22 Fun Things to Do in Austin Texas in 2024 (and Day Trips Around it!)
"Keep Austin Weird" is one of the famous sayings in town, so you know you're up for a good time when visiting this Texan city! We've been dying to visit for years, and finally made our way over this July. After 4 days, we can say there are so many fun things to do in Austin, Texas, and we can definitely understand why it's loved by so many people!
We spent a full holiday weekend in Austin, exploring the city inside and out, with the help of a local friend. With his awesome recommendations, we truly experienced an incredible few days in this city, and can't wait to go back!
In the meantime though, we're going to share with you where to eat, how to get around, and all of the fun things to do in Austin, Texas. So let's dive right in!
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📍 Where is Austin Located?
As the capital city of Texas, Austin is located exactly where one may imagine- in the center of it all. Austin's convenient location is what also makes it the perfect place to base your Texas travels, since you can easily reach the most popular cities in Texas within just 1-3 hours.
Austin lies 195 miles south of Dallas, 100 miles north east of San Antonio, and 165 miles west of Houston.
Austin is located in the center of the state of Texas.
How to Get to Austin, Texas
Being so centrally located, it is super easy to get to Austin! You can either fly to Austin, rent a car from another nearby city, or take a bus from most big cities in Texas.
As Houston was the cheapest airport for us to fly into, we decided to rent a car from the Houston airport, and we drove to Austin.
✈️ Where Do You Fly to to Get to Austin?
Austin has its own airport (AUS), which is just 10 miles south east of the center of the city, and 15 minutes drive away.
Cities in Texas that fly direct to Austin Bergstrom Airport include Amarillo, Dallas, El Paso, Fort Worth, Harlingen, Houston, Lubbock, and San Angelo.
Other US cities that fly to Austin include Albuquerque, Asheville, Aspen, Atlanta, Auburn, Baltimore, Boise, Boston, Burbank, Charlotte, Chicago, Cincinnati, Colorado Springs, Columbus, Detroit, Denver, Fort Lauderdale, Grand Rapids, Hayden, Honolulu, Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Kerrville, Knoxville, Las Vegas, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Louisville, Memphis, Miami, Midland, Minneapolis, Nashville, New Oklahoma City, Orlando, Orleans, Newark, New York, Oakland, Pheonix, Philadelphia, Portland, Raleigh, Reno, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, Seattle, Tampa, Tulsa, Washington DC, Westchester, and Wichita.
Austin doesn't have a lot of international connections, but it does have flights from Cancun, Frankfurt, London, Mexico City, Monterrey, Ontario, Puerto Vallarta, San Jose Cabo, Santa Ana, Toronto, and Vancouver.
Flight Tip: Using Skyscanner you can put from "your city" to "the US". This way you can see which is the cheapest airport in the area to fly to. Also, you can check the calendar to see which are the cheapest dates to fly to Austin each month!
🚌 Taking a Bus to Austin
If you would like to visit Austin from another nearby city, a very affordable option can be to take a bus. We typically use Flix Bus in the US, as it is the most budget friendly, and has a lot of different departures around the country. (Keep in mind for the cheapest prices you should book far in advance).
Here are a few popular routes to look into:
Fun Things to Do in Austin, Texas
Now that you know the basics, here are some fun things to do in Austin, Texas.
Don't have time to read the whole article and want to save it for later? Just pin it!
🍸 Fun Things to Do in Austin, Texas #1: Explore the Nightlife
One of the most fun things to do in Austin, Texas is to simply check out its booming nightlife. The city is full of bars, and has a mix of bars with live music, dance clubs, and even some rooftop bars. (You can skip to the nightlife section to learn more)
A great way to experience the nightlife in Austin is by going on a pub crawl. You can find a variety of pub crawls from live music pub crawls to haunted pub crawls! Here are a few fun ones that we recommend:
🏊🏼♀️ Fun Things to Do in Austin, Texas #2: Swim at Barton Springs
When you visit Barton Springs, you seriously won't believe it's in the middle of a big city. This is a tiny slice of paradise, and has the option for two totally different experiences.
The public part of Barton Springs vs the municipal pool of Barton Springs
On one side, you have the municipal pool, which is a private area of the springs. It's $10 to get in, and there are bathrooms with showers, a diving board, and plenty of greenery to relax on.
The municipal pool is has amenities and is ideal for families.
On the other side, is the public area. Here you'll find people with their pets, own drinks, picnics, and floating devices. This is the free area, which has a bit more of a fun but wild crowd. You'll find rope swings, music playing, and overall a super fun vibe.
If you want the best waters, and a bit more a chill vibe, simply walk further down. Here is where you'll also find kayak rentals.
The public side of Barton Springs offers kayak rentals.
🚤 Fun Things to Do in Austin, Texas #3: Rent a Boat
One of the most fun things to do in Austin, Texas that we experienced was renting a boat with our friends, and this is how we spent our Fourth of July.
Lake Austin is about 45 minutes outside of the city, and is full of people renting boats, doing water sports, and swimming. We charted a boat for the entire afternoon with a slide and brought our drinks and snacks for a pretty epic day.
Renting a boat is a fun group activity right outside Austin.
Other than renting a boat, Lake Austin is a great place to do any kind of water activities, swim, or to simply sine on the water, and is a great way to spend the day outside the city of Austin.
Lake Austin is a great way to spend the day outside the city of Austin.
Here are a few boats that you can charter on Lake Austin:
🌅 Fun Things to Do in Austin, Texas #4: Watch the Sunset at the Oasis on Lake Travis
Looking for the ultimate sunset spot in Austin? Well, just 20-25 minutes outside of Austin is the beautiful Lake Travis, where you'll find a number of great restaurants and places to stay.
Lake Travis is a beautiful place to enjoy the sunset.
But the best part of this area (in our opinion) is Oasis, a massive restaurant located overlooking the lake. It has multiple levels both indoors and outdoors, and features a platform jutting out to get that perfect picture during sunset.
The Oasis has a glass platform and plenty of balconies to enjoy the sunset from.
In addition to watching the sunset we saw a bachata class happening, and heard there are many other fun things to enjoy at Oasis. This is definitely a place we'll have to go back for to join their special events and grab some drinks!
🚣♂️ Fun Things to Do in Austin, Texas #5: Go Kayaking at Lady Bird Lake
Lady Bird Lake is a reservoir right in the middle of Austin that is popular for recreational activities, one of the most popular ones being kayaking! Here are a few different kayak tours that you can take there and around the area:
📸 Fun Things to Do in Austin, Texas #6: Check Out the Most Instagrammable Spots in Austin
Austin has some really cute corners, and is full of color! So grab your camera and check out these fun spots that we came across:
- The "I Love You" Wall: the most iconic spot for people to take a picture in the city
- Tau Ceti: the corner of a building that is a 3D rainbow mural
- Revival Coffee: an adorable pink cafe
- Cute Nail Studio: a nail place painted in pastel colors (just down the street from Revival Coffee)
- Austin Motel: don't miss out on the peculiar shape of its sign
- "You're my Butter Half" Mural
- "Greetings from Austin" Mural
- "Love from Austin" Mural
