Austin Travel Guides From Local Hosts

Downtown

Best for: doing it all on foot

Morning

Visiting on a Saturday, start at the SFC Farmers Market at Republic Square. Everything there is local, from the music to the tacos. Then pick one of these.

• Walk the Ann and Roy Butler Trail

• Photo with the Willie Nelson statue outside ACL Live

• Brunch overlooking the lake at P6

• The rooftop at the Austin Central Library

• A movie at Violet Crown Cinema

Afternoon

Take the trail down to Barton Springs, a three-acre spring-fed pool that sits near 70 degrees all year. Cold in August, which is the point.

Evening

Walk the 10-mile trail along the river as it cools off. Along the way you will pass the Stevie Ray Vaughan statue, boat launches, boardwalks, fishing piers, and most of the good photo spots in the city.

The Congress Avenue Bridge bats fly at dusk from spring through fall. See the bats guide for timing and where to stand.

South Austin

Best for: drinking your way down one street

Morning

Climb at Crux Climbing, which has bouldering at both locations and rope climbing at Crux South. Then walk next door to Cosmic Coffee and Beer, a beer garden with food trucks, a lot of outdoor space, and chickens.

Afternoon

The Yard is the best bar crawl in South Austin and everything is within a few hundred feet. About 15 minutes from downtown.

• St. Elmo Brewery

• The Austin Winery

• Still Austin Whiskey Co.

• Spokesman Coffee

Food trucks on site handle pizza, fried chicken, and sushi tacos, so you never have to leave.

East Austin

Best for: brunch and everything after it

Morning

The best brunch in the city, and most of it in buildings with a past.

• Hillside Farmacy, in a restored pharmacy once owned by Texas's first Black pharmacist. Closed Monday and Tuesday.

• Launderette, in a converted laundromat and gas station.

• Suerte, traditional Mexican technique and house-made masa. Book ahead.

Some take reservations, some take patience. There is enough shopping nearby to fill a wait.

Afternoon

East Austin is where the city's history actually lives. These tours are worth the half day.

• Black Austin Tours

• Austin Detours

• East Side Art Tour