austin area overview

Welcome to Austin, the state capital and gateway to attractions in Central Texas. With Austin as your base, you’ll have a chance to visit both rugged hills to the west and miles of scenic roads and interesting small towns to the east.

Austin is a high-tech city, with an economy based on computer-related industries and state government. The city of Austin takes in more than 995,400 residents, including a University of Texas population of more than 50,000 students and faculty from around the world. This gives Austin an international feel, with many ethnic restaurants and specialty grocery stores. Many people have relocated here, attracted by the clean industry and beautiful weather. Over the past decade Austin has burst its boundaries and now encompasses a sprawl of about 1.9 million residents in the metropolitan area.

New residents aren’t the first to discover the beauty of Austin. When Mirabeau B. Lamar, the president-elect of the Texas Republic, set out to hunt buffalo in the fall of 1838, he returned home with a much greater catch than a prize buffalo: a home for the new capital city. Lamar fell in love with a tiny settlement surrounded by rolling hills and fed by cool springs. Within the coming year, the government arrived and construction on the capitol building was begun. Austin was on its way to becoming a city.

Since those early days there’s been no looking back. Today Austin is a city on the move. Hollywood has discovered this big city with a small-town atmosphere, and it’s not uncommon these days to see film crews blocking off an oak-lined street. High-tech industries have also migrated to Austin, making this area Texas’s answer to Silicon Valley.

But for all the changes that have occurred in this capital city, Austin is still very much a town with a past that the city is proud to preserve and show off to its visitors.

A visit to Austin should begin downtown, where the Colorado River slices through the heart of the city. Once an unpredictable waterway, the Colorado has now been tamed into a series of lakes, including two within the Austin city limits. The 22-mile-long Lake Austin begins at the foot of the Hill Country and flows through the western part of the city.

Lake Austin flows into Lady Bird Lake (named for former First Lady, the late Lady Bird Johnson). This narrow stretch of water, formerly known as Town Lake, meanders for 5 miles through the center of downtown Austin. Several hotels overlook the beautifully planted greenbelts that line the lakeshore. In the late afternoon hours, locals grab their sneakers and head to Zilker Park or the lake shores for a jog or leisurely walk. When the sun sets on summer days, attention turns to the lake’s Congress Avenue bridge, the location of the country’s largest urban colony of Mexican free-tailed bats. The bats make their exodus after sunset to feed on insects in the Hill Country.

Many of Austin’s historical buildings are found downtown, and the granddaddy of them all is the State Capitol. Tours introduce you to this pink-granite building that holds the distinction of being the tallest state capitol in the US.

The Governor’s Mansion (txfgm.org) lies just south of the Capitol. After an extensive renovation, the mansion is open for free guided tours Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 2 to 4 p.m. Call (512) 463-0063 for reservations.

Continuing south of the Capitol is the Driskill Hotel, Austin’s most historic hotel. Since 1886 this property has been a stopover for dignitaries, heads of state, legislators, and vacationers from around the globe.

The Capitol, the Governor’s Mansion, and the Driskill are all historical Austin landmarks, but they’re just babes when compared to the French Legation, Austin’s oldest existing home. Located in east Austin at 802 San Marcos, this is the only foreign legation in the country ever built outside of Washington, DC. (Wondering why it was built in Austin? Don’t forget: Texas was once a separate country—complete with its own foreign ambassadors!)

Austin’s most famous museum is the Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library, located on the University of Texas campus. Special exhibits illustrate the Vietnam conflict, the civil rights movement, and the advances in education that took place during these years. Visitors can also view extravagant gifts received from other countries, a limousine used by the president, and family memorabilia.

On the southern end of the University of Texas campus, you’ll find the Blanton Museum of Art. One of the largest university art museums in the country, the Blanton’s collection includes more than 17,000 works and is recognized for its old master paintings as well as modern and contemporary American and Latin American art. And off-campus but within easy walking distance lies the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum, which showcases the history of the Lone Star State from European exploration to recent times.

After a day of touring, Austin presents plenty of other entertainment options. The heart of Austin’s nightlife is Sixth Street, a historic 7-block area with many nightclubs and restaurants, as well as eclectic shops that are open during the day. And if you get hungry in the capital city, have no fear—Austin is home to more restaurants and bars per capita than any other city in the nation.

live music capital of the world

Austin has earned its nickname thanks to the large number of live music venues scattered throughout the city. On any given night, about 100 venues ranging from concert halls to alternative bars to honky-tonks move to the sound of live music. The city has drawn many well-known names who select Austin not just for performances but for their home. Today Austin is home to Robert Plant, Willie Nelson, Asleep at the Wheel, Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks, Eric Johnson, and others.

And if all that dining creates a need for a little activity, fun comes in many forms. In the warm months, Austin really lives up to its nickname, “The River City,” since everyone takes to Lake Austin and nearby Lake Travis to enjoy swimming, scuba diving, waterskiing, and boating. Golfers find plenty of challenges in this area as well.

Austin spreads out into the suburban communities of Round Rock, Cedar Park, Oak Hill, and others. But beyond the reach of Austin’s bedroom communities, you’ll find a Texas that’s largely unchanged. Bowling alleys still set pins by hand, businesses close on Friday nights during high school football season, and pickup trucks seem to outnumber every other form of transportation. Some of the best barbecue in the world comes from the small towns nestled in the Hill Country, a region so called because of its rugged terrain. The topographical change represents the 1,800-mile Balcones Fault, which has separated the western Hill Country from the flat eastern farmland ever since a 3.5-minute earthquake 30 million years ago.

This part of Texas gives you a chance to slow down, meet some local folks, and enjoy a good old-fashioned chicken-fried steak at the local diner.

For brochures, maps, and general questions on Austin area attractions, call (800) 926-ACVB; write Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau, 301 Congress Ave., Ste. 200, Austin, TX 78701; or check out austintexas.org.

While you’re downtown, stop by the Austin visitor center (866-GO-AUSTIN or 512-478-0098) for information, tour tickets, and a chance to shop Austin’s official gift shop. The center is located at 602 E. Fourth St. and is open daily.