Where to stay in Austin

See

Take a beautiful stroll around The University of Texas at Austin. While there you might want to visit the Blanton Museum of Art, the Harry Ransom Center, Texas Memorial Museum of Science and History, or view the public art around campus. The famous UT tower may or may not be open; inquire at the university. If it is, it is worth a look for the breathtaking views and history lesson. It is a tour though so you need to make reservations (see the previous link). The theater and music departments are both well regarded and have performances throughout the school year. If you visit during football season, you can see the Texas Longhorn football team play at Darrell K. Royal Texas Memorial Stadium.

Do

Formula One / Grand Prix and other motor races are at Circuit of the Americas, near the airport south of the city. Festivals arranged by month. The mammoth South by Southwest (SXSW) festivals are in March. The major Austin City Limits Festival is in October.

• Access ATX Tours
• Twisted Texas Tour
• Segway Tours
• Austin Tours
• TexasWineTours
• Independence Brewery Tour
• Bike Nation Tours and Rentals
• Rude Mechanicals
• Pro Arts Collective
• Teatro Vivo
• Salvage Vanguard
• Different Stages

Eat

When you visit Austin, or if you decide to live here, you'll have no shortage of interesting and satisfying places to eat. Austin's restaurants are a feast for the mind and the palate. The listings below are only a sampling of the diverse and plentiful Austin restaurant scene. Austin has many high-end, destination restaurants, but it also has many high-quality, unique, and inexpensive restaurants where the locals eat, drink, and socialize every day (all day). It's a town built for living in, and the affordable, excellent restaurants show it.

Drink

Austin is coffee mad. The coffeehouse culture is strong and growing here in Austin, and you can hear poetry and live music at quite a few of these places, as well as getting light eats. Coffeehouses are where the liberal heart of Austin beats for all to see. Free wireless Internet connections are very common (and available at many other businesses as well). There are a number of local chains including Caffe Medici. Most gay and lesbian bars and night clubs are downtown with the highest concentration in the Warehouse district. For alcohol Austin's main strip is on 6th Street downtown. But like most entertainment districts that get raves in the media, it's a little overhyped.

Stay safe

Austin is one of the safest major cities in the US. However, this does not mean that there is no crime. As with most American cities, credit cards are accepted nearly universally, especially for nightlife. Therefore, for convenience and safety, it's inadvisable to carry large amounts of cash. The number for police, fire, and medical services is 911. In many parts of Austin, there are beggars on the street corners, particularly off of the freeways, who will hold signs asking for money (panhandling). Consider donating instead to a legitimate charity, like Meals on Wheels, the Salvation Army or Austin Atheists Helping the Homeless.