With great food and nightlife, an emerging arts scene, world-class sports facilities and big-name music events such as South by Southwest and Austin City Limits, Austin is fast becoming one of the most popular destinations in the United States.
Even better, you don’t need a supersized budget to get the best out of this big Texan city with a small-town heart. Austin’s large student population helps keep the focus on inexpensive fun, and there’s loads to do for free, from high culture to easy adventures in the great outdoors.
Whether you’re drawn to Austin by the culture, the food or the music scene, here are the best free things to do in the capital of Texas.
1. Take a tour of the Texas State Capitol
Constructed from local pink granite in 1888, the beautiful Texas State Capitol building lends gravity to the saying “everything is bigger in Texas.” In terms of square footage, this is the largest state capitol in the country, and the 16ft-tall statue of the Goddess of Liberty crowning its dome makes the Texas Capitol 23ft taller than the US Capitol in Washington, DC.
Free tours of this Texas institution are available every day of the week, and self-guided tour brochures exploring the building and the Capitol grounds can be picked up from the office on the ground floor. Be sure to look up to admire the interior of the dome with its impressive whispering gallery.
2. See swarms of bats at Congress Avenue Bridge
Up to 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats make their home underneath the Congress Avenue Bridge in North America’s largest urban bat colony. It’s an Austin tradition to sit on the grassy banks of Lady Bird Lake at dusk and watch the bats swarm out from under the bridge. The best time for viewing is August, when balmy evenings offer respite after the daytime heat.
Planning tip: Bat Conservation International has volunteers on hand in Austin and holds special bat-viewing programs during the peak bat season from April to November.
3. Check out literary classics at the Harry Ransom Center
The University of Texas campus has many points of interest to explore, but the Harry Ransom Center is a must-see for bibliophiles and history enthusiasts. The library contains one of only five complete copies of the Gutenberg Bible in the country, as well as three copies of Shakespeare’s First Folio.
Other highlights include the personal libraries of authors Evelyn Waugh and Ezra Pound, one of Jack Kerouac’s original travel journals and one of just 23 surviving first editions of Alice in Wonderland. Admission is free, including to the center’s excellent seasonal exhibits.
Planning tip: While you’re at the University of Texas, consider making a $6 investment for a guided tour (weekends only) of the famous UT Tower, a 307ft-high landmark at the center of the campus, with a clock over 12ft in diameter.
4. Make a pilgrimage to the Moonlight Towers
In the late 19th century, cities around the world installed moonlight towers – giant floodlights mounted on steel frames – to provide light for several blocks at once. Austin is now the last city in the world where these unusual lighting features can be found, with 17 of the original 31 towers still standing.
For film lovers, the towers make a great spot for a Matthew McConaughey pilgrimage. In his 1993 acting debut in Richard Linklater’s Dazed and Confused, McConaughey’s character announces a “party at the moon tower” on an eventful last night of high school.
5. Enjoy the urban outdoors on the Barton Creek Greenbelt
Austin is a popular destination for outdoor enthusiasts, with plenty of public green spaces. Just a short drive from downtown, the Barton Creek Greenbelt is a favorite escape for locals. Named for William Barton, who settled in the area shortly after Texas became a republic in 1836, the Barton Creek Greenbelt stretches for more than seven miles from the Zilker Park area. With multiple access points, the woods and limestone creeks make for excellent walking, biking and swimming, depending on the water levels.
Planning tip: Numerous trails and swimming holes dot the Barton Creek Greenbelt, providing a popular escape from the city on warm summer days. Visit Austin has a useful blog entry highlighting the main spots to visit.
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6. Check out the collection at Blanton Museum of Art
The Blanton Museum of Art at the University of Texas has one of the best university art collections in the US. The permanent collection spans more than 19,000 works across a wide variety of styles, and every Thursday, the museum throws open its doors for free. Swing by to admire the collection, which includes interesting art from Latin America and the American West, as well as works from Europe.
6. Plug into Austin’s music scene at Austin City Limits
As the self-styled “Live Music Capital of the World,” Austin is packed with music venues, from outdoor arenas such as the Circuit of the Americas racetrack to small, treasured dive bars. Austin’s reputation for live music was built on the back of the live-music television program, Austin City Limits, originally broadcast from the University of Texas. In 2011, the show moved downtown to Moody Theater, a 2700-seat capacity venue with an iconic statue of Willie Nelson out front.
The venue has hosted everyone from Belle and Sebastian to ZZ Top, and music fans can gain free admission to live music tapings by registering on the theater’s website. Winning tickets are distributed several days before the tapings, and there isn’t a bad seat in the house. The show also spawned the huge Austin City Limits festival in October, but sadly, tickets are not free.
Planning tip: For listings of upcoming gigs around Austin, check out the events pages of the Austin Chronicle and Visit Austin. Summer brings plenty of free concerts at indoor and outdoor locations around the city.
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7. Learn about Black inventors at the George Washington Carver Museum
On 19 June in 1865, enslaved people in Texas were finally freed under the Emancipation Proclamation, two and a half years after the executive order was signed by President Lincoln. This day is now honored as Juneteenth, and displays at the small, free-to-visit George Washington Carver Museum examine its history.
The museum also holds personal items that belonged to the Black botanist and inventor, George Washington Carver, and its Children’s Gallery introduces children to great Black inventors. Other exhibits share the stories of prominent Black families in Austin, while two rotating art galleries feature shows highlighting Black talent, from photographer Jamel Shabazz to legendary musician George Clinton.
8. Hike up Mt Bonnell for skyline views
One of Austin’s best vantage points is also one of its oldest tourist attractions, providing panoramic views to visitors since a stairway to the top was installed in the 1830s. Rising 775ft above the Colorado River, Mt Bonnell is the perfect place for an afternoon picnic with views of the skyline to the east and the arches of Pennybacker Bridge to the west.
Planning tip: The hike up Mt Bonnell involves climbing 102 steps, but it’s an easy ascent, and many visitors come here early to catch the sunrise from the summit. Free parking is available at the start of the trail – the Visit Austin website has more tips.
9. Take a walk around Lady Bird Lake
One of the city’s top outdoor attractions, the Ann & Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail creates a 10-mile loop along the Colorado River in the heart of downtown. Make a shorter loop along the Lamar pedestrian bridge to snap excellent photos of the Austin skyline, or join the summer crowds on the Congress Avenue Bridge to watch the bats emerge at dusk. The trail is one of the state’s oldest and longest urban paths, with a boardwalk closing the gap between Interstate 35 in the east and Mopac Expressway to the west.
Planning tip: Before you head to the Ann & Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail, download a free map from the Austin government website. To tackle the route by bike, arrange wheels inexpensively through the Metrobike bikeshare scheme.
10. Kick back with a book in the Central Library’s rooftop garden
Part of an extensive redevelopment of the former Seaholm Power Plant, the six-story Central Library overlooks Shoal Creek and Lady Bird Lake. It’s free to visit, and you can sit back with a novel in the rooftop garden, outdoor reading porches or the indoor reading room. Don’t miss the collection of public art on display around the building, including CAW, a 37ft cuckoo-clock sculpture inspired by Austin’s resident grackles (a local species of blackbird).
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11. See eclectic exhibitions at Mexic-Arte Museum
The wonderfully eclectic Mexic-Arte Museum features works from Mexican and Mexican-American artists, with imaginative exhibitions that change every two months. Many shows draw on the museum’s permanent collection, which includes carved wooden masks, modern Latin American paintings, historic photographs and contemporary art. Admission fees are not charged on Sundays, and free tours take place at 2pm and 3pm.
Planning tip: From the Mexic-Arte Museum, it’s an easy stroll to the Rainey Street Historic District, where you can wander for free and admire the 1930s architecture. After dark, Rainey Street becomes a popular hub for eating, drinking and nightlife.
12. Spend a Sunday at Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum
Big, glitzy and bursting with high-tech interactive exhibits, the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum celebrates the story of the Lone Star State from its earliest inhabitants up to the present day. The highlight is on the first floor, where you can see the hull of La Belle, a French ship that sank off the Gulf Coast in 1686, along with artifacts recovered from the wreck. Exhibition admission is free on the first Sunday of the month (and on July 10 in honor of its namesake’s birthday).
13. Hang out at the Texas Farmers’ Market at Mueller
When Austin’s old municipal airport closed in 1999, the city worked with developers to create a mixed-use urban village that has become one of the most desirable neighborhoods in the country. Along with good restaurants and coffee shops, Mueller hosts a farmers’ market every Sunday, featuring live music, local goods and fresh food from Texan farms. The event takes place under the Browning Hangar, a relic from the site’s days as an airport, overlooking scenic Mueller Lake Park.
14. Find vinyl treasures at Waterloo Records
If you want to flip through albums and catch free live music, cult music store Waterloo Records is the place to be. Free, intimate performances by up-and-coming bands often take place here on weekday afternoons; time your visit right and you can enjoy a show while you browse.
Planning tip: Over the years, this legendary store has hosted everyone from Cheap Trick and The Stooges to Queens of the Stone Age and Nirvana. Check out listings of upcoming events on the Waterloo Records website.