Talk about your favorite things to do in Austin.

Austin is a fun town, they claim to be the "live music capital of the world" and I believe it. It's definitely a college town, probably still high from the NCAA football championship run.

There's Barton Springs, a relaxing natural cold water spring in Zilker Park just outside the downtown area. It's very cheap at $3 and you might be lucky to be there on a free admission day.

A truly impressive sight is dusk at the Congress Avenue Bridge. From March to November, the bridge is roost to 1.5 million Mexican freetail bats that come out when night approaches to find food. It's free and something you must see.

I’ve lived in Austin for 14 years (almost my whole life) and it’s a great city with plenty of nightlife and culture. I moved away once, and now that I’m back I don’t think I’ll ever leave!
Out of all the Texas cities this is the most unique, after all a mission of ours is to “Keep Austin Weird”. I’m very excited that ya’ll are coming to my hometown! Most people think that all Texas is cowboys and ranches, but that’s not the half of it. Austinites work hard and play hard.

As far as food I would suggest…

Stubbs Bar-B-Q on Sixth Street is a good bet for B-B-Q.

The Salt Lick is traditional Texas barbeque, it’s out of town a little but it’s well worth the drive. You’re allowed to bring your own beer, and you get a lot of food for your money. Everyone who comes to Austin must experience this dining experience.

Las Manitas Avenue Café has great Mexican food, a staple in an Austinite’s diet. Try to go for breakfast, seeing as how lunch is usually crowded. Breakfast Tacos are a typical tex-mex breakfast AND are very filling.

Amy’s Ice Cream was founded in Austin and there are locations throughout. All the stores are decorated uniquely with bright colors, and a funky 50’s dinner feel. They have more than the average strawberry, chocolate and vanilla with flavors like Mexican vanilla (recommended!), Biscotti and Guinness.


Night life!
Austin is most defiantly the Live Music capital of the World! We’re home to “Austin-City limits, which features famous bands from all over (including local ones), and people come from all over Texas (and the world) to experience the hip music scene.

You absolutely must hit the clubs and venues on 6th street and the Warehouse district. There’s plenty of live music and up-and-coming musicians. 6th street is where all the UT students visit for (mostly) cheap drinks and good music. The Warehouse district is a little bit of a different scene, and for a little older crowd.

Emo’s, located on Sixth Street, has great local and touring punk-rock bands and ice cold longnecks that are very affordable.

I would also recommend Antone’s Nightclub (on Fifth Street), which is a landmark for live music here, and has been for more than a 25 years. It was originally a blue’s venue, but now offer’s many genres of live music to enjoy.

In all I’d say just walk down 6th Street and you’ll find what you want, depending on your taste in music.

I think I’ve written enough for now so I’ll post more later…

They Should take the Duck tours in austin. By Ducks, I mean those vehicles that can go on land and water. It is very imformative and is very fun. They also need to check out the Austin Zoo.

Another must is to grab a donut at Round Rock Donuts, those are some of the best donuts in the world.

Make the treck out to Shiner, Tx and tour the brewery of the "national beer of Texas" and get some free samples.

See the bats at dusk

Visit Hamilton Pool

Attend a UT football game. If you're there on Nov 24 it's the Texas v A&M game, big deal in texas.

shop designer digs the Neiman Marcus Last Call. $50 might actually get you far there

For the best BBQ EVER, and great scenery to boot, go to The County Line. There are two locations, and each has great scenery. Choose Either County Line On The Lake, for a beautiful riverside and forested view, or The County Line on The Hill to be in the midst of hill country with a scene that stretches for miles.

I agree with kevinlew that Barton Springs is a must do for some relaxation. It's a natural spring where you can go canoeing ($7) or swimming ($3). The water is 64 degrees Farenheit year-round. While there you can also go hiking through the GreenBelt. This is 7.9 miles with trails and nature in the middle of the city.

Another great place to see a great view of Austin is to go to Mount Bonnell. This is the highest point in the city. Pack a picnic and enjoy the view of the city. A plus is also the fact that it's 100% free but you do need a car to get there.

Finally food wise - Y'all definitely need to eat some Tex-Mex while y'all are down here. Try Trudy's Tex Mexican Restaurant. I reccommend the Stuffed Avocadoes and try a Mexican Martini. Be warned though they'll only serve you 2 mexican martini's per person because they are strong!!! The original Trudy's is located 4 blocks north of UT campus, off of 30th street.

Hey TJs! Y'all definitely need to stop by the Congress Avenue Bridge in downtown Austin. It is home to 750,000 bats. They fly out from under the bridge each evening around sunset and emerge like a black cloud from under the brige. Go quickly because they hang around til October then head south. It can take up to 45 minutes for all the bats to exit the bridge and are plenty locations along Town Lake near the bridge where you can watch the bats. Flights are around 8:00 to 8:30 but call the Bat Hotline at 416-5700 ext. 3636 for times. Good Luck and Happy Travels!

The tj's should maybe see real american football via a high school football game.

They should go through Amarillo, and eat at the Big Texan.

Austin is a city more toward a person that is 18 to their mid 20's.
A definite most is to attend at Univ of Texas football game, its a something that is hard to explain to someone from outside the U.S. Its an experience that displays the #1 sport in Texas and in the U.S.
Also, the downtown nightlife is a place that a person could experience both food, music, and local people all at the same time, preferably 6th street. I'd suggest the Libary as a place to go drink at with the local people of austin.
Another thing is to try Shiner Beer its made only in Texas.
There are so many restaurants i wouldnt be able to say which one is the best. But authetic mexican food from local mexican restaurants not corporate restaurants, are very good.
Barton springs is another place, its a natural cold water spring outside of downtown.
For free transportation the Univ of Texas shuttle buses are free and will take a person just about to every part of Austin.

you can't go there without seeing the capital. it's a great looking building. Also, since San Antonio is so close, you must see that city, but most inportantly the alamo and the riverwalk.

hey TJs!
I think that while you are down in the south, you NEED to see a highschool football game. Hopefully you will be down here around Thanksgiving, so you might be able to catch the traditional thanksgiving football games. Most highschools play their rival teams on Thanksgiving, so it is always fun to be in the stands even if you have no idea what is going on. Usually you have to pay for a ticket, but it shouldnt be that much. Hope you enjoy the states!

Interesting suggestions! Quite different from all the other cities, from the look of it. Sarah_heat, Amy's Ice Cream sounds like a real winner! I'm down for some Round Rock Donuts, too, Roseclown! Am I sounding like a glutton now? Not yet? Well, give me some of that BBQ, too!

I'm not a huge football fan, but watching a live game might change that! If anyone can accompany us, I'm definitely going to watch! If you come in your school's colors, I'll cheer right along with you! You have to teach me the cheers, too!

Lastly, I LOVE bats! A black moving cloud sounds like a real visual spectactle! Hope we get to Austin before the bats head South. Thanks for that one, Leepcox!

I'll second Sarah's Salt Lick & Amy's recommendations. As a foreign student 15 yrs ago, I also loved to go to Rudy's near north Austin - "The Worst BBQ in Texas". I ate their biskets and pork ribs by pounds...hmmm, yummy! Too bad I'm now in Chicago.