What to do In Austin, TX

The slogan "Keep Austin Weird" was once a barometer for the type of experience you might embrace as a visitor. Find it intriguing and Austin, Texas' appeal was in its quirky boutiques, contemporary art showcases, and alternative music venues. Those less enamored by a promise of eccentricity instead found treasure in the staid halls of the State Capitol or the annals of history at the LBJ Library. Now that the slogan's ethos—the promotion of all things local and independent—has become less weird and more mainstream, Austin vacation packages defy characterization. Take a trip to the heart of Texas and enjoy Austin attractions like the conventional or weird tourist that you are. Or make your own adventure. Follow that wanderlust wherever it may lead you.

Things to Do in Austin

Austin is known for its unique boutiques, and if shopping is your pursuit, bring your canvas totes to the SoCo district where such stores thrive. Hit the same part of the city at night for its lively bars and music venues and discover why this is the "Live Music Capital of the World." Twilight is a special time in Austin when sections of the city are gently illuminated by some 17 moonlit towers, a late-19th-century conceit preserved nowhere else in the world. Sunset is also the time to follow crowds of locals and visitors to the Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge, which spans Lady Bird Lake. For most of the year, the bridge's nooks and crannies are home to a colony of more than a million bats, whose nightly mass departure is a spectacularly Gothic scene. Choose one of our hotels in Austin on the shores of Lady Bird Lake and you can step from your hotel room into the warm, natural waters of Barton Springs Pool, or launch a kayak on the lake and spend some peaceful hours paddling. Strolling the lakeside trail is another one of the most pleasant things to do in Austin in the outdoors.

From bluebonnets to bats, Austin's allurements are waiting. Get mobile exclusive deals on the Travelocity app and discover them for yourself.