What Makes Austin Cooler Than The Rest of Texas?
Written: Aug 27 '03
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Pros: Great music, mellow attitude, fun things to do
Cons: Traffic's a mess...
The Bottom Line: Come for the nightlife, come for the sightseeing, come for the politicking...just come to Austin!
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| mrkstvns's Full Review: Austin |
Austin is a bit different from other cities in Texas. It's friendlier. Smarter. Nicer. Livelier. Austin is a smaller city than Houston or Dallas, and its got genuine rolling hills to liven up the landscape a bit. There's plenty of good restaurants in town, not to mention some pretty good beer, even though many of Texas' budding boutique wineries are located in the hill country, not far from the city limits. Of course it wouldn't be Texas without sporting a few "biggest" claims -- like being the home of the largest state capitol building in the U.S. and the largest university in the U.S.
Austin is a cool place to be, and not just because of its great music and dynamic nightlife. It's blessed with a slightly higher elevation than other major Texas cities, giving it an average temperature that's usually a little cooler than the sweltering heat of its neighbors.
Most important to the casual tourist or weekender, Austin is just a darn nice to be with plenty of fun things to see and do. Here's a roundup of some of the places I'd recommend checking out if you get a chance...
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SEEING THE SIGHTS...
Besides the obvious historical and government places, there are a ton of small -- often very cool -- museums all around Austin. Here are a few of the museums and downtown attractions that I think are the most significant. If you want more ideas, I recommend taking a look at the web sites for the city's convention and visitor bureau (www.austintexas.org) or for the Austin Museum Partnership (www.austinmuseums.org).
Texas State Capitol
Everything's bigger in Texas -- including the state capitol building, which is the largest state capitol in the U.S. While it's somewhat smaller than the U.S. capitol, it actually feels bigger due to the extensions. Visit the visitor center, stroll the grounds, maybe do the guided tour -- it's a good one.
Bob Bullock Museum of Texas History
Telling "The Story of Texas" -- that's the mission behind Austin's Bob Bullock Museum, which is a huge, new, state-of-the-art museum full of interesting texana displays (not to mention sales windows for IMAX tickets). Info is on the web at: www.thestoryoftexas.com
Austin Childrens Museum
It's not as big as the children's museum in Houston, but it's clean, bright, open, and airy and a fun, safe place for the kids to explore and learn. My daughter just loved the mock lunch counter -- I had to sit on the stools as she'd serve me up plastic food (must have come from McDonalds). Just a heads up -- the museum tends to have short hours, so don't get there late. On the web at: www.austinkids.org
Lyndon Johnson Presidential Library
Like a lot of children of the '60s, I grew up with images of Vietnam, and flower power, and peace, and long hair, and Volkswagens. It was a fascinating period, and a period when Texan L.B.J. rode tall in the saddle. This library chronicles his tumultuous administration and the museum areas display lots of cool presidential stuff, from his bulletproof Lincoln to a collection of gifts that were given to L.B.J. by heads of foreign state. Best of all, admission is FREE (what a lovely word!) Info is on the web at: www.lbjlib.utexas.edu
By the way, did you know that when L.B.J. proposed marriage to Lady Bird, he was a young man just starting out in the world with barely a buck in his pocket. All he could afford was a cheap ring at Woolworth. Years later, after he'd made his fortune and served as a U.S. Senator, he told Lady Bird that he wanted her to throw out that old piece of junk so he could buy her the kind of ring she deserved. She refused.
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JUST PLAIN FUN STUFF TO DO...
Museums and monuments are all fine and dandy, but sometimes you just gotta get outside and experience things for yourself! Here are a few ideas for ways to get out and have a good time in Austin.
Duck Tours
I thought this was a heck of a lot of fun -- especially for kids (like me!) Cruise around downtown in a military-style amphibious vehicle for a short narrated tour of the city, then head out to the lake for splash down! A word to the wise: try to avoid those back seats -- they get hot and the vehicle doesn't always go fast enough to clear the exhaust fumes. A bit expensive, but still a good time. Info is on the web at: www.austinducks.com
Austin Steam Trains
Everybody loves a train ride, and Austin's train trips -- especially the Hill Country Flyer in the fall -- are popular excursions. Unfortunately, the steam locomotive (786) is currently out of service (and has been for more than a year), so if your heart is set on experiencing the power, the sounds, and the wonderful smells of big steam, then check back another time. I did the River City Flyer trip a couple weeks ago and was not really that impressed. The train is puled by diesel locomotive 442 and the trip goes through uninteresting parts of east Austin -- never moving faster than about 10 miles per hour. Personally, I'll skip it next time and do the River City Flyer only after old 786 comes back on line. Info about the trains and their excursions is on the web at: www.austinsteamtrain.org
Austin Zoo
I'm a sucker for zoos and I'd probably go to 'em even if I didn't have a little kid in the family to entertain. The Austin Zoo is smaller and less developed than most zoos, but it's really a privately funded rescue operation more than anything else, and it's fascinating to see how much good-hearted people can accomplish whether or not they get handouts from governments and big corporations. A refreshing perspective on what it means to be a zoo... Official info is on the web at: www.austinzoo.com
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SPORTS AND SUCH...
While there aren't any Major League or NFL franchises in Austin, there's still plenty of opportunities for locals and visitors to enjoy some spectator sports pretty much any night that the mood hits you.
I'm a big baseball fan, so in the warm weather months, I tend to keep a sharp lookout for any minor league baseball games in the neighborhood. Austinites (or are they Austonians? I don't know...) can cruise up to the northern suburbs to check out the Round Rock Express, playing at the Dell Diamond. Schedules and ticket information is on the web at: www.roundrockexpress.com
Cold weather months means no baseball, so the good folks in Austin have to find something else to do...like hockey! The Austin Ice Bats play in the Travis County Expo Center (which doesn't have quite the right ring to it, so they call it "The Bat Cave"). Schedules and ticket information is on the web at: www.icebats.com
The University of Texas Longhorns can be counted on to provide first-rate college football and basketball, not to mention other various and sundry NCAA sports. Schedules and ticket information is on the web at: www.texassports.com
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THE GREAT OUTDOORS...
The folks in Austin are pretty lucky when it comes to parks. They've got quite a few nice parks right in the city, plus oodles of 'em scattered around the rolling hills outside the city limits -- especially towards the western side of town. Coming from Houston, where parks tend to look a lot like abandoned industrial sites, I can't help but be envious. All those open green spaces really do help the city maintain a sense of sanity and liveability.
Here's just a few of the parks that I think merit a visit while you're in town:
* Zilker Park -- It's big, it's beautiful, it's a hop, skip, and jump from downtown. Miniature train rides for the kids, botanical gardens for mom, sports fields for dad. What's not to like?
* Town Lake -- 10 miles of jogging trails along the waterfront right downtown. It's enough to make a lazy man want to get up and get on out! This is also a pretty good vantage point for watching the infamous Congress Street bridge bats.
* McKinney Falls State Park -- Famous for its limestone formations, this small state park provides a breath of green space to the city's southeast corner. History buffs can prowl around the ruins of the old McKinney homestead.
* Emma Long Park -- Another big park, located on the shores of Lake Austin and home to fishing, boating, swimming, and mountain biking.
* Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center -- Dedicated to preserving the natural environment, not just Texas' most famous flora, the Wildflower Center is a fascinating nature center and slice of natural Texas savannah. Info is on the web at: www.wildflower.org
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LET THE MUSIC MOVE YOU...
Austin is justly famous for its music scene and it's no secret that downtown Austin comes alive at night as people flock to 6th Street (and other parts of town) for the plethora of nightclubs featuring live music. You'll need to pick up a local music magazine to find out whose playing where, or log on to one of the many local music guides (like austin.citysearch.com).
Austin is also home to the infamous Austin City Limits music program, which airs nationwide on PBS stations. Yeah, it's possible to get free tickets to the tapings, but tickets are scarce and you can't easily get them ahead of time (especially if you're out of town). Locals might be able to snag 'em by calling KLRU at 512-475-9077. Info about the show is on the web at: www.pbs.org/klru/austin/
You can't justly call yourself the "Live Music Capital" without having some festivals to back up the claim, and I don't think there's a bigger music festival in Texas than SXSW -- the South by Southwest festival, held each spring. Info is on the web at: www.sxsw.com
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BOTTOM LINE...
More people should try to visit Austin. It's a fascinating place. It's a college town. It's a government town. It's a high-tech town. It's a town full of good people and good music and good food and fun things to do. I really enjoy visiting Austin and look forward to every trip there. It's a cool place to be.
Until next time, see you on the road. As always, look for me in the cheap seats.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Families
Best Time to Travel Here: Mar - May
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