Must-see attractions in Austin

  • Congress Avenue Bridge bats in Austin during sunset.

    Bat Colony Under Congress Avenue Bridge

    Austin

    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…

  • The Texas State Capitol with flower garden. It was completed in 1888 in Downtown Austin. It contains the offices and chambers of the Texas Legislature and the Office of the Governor.

    Texas State Capitol

    Austin

    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…

  • Aerial view Downtown from Barton Creek in Greenbelt at Zilker Metropolitan Park south Austin with summer blue cloud sky. Located at eastern edge of Hill Country, Austin the state capital of Texas, US.

    Zilker Park

    Austin

    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 Tower, Statue of George Washington, Austin, Texas, USA

    University of Texas at Austin

    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…

  • Huge

    Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum

    Austin

    Big, glitzy and bursting with high-tech interactive exhibits, this showcase museum celebrates the story of the Lone Star State, from its earliest…

  • Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

    Austin

    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,…

  • Foyer of Blanton Museum of Art.

    Blanton Museum of Art

    Austin

    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…

  • Greetings from Austin Mural

    Austin

    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

    Austin

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

  • Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center

    Austin

    The fascinating Ransom Center is a major repository of historic manuscripts, photography, books, film, TV, music and more. Highlights include a complete…

  • I Love You So Much Mural

    Austin

    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…

  • Koi pond  covered with lily pads at Isamu Taniguchi Japanese Garden, located in Zilker Botanical Garden.

    Zilker Botanical Garden

    Austin

    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

    Austin

    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…

  • Hope Outdoor Gallery

    Austin

    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

    Austin

    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…

  • UMLAUF Sculpture Garden & Museum

    Austin

    If the weather's just too perfect to be inside a climate-controlled building, stroll the open-air UMLAUF Sculpture Garden & Museum, located in the south…

  • Austin Nature & Science Center

    Austin

    In the northwestern area of Zilker Park, this center has exhibitions of native Texan mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians and arthropods that have been…

  • Cathedral of Junk

    Austin

    An ongoing (and climbable!) backyard sculpture that turns one man's trash into everyone's treasure. Visitation is by appointment, by phone. Owner Vince…

  • Hi, How Are You Mural

    Austin

    Created by songwriter and artist Daniel Johnston, this iconic bug-eyed frog greets passersby near the University of Texas. Also known as Jeremiah the…

  • Dazed and Confused Mural

    Austin

    Alright, alright, alright. Fans of Matthew McConaughey and Dazed and Confused can pay their respects to Wooderson – the unrepentant admirer of high school…

  • SouthPop

    Austin

    Pop into this South Austin gallery for rotating exhibits that spotlight Austin's live music and entertainment scenes, from the 1960s to the present. One…

  • Mary Moore Searight Metropolitan Park

    Austin

    Home to a disc golf course, tennis courts, a playground and hiking trails, this South Austin fave is just over a mile west of I-35 (exit Slaughter Lane).

  • Texas Memorial Museum

    Austin

    We all know how kids feel about dinosaurs, and this natural history museum is the perfect place for them to indulge their fascination. Look up to see the…

  • Contemporary Austin

    Austin

    This museum operates two separate sites. The Jones Center, downtown, features rotating exhibits representing new artists, spreading through two gallery…

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