tipphill

My friend and I want to visit Austin in July. Couple of questions ??? Too hot at that time of year?? Too much time in Austin??? Any suggestions on what we should see, perhaps other visits such as San Antonio???
We like music, nature, birds, shopping and good food along with a good time.
She is coming from Phoenix and myself from NY.

Thanks!!!

Rich

Compared to Phoenix, it's be downright balmy . . to NY, likely Hot!

7 days in Austin is too long for me. . From what you describe, a day at the LadyBird Wildflower Center might be good

https://www.wildflower.org/visit/

Will you have a car?

happytrailstoyou

Our favorite part of Texas is the Big Bend area: Fort Davis, Marta, Alpine, Presidio, the drive on 170 to Big Bend National Park, and spectacular Santa Elena Canyon. Unforgettable: http://visitbigbend.com

HTtY

darlenef17

It will be hot, but if your friend is from Phoenix, it won't be a problem. Seven days is not too long to spend in Austin if you're making it your base. There are many great day trips from Austin that can be reached in about an hour. Your decision will be not whether 7 days is too long, but whether you want to base out of Austin or move around. I would prefer moving around to get a feel for each of the places.
Sample itinerary for 7 days:
Day 1: See the State Capitol, Bob Bullocks Museum, go to the Wholefoods store (it's the flagship store and is AMAZING if you're a foodie!). In the evening, be at Congress Bridge at sunset to watch the bats take flight. It's an unforgettable sight!! Have dinner, and head to 6th street for all the music and partying you can stand!
Day 2: Head to Zilker Park and Barton Springs. Spend the morning exploring the park and the Springs. Have lunch then head over to the Trail at Ladybird Lake: Auditorium Shores. The Stevie Ray Vaughan statue on the river and a great close-in view of the Austin skyline give it a unique Austin feel. That evening, go back to 6th street if you didn’t get enough of it on the first night or for a different and also very good experience, go to Gruene (pronounced Green, like the color) for dinner on the river at The Gristmill, and live music at Gruene Hall. It’s an easy 45 minutes from Austin.
Day 3: Day trip to Natural Bridge Caverns (about 40 minutes), http://www.naturalbridgecaverns.com/...5))/Index.aspx and if you like shopping go to the outlet mall http://www.premiumoutlets.com/outlets/outlet.asp?id=77 on the way back. An alternate plan for this day, if you like the water, is tubing on the Comal or Guadalupe River in New Braunfels, also about 40 minutes. http://tubehaus.com/ This is just one of many outfitters. I also like Rockin’ R. http://www.rockinr.com/ It’s a wonderful experience and you don’t need to be exceptionally fit to do it.
Day 4: Check out of your Austin hotel and head to Fredericksburg. On your way, possible stops include: Pedernales Falls State Park; Lyndon B Johnson Historical Park/Ranch in Stonewall; Luckenbach; the Wildseed/Wildflower Farm; or a winery (do a bit of research to see what interests you!). Get to Fredericksburg in the early evening; have dinner and go to Luckenbach or another live music venue.
Day 5: Check out of hotel. Go to Enchanted Rock http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/state-parks/enchanted-rock early in the day before it gets hot. Have lunch in F'burg and spend the afternoon strolling Main Street and exploring the shops. Head to San Antonio about 4:00pm - it will take you about an hour to get there. Check into your hotel on the Riverwalk and go have dinner and stroll the River Walk.
Day 6: San Antonio attractions – El Mercado, La Villita, the River Walk, Hemisphere Plaza, the Alamo – there is a LOT to do here. Google for more information.
Day 7: Depart. The drive from San Antonio to the Austin airport is about 1 ½ hours depending on traffic.

jayne1973

Yes, it is going to be hot, and a classic summer thing in that area is tubing on the Comal River, which you can do in New Braunfels, where you'll also find the original Schlitterbahn water park. Here's a link to one good place to rent a tube: www.texastubes.com.

Cranachin

It's going to be more humid than your friend from Phoenix is used to, so take that into account. The dew point is likely to be in the 70s, and the humidity could range anywhere from 40% to 100%.

Go see Oklahoma! at the Zilker Hillside Theater in ZIlker Park (bring lawn chairs or blankets to sit on). It's "pay what you wish"—they "pass the hat" for donations at intermission. Thursday-Sunday evenings, starting July 11 and running through August 17.

http://www.zilker.org/showinfo.html

Check out the LBJ Presidential Library on the University of Texas campus.

http://www.lbjlibrary.org

Also at UT is the Harry Ransom Center, home to a Gutenberg Bible and the world's first permanent photograph from nature.

http://www.hrc.utexas.edu/exhibitions/

jill_h

Gruene
Fredricksburg
New Braunfels
San Antonio

All worth visiting while you're in Austin

dorfan2

Since you mention birds, you might want to check out the Congress Bridge bat spectacle:

http://www.videocityguide.com/Austin...ss-Bridge-Bats

Shopping: Guadalupe Street shops

Food: Food trucks and BBQ - Google search some good ones

youngtom2910

as many people on this list say, it depends on what you like. austin is famous for things like its music, the university of texas, and the LBJ library. but if you like museums and history, you might want to see dallas and ft worth as well if you have a week.

jackfischer

We absolutely love to go tubing in new braunfels and most importantly do it on the comal river. There is just not enough water on the guadalupe river any more due to lack of rain. Canyon lake feeds the guadalupe river, and since the lake levels are so low, they dont let much water out of the dam, resulting in, not a river float, but rather, you carry your tube thru ankle deep water most of the way.

The Comal river, is spring fed, water comes from the underground aquifer, and is 72 degrees all year long, and crystal clear.

Many of the river outfitters do not have much parking, but we found one that does. Theyre webisite is http://ComalTubes.com
They have a large parking area, they rent everything you need. Tubes, Floating Coolers, They sell beverages, ice, have free life jackets for the kids. Check out their App, http://toobtime.com too. If you score in the top 20 spots on the virtual tubing game, you float for free. Simply Awesome!

traveller1959

In any case, drive southwards through Texas Hill Country (Luckenbach, Gruene, Fredrichsburg, New Braunfels) to San Antonio. The Riverfront will be a nice alternative to Austin. Besides, San Antonio has many cultures (German, Mexican, Native American, the Missions...).

I personally love Big Bend National Park, but it won't be too different from southern Arizona and it will be hot and dry there.

In summer in Austin (and Luckenbach and Gruene and San Antonio), do it the Spanish way: enjoy the cooler nights in the music clubs and on the streets and the riverfronts and stay up late and take your siesta during the hot afternoon hours.

jamie99

The OP was taking his trip in July 2014.