season, you can see the Texas Longhorn football team play at Darrell K. Royal Texas Memorial Stadium. The Texas State Capitol is a must-see for new visitors to Austin. Unlike many other state capitols in America, Texas's is as welcoming as the state's people, and is completely open to the public seven days a week. In addition, Downtown Austin has a striking, unique skyline that is in some ways even prettier at night, when the buildings are lit up in different colors. Among the places from which you can see excellent views of the skyline are South Congress Avenue across the Colorado River, Stephen F. Austin Drive, West Cesar Chavez Street and several bridges.

Access ATX Tours, ☏ +1 512 999-8687, [email protected]. Access ATX Tours offers private Austin city tours and day trips to the Texas Hill Country and San Antonio. Also offers Austin food tours, Texas BBQ Trail Tours, and Wine Tasting/Distillery/Brewery Tours. Twisted Texas Tour, 602 E. 4th Street, ☏ +1 512 999-8687, [email protected]. every weekend. Austin's wildest ride with a live band on board the bus. Twisted Texas offers Brunch/Food Tours and Brewery Tours with live music, starting at $64 per person. Tours depart on weekends. $64-69. Segway Tours. Austin Segway Tours enable you to tour downtown Austin on the Segway. Learn to ride a Segway for $50 or tour downtown Austin for $75. Tours depart daily. Austin Tours, 555 E. 5th Street, #2811, ☏ +1 512 215-4603, [email protected]. Operating daily. Offers scenic carriage and van tours as well as ground transportation to several area landmarks including Arboretum, Round Rock, and UT. Priced from $16.95. TexasWineTours, ☏ +1 512 329-7007, [email protected]. Offers half and full day tours of the nearby Texas Wine country. Rent a chauffeured sedan, limo or minibus, generally departing between 10AM and noon daily. $50-1500. Independence Brewery Tour, 3913 Todd Lane #607, ☏ +1 512 707-0099, [email protected]. 1-3PM, first Saturday of the month. Austin's local microbrewery, if you're in town on a tour day they are worth the time to see (and sample). Bike Nation Tours and Rentals, 1108 Lavaca St, ☏ +1 512 663-9634. Rude Mechanicals (Rude Mechs).

When you visit Austin, or if you decide to live here, you'll have no shortage of interesting and satisfying places to eat. Austin's restaurants are a feast for the mind and the palate. The listings below are only a sampling of the diverse and plentiful Austin restaurant scene. Austin has many high-end, destination restaurants, but it also has many high-quality, unique, and inexpensive restaurants where the locals eat, drink, and socialize every day (all day). It's a town built for living in, and the affordable, excellent restaurants show it. Just so you know you're in Texas, Austin has a large number of places serving Texas Barbeque and Tex-Mex; many of them are venerable, famous, and exceptionally good eating. Austin is vegetarian-friendly, and many restaurants have a good selection to choose from. Most supermarkets such as HEB, Fiesta and Randall's offer inexpensive prepared food. In addition Austin was one of the first US cities to help spawn the whole food truck trend and has many food truck parks like St. Elmo Public Market, The Picnic, Thicket Food Park, 5000 Burnet, or Mueller Trailer Eats where large numbers of food trucks congregate. Many of these food trucks offer diverse offerings that are also easy on the wallet such as tacos, döner kebabs, vegan fare, pad thai, po-boy sandwiches or Venezuelan arepas. Some popular food trucks include East Side King, Chi’lantro, Hey Cupcake!, and the Peached Tortilla. While Austin has dining options ranging from casual to upscale, most of the popular restaurants skew towards the budget end of the spectrum.

Austin is coffee mad. The coffeehouse culture is strong and growing here in Austin, and you can hear poetry and live music at quite a few of these places, as well as getting light eats. Coffeehouses are where the liberal heart of Austin beats for all to see. Free wireless Internet connections are very common (and available at many other businesses as well). There are a number of local chains including Caffe Medici. Most gay and lesbian bars and night clubs are downtown with the highest concentration in the Warehouse district. For alcohol Austin's main strip is on 6th Street downtown. But like most entertainment districts that get raves in the media, it's a little overhyped. Check out the nearby Warehouse District and Fourth Street if you don't want quarter wells and million-dollar sorority girls. Most grocery stores (especially HEB and Central Market) carry a variety of Texas beer. There are several microbreweries operating in Austin, and you can expect to find their beer at outlets with moderate to wide selections: Independence Brewing Co.. (updated Sep 2025) Live Oak Brewing. You can find their beers on tap all over town. (512) Brewing Company. Just south of downtown in the SoCo neighborhood. Their beers are on tap in almost every bar in Austin. Jester King Craft Brewery. An emerging traditional farmhouse brewery a short drive west of town on a pastoral farm in the Hill Country. They offer tastings and tours every Saturday afternoon. There are also small brewpubs serving their own house-brewed beers to the local cognoscenti, many in the North Loop area.

Many hotels sell out for Austin festivals, particularly South By Southwest. Book well ahead for anything downtown.

1 Austin Bergstrom International Airport (AUS IATA) (6 mi (9.7 km) miles southeast of the city center). It's served by most major carriers, with non-stop service to 49 destinations by the following airlines: (updated Feb 2019) Barbara Jordan Terminal: Aeromexico, Air Canada, Alaska Airlines; American Airlines/American Eagle, British Airways, Condor, Copa Airlines, Delta, Frontier, Jetblue, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Lufthansa, Southwest, United/United Express, Volaris, and VivaAerobus. South Terminal: Allegiant, Sun Country and Via Air. There are a selection of buses, taxis, ride share (Uber & Lyft), shared ride shuttles and car rentals to get you into town and back. Chauffeured sedans or limos are also available to pick you up or drop you off at the airport but normally require advance reservations. Taxi fare to downtown Austin is approximately $30. You may also catch Capital Metro bus 20 from ABIA to Downtown Austin, $1.25 for one way or $2.50 for a 24-hour local pass. 2 Austin Amtrak station, 250 North Lamar Blvd. Served by the Texas Eagle Line with service from Chicago to San Antonio. Austin is on one major freeway and several regional highways, and its outskirts are served by several tollways. From San Antonio, head north on IH-35, about one and a half hours. From Dallas, head south on IH-35, about three hours. From Houston, head west on US-290 (or I-10 W to Hwy 71 W if you want to reach South Austin), about three hours. From I-10, take SH-130 Toll north to Austin.

Generally, the feasibility of seeing Austin by foot depends largely on the weather For those content to see only downtown Austin and who are in good shape, exploring most of the downtown area on foot is possible. There are many attractions within a 1- to 2-mile walk from most downtown hotels. Be prepared for potentially oppressive heat during the summer months. The University of Texas area, just north of downtown, is also very pedestrian friendly, and in fact can be a difficult place to get around by car (very hard to find a parking spot). Though there are some exceptions, most of downtown Austin is reasonably bike friendly. There is a high concentration of cyclists in the city, and many trails around town. Austin is hilly to the west but generally mildly sloping toward the river in the center of town. There are bike lanes on most major streets. Biking is a great way to get around year round and the weather is usually agreeable from mid-October to mid-April. May to mid-October temperatures may reach the high 90s to 100s °F (32-38 °C), and humidity may be a problem. Austin B-Cycle a.k.a. MetroBike. Has automated bike-rental stations in downtown, the University area, and near south Austin. Yellow Bike Project, ☏ +1 512-457-9880. Operates two community bike shops where individuals can go and repair their own bikes free of charge. Coordinators are present to answer any questions and guide you, but not to fix your bike for you. At the Main Shop on 51st Street there are 10+ work stands and tools sets available for use.

Austin is one of the safest major cities in the US. However, this does not mean that there is no crime. As with most American cities, credit cards are accepted nearly universally, especially for nightlife. Therefore, for convenience and safety, it's inadvisable to carry large amounts of cash. The number for police, fire, and medical services is 911. In many parts of Austin, there are beggars on the street corners, particularly off of the freeways, who will hold signs asking for money (panhandling). Consider donating instead to a legitimate charity, like Meals on Wheels, the Salvation Army or Austin Atheists Helping the Homeless. There is a district around 6th St. and Red River that houses a large homeless shelter known as the Arch. This area is generally safe during the day, but often filled with panhandlers at night. They can be fairly aggressive and sometimes follow people traveling alone. In addition, groups of muggers sometimes target intoxicated bar patrons who dare to depart on their own. There is generally a large, visible police presence (mounted, foot, and cruiser) at night in the 6th St. area. They are quite willing to let belligerent drunks dry out overnight in the city jail, but are able to offer free voluntary rides to "The Sobering Center" for nonviolent intoxicated persons who require a safe place to sober up. They do, however, provide a safe and secure area to enjoy yourself and Austin's famous live music. In the Rundberg area, you should not walk alone on the streets by yourself, especially around the I-35 area. Austinites tend to avoid this area.