SXSW an issue?: 4 Days In Austin 8-11
 

Will be spending March 8-11 in Austin (hotel booked). Thought I would split 2 days in Hill Country and 2 days in Austin. Will the city be setting up for the festival with street closures and limited parking? Would it be best to visit The city first and go to the Hill Country last? I would be driving into the city from a hotel near the airport. Are parking garages plentiful?

About 72,000 attend over the course of SXSW.

Austin (city) has about 900,000 residents.

I wouldn't stay out near the airport.

I don't think it matters which days you spend in the city and which in the Hill Country. What matters more is that you are staying out by the airport and driving into downtown. Why not try and get a place downtown, park the car, and just walk around? Just for fun, I checked the Austin Motel for your nights. March 10 & 11 are available. It's not a fancy place but the location on S. Congress is great.

Yes, there are plenty of parking garages downtown. And traffic sucks, just so you know!

<<I would be driving into the city from a hotel near the airport.>>

Bad choice.

Austin has a population around 750k people and road capacity of a city half its size.

Staying at the hotel because I have to for business. Thanks for the road report. It was as I suspected. I will just make do.

Well, in that case, I would probably do the city first and Hill Country last. We usually parked in the City Hall parking garage downtown. You can Google it for directions, cost, etc. If you're a walker, you can easily walk all over downtown and the S. Congress area. Also, don't miss walking on Town Lake Trail (you will see it referred to as Ladybird Lake, but nobody calls it that).

Thank you for a very helpful reply! Positively want to walk around, listen for great music and take-in the city. Thanks again!

Depending on your age, west of Congress in the 2nd, 3rd & 4th Street area you will find bars that cater to a crowd older than the college kids. Also, West Sixth area is nice. East Sixth is where you'll find tons of bars and lots of activity. This is basically Austin's version of Bourbon Street, and where you will find lots of drunk college students.

South of the river is the SoCo District (South Congress) and here you will find eclectic shops, restaurants, etc. Check out the Continental Club here for nightly music. Another popular place is the Rainey Street area.

Have fun!