·        West Sixth Street Shops. An artful mix of shops in the West Sixth Street area features hand-blown glass and handmade jewelry, unusual gift emporiums, Southwestern furniture and decor, and antiques.

·        The Drag on Guadalupe, between 21st and 25th streets on Guadalupe on the UT campus, is considered a hip shopping enclave of clothing, furniture and gift shops, as well as a diverse range of spots to eat. Here you can explore clothing shops featuring funky to high-fashion items, trendy furniture stores and shops featuring everything from gifts to cookware.

·        Capitol Building.       Built in 1880, the Texas State Capitol is the center of town in more ways than one. The impressive, pink-granite building is located on 12th Street and Congress Avenue. http://www.capitol.state.tx.us/capevent/capitol/capinfo.htm

·        Restaurants.  Barton Springs Road has a number of wonderful restaurants serving a variety of cuisine. There is a collection of tasty Mexican restaurants south on Lamar and Congress.  West on Lake Austin Blvd you will find restaurants overlooking the lake.  There is quite a mix of restaurants downtown and on Sixth Street.  We have some mighty fine vegetarian restaurants, also.

·        Sixth Street Clubs.  Sixth Street, formerly known as Pecan Street, is the site of many clubs and restaurants, featuring musical acts nightly and helping Austin earn its reputation for excellent music.

·        The Live Music Capital of the World.  The site of South by Southwest, the largest music convention of its kind, Austin is known worldwide as The Live Music Capital of the World.  Come experience the wide variety of musical acts and performers that perform all around Austin.  Pick up a free copy of the Austin Chronicle for a schedule of happenings.

·        Congress Avenue Bats. Austin is home to the largest urban bat colony in the United States (750,000 bats!), and from April to October they come out every evening around sunset to feast on insects. Folks gather by the thousands on the bridge and on either side of Town Lake to see the Mexican freetails forage. 

·        Town Lake, is a nature lover’s dream right downtown. The lake offers 12 miles of trails for hikers and bikers along idyllic shores, not to mention canoe and kayak rentals, riverboat trips, bird watching, and more.

·        The Hill Country, west of town, offers miles of beautiful drives through rolling hills and greenery.  Climb Mount Bonnell for a spectacular view of the River and the hills west of town.

·         Visitors' information: Austin Pages: http://www.cityspin.com/austin/index.htm    Austin Convention and Visitor's Bureau:   http://www.austin360.com/partners/acvb/index.html

~~~~~~

 

 

HOME BACK NEXT