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Zilker Park
Adjacent to Zilker Botanical Garden on the western edge of Zilker Park, this complex has an 80-acre preserve trail, interactive exhibits in the Discovery Lab that teach about the ecology of the Austin area, and animal exhibits focusing on subjects such as bees, birds of prey, and native wildlife. Parking is available under the Mopac Bridge.
2389 Stratford Dr., Austin, Texas, 78746, USA
Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free
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A number of high-style Victorian homes built between the 1850s and 1910 fill this area just a few blocks from the State Capitol. They were once owned by wealthy Austinites, including several members of the Bremond family of merchants and bankers. The homes are not open to the public but inquire at the Austin Visitor Center about self-guided walking tours.
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University of Texas Area
Named in honor of former governor Dolph Briscoe, the Briscoe Center at the University of Texas is a go-to scholarly resource for 750,000-plus photographs, thousands of archival documents, hundreds of handmade quilts, and over 50,000 music recordings. The staff are expert researchers who sift through these artifacts to chronicle a fascinating stockpile of American and Texas history. While much of the center functions as a research facility (available by reservation only), frequently changing exhibits of items from the collections are open to the public on weekdays.
2300 Red River St., Austin, Texas, 78712, USA
Sight Details
Rate Includes: Closed weekends, Reservations essential
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Most of Austin moves at a relaxed pace, but here, just a few miles outside the city limits, things speed up considerably. Circuit of The Americas was primarily built for Formula One Grand Prix racing—currently the only such facility in the United States—and when the F1 Grand Prix stops in the Lone Star State as part of a 19-country worldwide tour, 500 million pairs of eyes are on Austin. A wide range of other motor-racing events also take place here, and the grounds have hosted ESPN’s X-Games. The on-site 14,000-capacity amphitheater is a venue for countless big-name music acts, from Taylor Swift to the Rolling Stones.
9201 Circuit of The Americas Blvd., Austin, Texas, 78617, USA
View Tours and Activities
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University of Texas Area
Longhorns bleed burnt orange and nowhere is that more evident than at a game at Darrell K. Royal—Texas Memorial Stadium. Originally constructed in 1924, the stadium was renamed after the famed football coach in 1996. Today, it stands as a large reminder of his legacy. Catch a game or tailgate party, and make sure to look ahead: sometimes there are special exhibits in the end zone. The stadium does offer tours, but you'll have to check the website to see when the next one will be held.
2139 San Jacinto Blvd., Austin, Texas, 78712, USA
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Recommended Fodor’s Video
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West Austin
The oldest swimming pool in Texas (1915), this man-made, spring-fed swimming hole just off Lake Austin Boulevard was the centerpiece of an early-20th-century resort and was purchased and restored by the Works Progress Administration in the mid-1930s. In recent years, Friends of Deep Eddy, a volunteer community group, led a successful effort to fully restore the long-closed 1936 bathhouse. Today it remains a beloved local institution for all ages and walks of life.
401 Deep Eddy Dr., Austin, Texas, USA
Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free
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Though most people think Austin’s sports teams only wear burnt orange, a little ways north, the colors are all red, white, and blue. Dell Diamond is home to the Round Rock Express, a minor league baseball team that feeds into the Texas Rangers. And while it’s fun to catch a game under the wide-open sky and bright lights, the stadium itself is worth the trip alone. The state-of-the-art facilities have everything you’d expect—huge jumbotrons and a pool-party area sit behind the outfield—and some things that you might not, like a rock-climbing wall and bungee trampoline. Tours are held year round every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 9:30, 10, and 10:30, and also while the team is on the road during the summer.
3400 E. Palm Valley Blvd., Round Rock, Texas, 78665, USA
Sight Details
Rate Includes: $7
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Hyde Park
The 19th century lives on at this delightfully eccentric museum, where German Romanticism meets the Texas frontier. The historic home and studio of sculptor Elisabet Ney is a lovely gem in the Hyde Park neighborhood that showcases Ney's life and work, with more than 70 sculptures on display. Ney's studio, where she produced sculptures of historic figures, like Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston, is set up as she knew it, with sculpting tools, hat, teacup, and other items all in their proper places. The castle-like home is surrounded by native prairie grasses and more outdoor sculptures. Family-friendly art classes and special events are also hosted throughout the year.
304 E. 44th St., Austin, Texas, 78751, USA
Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free, Closed Mon. and Tues.
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Abner Cook, a leading architect of his day, designed this mansion, one of Austin's most elegant dwellings. Since 1865, this building has been the home of every Texas governor since the state's fifth, Elisha Marshall Pease. Constructed of bricks made in Austin and wood from nearby forests, the two-story National Historic Landmark bears the marks of those who have lived here, including James Hogg, the governor who, to keep his children from sliding down the banister on their rears, hammered tacks into the railing (the tack holes are still visible). Many fine furnishings, paintings, and antiques are on display, including Sam Houston's bed and Stephen F. Austin's desk. Free 20-minute tours are available if you reserve in advance.
1010 Colorado St., Austin, Texas, 78701, USA
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University of Texas Area
Part of the University of Texas, the Ransom Center is one of the world's greatest collectors and exhibitors of important literary papers and other artifacts related to the arts and humanities. Among its fantastic riches are the papers of Norman Mailer, Isaac Bashevis Singer, and Arthur Miller; Woodward and Bernstein's Watergate research materials; more than 10,000 film, television, and radio scripts; more than 10,000 film posters; and one million rare books, including an original Gutenberg Bible. Traveling exhibitions bring artifacts from classic masterpieces like Gone With the Wind and artist Frida Kahlo's "Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird" to the space.
Many documents can only be seen with advance notice, so call ahead if you have a specific item in mind.
300 W. 21st St., Austin, Texas, 78712, USA
Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free, Closed Mon.
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South Congress District
The story goes that Austin musician Amy Cook took a can of red spray paint to write her then-partner, Liz Lambert, a love letter on the side of Jo’s Coffee (one of Lambert’s businesses). The mural has since become a photo op for locals and visitors alike, and on any given day, you could see a couple getting engagement photos snapped or best friends hamming it up for Instagram against the now-famous mint-green backdrop. Lines for a quick photo op can stretch around the block on weekends.
1300 S. Congress Ave., Austin, Texas, 78704, USA
Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free
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This Mesozoic-era karst cavern 24 miles north of Austin was discovered in 1963 and opened to the public three years later. Visitors enter from a 1¼-mile hiking path. Tours vary in length from just a little more than an hour to nearly four hours, the latter not suitable for kids under 13. The temperature is a year-round 72°. Sometimes there are $1 coupons on the website.
4200 S. I-35, Georgetown, Texas, 78626, USA
Sight Details
Rate Includes: $20.95(Mon-Thurs) -$21.95(Fri-Sun)
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This 43-acre complex, founded in 1982 by Lady Bird Johnson and actress Helen Hayes, has extensive plantings of native Texas wildflowers that bloom year-round (although spring is an especially attractive time). The grounds include a visitor's center, nature trails, an observation tower, elaborate stone terraces, and flower-filled meadows. Seasonal calendars include various family-friendly and educational events that are free and open to the public.
4801 La Crosse Ave., Austin, Texas, 78739, USA
Sight Details
Rate Includes: $12
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University of Texas Area
The artifacts and documents on exhibit here provide some insight into the 36th president's mind and motivations, and though his foibles are downplayed, a clear sense of the man—earthy, conniving, sensitive, and wry—emerges. In an age when the average car is loaded with digital gadgets and 12-year-olds with cell phones are commonplace, Johnson's black Lincoln limousine and clunky, command-central telephone seem quaintly archaic, though they were state-of-the-art during his presidency. If you schedule your visit to the reading room in advance of your arrival, you can listen to recordings of conversations Johnson had using that telephone. The 30-plus hours of tape recordings include ruminations on Vietnam, economic inflation, and a New York City transit strike. Gordon Bunshaft designed the monolithic travertine building that houses the library; like the limo and the phone, it's a bit of a period piece. There are rotating temporary exhibits on the ground floor.
Be sure to check out the second floor, where a life-size audio-animatronic figure of LBJ spins humorous anecdotes; it's a hoot.
2313 Red River St., Austin, Texas, 78705, USA
Sight Details
Rate Includes: $13
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Owned by art enthusiast and collector Lora Reynolds, this gallery encompasses a wide range of artistic media. Having worked in London and New York galleries, Reynolds was inspired to bring a vast diversity of contemporary art to Austin in the downtown area. The small, linear art space is a one-of-a-kind in the Austin art community, attracting international artists with a modern aesthetic who show original drawings, sculptures, photography, and painting exhibits in the main exhibition space and the "Project Room," where more than a dozen artists are featured throughout the year.
360 Nueces St., Austin, Texas, 78701, USA
Sight Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun.–Tues.
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East Austin
Decidedly un-artsy in its former incarnation as an auto-body shop, this space now hosts an exciting, artist-managed gallery that has launched many a contemporary artist onto the scene. In addition to the 1,500 square feet of gallery space, there are several project studios where local and national artists create new works in a variety of media, making for a singularly unique gallery experience for visitors. MASS also has a lively program of seasonal film screenings, musical performances, artist talks, and community outreach activities.
705 Gunter St., Austin, Texas, 78702, USA
Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free, Closed Mon.–Thurs.
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Downtown
Founded in 1984, this museum is a beguiling, moderate-size showcase devoted to traditional and contemporary Mexican and Latin American art. The permanent collection includes lithographs, prints, silkscreens, etchings, and traditional ritual masks. If you're in town for their popular annual Day of the Dead celebration, the Viva la Vida Fest (late October or early November), you're in for a treat. Admission is free on Sunday.
419 Congress Ave., Austin, Texas, 78701, USA
Sight Details
Rate Includes: $7
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Downtown
Writer William Sydney Porter, better known as O. Henry, rented this modest cottage from 1893 to 1895. Moved a few blocks from its original location, the home today contains O. Henry memorabilia, including original drawings, artifacts, and period furniture. It also hosts the extraordinarily popular O. Henry Pun-Off World Championships, held in its backyard every May since 1977.
409 E. 5th St., Austin, Texas, 78701, USA
Sight Details
Rate Includes: Free; donations accepted, Closed Mon. and Tues.
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Downtown
In 1876, Swedish baker Charles Lundberg built this charming building near the Capitol and operated it as a bakery for the next 60 years. Rescued from demolition after years of neglect, the bakery is now a registered National Historic Landmark, owned by the city, and remains a beautiful mainstay of Congress Avenue. The Old Bakery is a welcoming space that houses historical collections that display Austin's transformation since the pioneer days, plus an art gallery featuring handmade artisanal crafts made by citizens aged 50 and over. It makes for a nice stop before or after touring the Capitol.
1006 Congress Ave., Austin, Texas, 78701, USA
Sight Details
Rate Includes: Closed Sun.–Tues.
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North Austin
The home of the Austin Football Club (the city's first major professional sports team) is a state-of-the-art stadium located just north of downtown off Burnet Road. There are clear-bag restrictions at the gate, but staff is helpful and informative when it comes to navigating the facility, which includes a great selection of local food stalls, like Tacodeli and Bao'd Up. You'll see fans decked out in green throughout the city on game days as they head to the stadium. A bevy of local restaurants, bars, and breweries are nearby for pre- or postgame parties.
10414 McKalla Pl., Austin, Texas, 78758, USA