Monday, June 15, 2015

24 hours in Austin, Texas

Are you planning a holiday to Texas? Are you driving through Austin? Do you have a short layover in Austin and looking to explore the city while waiting for your connecting flight? Are you on a business trip to Austin and have some spare time to explore the city?

Keep Austin Weird

Well, if you have answered ‘YES’ to any of the questions above, you might be interested in this article about some of the top attractions and experiences to be had in the super cool city of Austin.

Capitol Building - a popular tourist attraction in Austin

Austin, the capital of Texas is a happening city. Be it live music shows, nightlife, bars and pubs, art and culture or outdoor life, Austin has it all. Nestled by the Colorado river, this city with its universities and business district has a young and energetic appeal to it. This is in addition to its Texan character of living life king size and always enjoying oneself. 

Angry Eggroll Street Graffiti in Austin, Texas

If you have 24 hours to spend in Austin, here’s what all you can do. And since Austin is a moderately sized city, you can get to all these places fairly quickly. 

1) Music Festivals
Colorful atmosphere on Austin's 6th street

Austin is home to the famous South by SouthWest music festival. While, this is the biggest music festival of this city, Austin hosts many other music festivals, live music shows and attracts artists from all over the country. If you are in town and there is a music festival happening, you have to attend it. If there is no big music festival taking place, you can check out for the live music shows happening at the various bars and clubs in town. Basically, you will find good music all round the year in this city.

2) Micro Breweries and Bourbon Tasting

Pub Crawler Cycle with running beer tap at Austin

Kentucky might be the home of bourbon, but Austin isn’t far away. If you are a bourbon lover, you will get to taste a great set of bourbon or rye whiskeys at any of the bars in the city. There are also many micro breweries where you can taste some fine brew and some amazing bourbon whiskey. My favorite is the Harrison Brothers micro brewery on the outskirts of the city.

Roof Top bar at Austin

Lager, micro and all kinds of beer flow in the different taps of the city. If you feel adventurous, you could indulge in a pub crawl. If not, you could find a classic bar and sip your favorite drink.

3) 6th Street and Historic District

6th Street is like the center of all action in Austin. Coyote Ugly to street art, tattoo shops to roof top bars, beautiful architecture to great shopping, Austin’s 6th street is where it is all. Pick yourself a cowboy hat here and soak in all the energy of this street in true Texan style.

Classic looking theater in downtown Austin historic district

Be it day or night, this street is always buzzing with insane amounts of energy. This is the place you want to hang out at if you are looking for great music, food and nightlife.

4) Lady Bird Lake Hiking Trail

Ladbird Lake and Downtown Austin bathed in golden sunset rays, Austin

If you are an outdoor person, you will absolutely love the pristineness of Lady Bird Lake’s hiking trail. It is even better if you love the water. This lake formed by the Colorado river is at one end of downtown Austin. It is an ideal place for running, cycling, skating, kayaking, rafting, skate boarding, relaxed walks, walks with pets and much more. It is the place I would go to in the early morning and late evening hours.

Sunset from the Ladybird Lake boardwalk

And while you are here, don’t miss the sunset from over the bridge. This has to be possibly one of the best views of Austin.

5) Congress Avenue and Texas State Capitol

Texas Capitol Building at Austin

The Texas State Capitol is a national historic landmark and is one that towers the Austin landscape as soon as you reach the historic quarter of Congress Avenue. This monument built in Italian Renaissance Revival architecture is taller than the Capitol building in Washtington DC and at the time of its construction was one of the largest buildings in the world. It is a great place to learn some history about Texas. If you are not into history or monuments, I am sure that you would definitely like to take a #selfie in front of this Austin icon.

Austin Street Graffiti

Have a great time in Austin! Keep Austin Weird!
After some Texan character, if you wish for some beach, sand, sun and umbrella drinks, head to Florida’s Orlando, which offers great value for package deals.

Trip Courtesy:
Discover America, the tourism board of the United States of America.

Trip Hashtags: #DiscoverAmerica #RoadTripUSA 

Austin

Hashtags:
#trueaustin #visitaustintx | Facebook: @visitaustintexas and @texastourism | Twitter: @VisitAustinTX and @texastourism | Instagram: @visitaustintx

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