ATTRACTIONS

Things to do & see in Austin, Texas

• Sixth Street entertainment district (6th St., between I-35 & Congress). Live music seven nights a week..
  
  
• Barton Springs Pool. Legendary, three-acre (!) pool fed by Barton Springs, with a rich history. (More from Edwards Acquifer.net, Yahoo Trip Advisor, and the City of Austin)
  
  
• State Capitol (12th & Congress)
  
  
• Congress Ave. Bats -- Austin is home to the largest bat population in North America. At dusk you can see thousands of them exit the underside of the bridge in search of mosquitos and bugs to eat. (S. Congress bridge at the river, as the sun sets)
  
  
• University of Texas Tower. Where the infamous crazed sniper Charles Whitman shot 46 people in 1966. (23rd & Guadalupe, look up, then walk towards the tower)
  
  
• Mount Bonnell. Best view of Austin. (see Austin Explorer for directions)
  
  
• South Austin / First Thursday. The funky, independent, locally-owned shops here are partly what gives Austin its reputation for being different. (Austin Chronicle's South Austin Guide, FirstThursday.info)
  
  
• Hike & Bike Trails (immediately south of the river; S. 1st is a good access point)
  
  
• Stevie Ray Vaughan statue (on the main hike and bike trail, just west of S. 1st)
  
  
• Hole in the Wall, legendary, tiny live music venue. Stevie Ray Vaughan played here. (26th & Guadalupe)