Austin: Top 10 Things To Do

So I’ve already raved about the hotels and restaurants, but even better are all the things you and your family can do in Austin. This is the final post in a three part series – make sure you also check out Austin:Top 10 Hotels, and Austin:Top 10 Restaurants, to get all the inside scoop.

There are so many fun, cool and unique things to do in Austin – add yours to the comment section below. Have fun, y’all!

1. Lady Bird Lake

Austin is an active city, and many of the activities take place on Lady Bird Lake. Weather permitting, there are plenty of places around the Lake to rent kayaks, canoes, stand up paddle boards and water bikes. Our favorite activity was biking along the 1o mile Lady Bird Lake Hike and Bike Trail which we did three out of the five days we were in Austin. We rented Trek bikes (and helmets) in excellent condition from Mellow Johnny’s, which is conveniently located a few blocks from the Trail and an easy 10 minute walk from the Four Seasons. Fun trivia: Lance Armstrong made this bike shop famous – check out his yellow bike jerseys on the wall.

2. University of Texas at Austin

While in Austin, I highly recommend spending some time at the University of Texas at Austin . Kids and adults alike will enjoy walking around the impressive UT campus (one of the largest public universities in the US).  My kids especially loved seeing the massive Longhorn football stadium. There are also two excellent museums at UT: the Harry Ransom Center (featuring the world’s first photograph and the Watergate papers of Woodward and Bernstein) and the Blanton Museum of Art (one of the largest university art museums in the country with over 17,000 works from Old Masters to contemporary art in a beautiful, well organized space). If you have time, you should also book an advance ticket to go to the top of the UT Observation Tower. An elevator takes you to the 27th floor and then you walk up three flights of stairs to the observation deck. The views of both UT and Austin in all directions are great (make sure you bring your camera).

3. LBJ Presidential Library

One highlight of our trip was our visit to the incredible LBJ Presidential Library. This is my first presidential library (hopefully not my last) and everyone in our family loved it, including our three teenagers. The museum itself features a great layout that makes it easy to tour without a guide (even an audio guide is unnecessary). Make sure you start the tour by watching the excellent short film chronicling LBJ’s life. The exhibits describe LBJ’s rise to power from small town Texas teacher to President of the United States. Some museum highlights: the Lincoln limousine with the Presidential Seal LBJ drove around Austin after his presidency; replicas of both Lady Bird’s office and LBJ’s Oval Office; and our favorite, the bank of phones where you can listen to some of LBJ’s actual phone conversations (I particularly enjoyed his calls with Jackie Kennedy and the president of the Gant trouser company, although the Gant call may not be appropriate for children). The LBJ Library was the perfect way for our kids to learn more about the sixties – JFK’s assassination, the Civil Rights Bill and the Vietnam War are all covered here.

4. Texas State Capitol

We regretted not having time to tour the inside of the State Capitol (we did walk around the exterior). While modeled on the larger U.S. Capitol, the Texas State Capitol still holds the title of the largest state capitol building in the U.S (this is Texas after all). And in typical Texas style, the word “Texas” shows up everywhere, even in the chandeliers (so sad I missed seeing that!) Our waiter at the Four Seasons, who was the best Austin tour guide possible (seriously), said to make sure to take one of the free tours available every 15 minutes. This is definitely on our list for our next visit!

5. Barton Springs Pool

Leave it to Austin to have a truly unique public pool. Barton Springs Pool is three acres in size, about 900 feet long and has a natural gravel bottom. Because the pool is naturally spring fed (no chlorine necessary), its temperature averages 68-70 degrees, making it ideal for year round swimming.  There is a diving board and lifeguards during busier times. The pool is open daily from 5 am to 10 pm, except it is closed every Thursday for cleaning (it also closes for spring cleaning for two weeks every year).  Admission is charged most of the year (around $4 for non residents). I love that dogs are also welcome to jump in and join the fun.

6. Bats!

As I mentioned in my Four Seasons Hotel Austin post in Austin:Top 10 Hotels, I was so disappointed to find out we would not be viewing the world famous bat experience during our December trip to Austin. In March and April every year, thousands of bats (many of them pregnant) migrate to Austin from Mexico. It is estimated that approximately 750,000 to over one million bats live under the Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge every summer, making it the largest urban bat colony in the U.S. Every night around sunset, the bats take off from under the bridge in search of insects to eat for dinner. The ideal time to view the bats is August when the baby bats are ready to join in the fun. The show generally takes place around 8 o’clock and lasts about 45 minutes. In October, the bats head back home until the following year. If possible, view from the Trio patio with a delicious Batini Black cocktail in hand. Curious? Here’s the recipe.

7. Mount Bonnell

At over 700 feet, Mount Bonnell offers beautiful views of Lake Austin and the city itself from the top. Getting there is a relatively easy hike up 100 or so stairs. Perfect for a picnic lunch or a place to enjoy the sunset.

8. Listen To Live Music

It’s no wonder Austin is known as the “live music capitol of the world”. Yes, Austin is well known for its music festivals Austin City Limits (two weekend music extravaganza every October featuring over 130 acts) and the world famous South by Southwest (originally just music but now a huge film and interactive media conference as well), but that’s only the beginning. From the Austin airport, Whole Foods‘ flagship store (worth a visit, especially when they have ice skating on their rooftop) to many small bars and restaurants, live music seems to be everywhere, whether you are looking for it or not. Although there are too many venues to list, here are a few worth checking out:  Austin City Limits Live, one of Austin’s best live music venues and the home of the PBS series of the same name (the longest running music series in U.S. television history); The Paramount Theatre, a 100 year old beautifully restored theatre located in downtown Austin that serves as both a live music venue and old style movie theatre; and The Continental Club Gallery, a cool, intimate lounge complete with secluded seating and a ping pong table, located upstairs from the “grandaddy of all music venues” The Continental Club (fun fact: The Continental Club was featured in the movie Boyhood). Grab a copy of the local weekly The Austin Chronicle for a full listing of live music.

9. Explore SoCo

For an eclectic mix of restaurants, bookstores, funky shops and live music, make sure you visit South Congress Avenue (SoCo). While on SoCo, stop in funky Lucy In Disguise, an 8,000 square foot costume and vintage clothing emporium with a huge assortment of costumes for sale or rent, shoes, jewelry, accessories, props, etc. For a treat, visit Big Top Candy Shop, a charming old fashioned candy store with every kind of candy imaginable (even the old school stuff) and a soda fountain. Tip: Big Top’s official hours are “open ’til we close” so you might want to call ahead to make sure your kids (or you) won’t be disappointed. Whether in the market for cowboy boots or not, check out Allen’s Boots. With over 4,000 boots, cowboy hats and Western apparel, this is boot shopping, Texas style. And if you get hungry while exploring SoCo, your entire family will love burgers at Hopdoddy and ice cream at Amy’s Ice Cream.

10. Friday Night Lights Tour

For some fun pre-trip research, watch the TV series Friday Night Lights or Richard Linklater’s films Boyhood and Dazed and Confused, all filmed in Austin. The former NBC series Friday Night Lights is sacred to our family (we won’t erase the finale off our DVR) so we jumped at the chance to see some of the show’s locations (the addresses are easily accessible online). Some highlights: the Alamo Freeze, Garrity Motors, Ray’s BBQ, Saracen’s house and Panther’s Field. Tim Riggins’ Land is further out and is exactly that, a plot of land (poor Riggins never did get around to finishing his dream house). Wherever you go in Austin, don’t leave town without toasting “Texas Forever” (if you are a FNL fan, you’ll know exactly what to do).