Frequently Asked Questions

The Basics
What are the top 10 things to do in Austin?
Where is the Austin Visitor Center?
Where are the Austin Convention Center, Palmer Events Center and Travis County Expo Center
What’s the weather like? What is the average monthly temperature in Austin?
What are the driving distances from Dallas, San Antonio and Houston?
What are the 'Dillos?
How far is it from the airport to downtown?
Is it safe to walk downtown?

Where to stay
How many hotel rooms are in Austin?
How many hotel rooms are located downtown?
What is the occupancy tax in Austin?

Music, Film and Television
Where can I hear live music?
How do I see a taping of Austin City Limits?
Why is Austin called The Live Music Capital of the World®?
I have heard of SXSW; does Austin have other big music festivals?
Why is Austin referred to as the “Third Coast?”

Q: What are the top 10 things to do in Austin?
A: That’s easy!

• Barton Springs- Three acres in size, the pool is fed from underground springs and water temperatures remain a constant, cool 68 degrees year-round. 2101 Barton Springs Road (located in Zilker Park) Austin, TX 78704
  512-476-9044
  http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/parks/bartonsprings.htm

• Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum- From rare artifacts to interactive displays, the Bob Bullock Museum creatively tells the story of Texas. 1800 N. Congress Ave., Austin, TX 78701
  1-866-369-7108
  http://www.thestoryoftexas.com/

• Texas State Capitol- With more than one million visitors per year, the Texas State Capitol ranks as one of Austin's most popular attractions. Completed in 1886, the Texas State Capitol is the largest in square footage of all state capitols and surpasses the national Capitol in height by 14 feet. 1100 Congress Ave. Austin, TX 78701
  512-463-0063
  http://www.tspb.state.tx.us/spb/plan/tours.htm

• Warehouse and Sixth Street Entertainment Districts- Four blocks of Fourth and Fifth Streets comprise the Warehouse District. The buildings have been renovated from warehouses to trendy, distinctive hot spots. Austin's Sixth Street is widely known for its unique blend of dance clubs, live music venues, restaurants and bars.

• Congress Avenue Bats- Only in Austin will you find millions of bats and thousands of humans all hanging out under the same bridge every night. Austin boasts the largest urban colony of Mexican free-tail bats in North America with a population of 1.5 million. The sunset exodus of the bats creates a nightly spectacle from March through October with onlookers watching as the nocturnal creatures emerge from beneath the Congress Avenue Bridge. First Street & Congress Avenue; Bat Conservation International
  512-327-9721
  http://www.batcon.org/

• Highland Lakes- Austin stands as the gateway to seven Highland Lakes that stairstep 100 miles through the Central Texas Hill Country. Area lakes offer a variety of aquatic adventures, from sailing on Lake Travis to water-skiing on Lake Austin and canoeing along Lady Bird Lake.

• Hike & Bike Trail- Ten miles of trails border Lady Bird Lake in downtown Austin and serve as a social hub for runners, walkers and cyclists.

• SoCo- One of the hippest Austin hangouts is SoCo, a colorful stretch of Congress Avenue lined with funky shops, trendy dining spots, unique accommodations, art galleries and music venues. On the first Thursday of each month, merchants keep their doors open until 10 p.m., playing host to an array of events and activities.
  South of the Congress Avenue Bridge; http://www.firstthursday.info/

• Harry Ransom Center- Home to the Gutenberg Bible and the world's first photograph, the HRC also archives thirty million literary manuscripts, one million rare books, five million photographs and more than 100,000 works of art.
  512-471-8944
  http://www.hrc.utexas.edu/

• The Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library- The life and legacy of LBJ are on exhibit at the nation's most visited presidential library. University of Texas, 2313 Red River Street
  512-916-5137
  http://www.lbjlib.utexas.edu/

Q: Where is the Austin Visitor Center located? When is it open?
A: The Austin Visitor Center is located at 209 E. Sixth Street.
Hours: Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Saturday-Sunday, 9:30 a.m. - 5:30 p.m.
Closed on Christmas, New Year's, Thanksgiving and Easter.
To learn more about Austin’s warm welcome and the Visitor Center, click here.

Q: Where are the Austin Convention Center, Palmer Events Center and Travis County Expo Center located?
A:

• Austin Convention Center — 500 E. Cesar Chavez between Trinity and Red River Streets
• Palmer Events Center — South of Lady Bird Lake at the intersection of South First Street and Riverside Drive
• Travis County Expo Center — 7311 Decker Lane (northeast Austin)

Q: What are the 'Dillos?
A: A free 'Dillo ride is the fun, safe and easy way to get around downtown and central Austin. Trolleys-on-wheels and small buses take you around the central city, so you just park once and enjoy the ride. Special routes are designed for lunchtime, commuters, east-and-west travel and even sightseeing from Lady Bird Lake all the way to The University of Texas®. Click here to learn more.

Q: What’s the weather like?
A: Austin’s weather is generally temperate, with an average temperature of 68.5°. Our winters are mild, spring and fall are glorious, and the summertime is sunny and bright.
Click here to learn more about Austin weather.

Q: How far is it from the airport to downtown?
A: It’s a mere seven and a half miles, less than 15 minutes drive time (or about four songs’ worth).

Q: Is it safe to walk downtown?
A:While FBI statistics point to Austin as one of the safest cities in the country, visitors should use the same precautions they’d use in any other large city.

Q: What are the driving distances from Dallas, San Antonio and Houston?
A:

Departure City	Route	Driving Distance
Dallas	IH 35 South	181 miles
San Antonio	IH 35 North	74 miles
Houston	IH 10 West to TX 71 WEST	163 miles
	US 290 West	148 miles

Where to stay
Q: How many hotel rooms are in Austin?
A: There are 26,000 hotel rooms in the metro areA:

Q: How many hotel rooms are located downtown?
A: There are 5,500 downtown hotel rooms currently. By 2011, that number is expected to reach 7,000.

Q: What is occupancy tax in Austin?
A: 15%

Q: Where can I hear live music?
A: This is The Live Music Capital of the World®, after all. With nearly 200 live music venues, the sound of Austin is all over town. However, the largest concentration of live music can be found downtown in the high-energy bars along our famous Sixth Street, the rockin’ live music venues on Red River and the eclectic scene down in the Warehouse District.

• The East Sixth Street area runs between IH-35 and Congress Avenue
• The Red River area runs north from Sixth Street along Red River.
• The Warehouse District encompasses Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Streets, west from Congress Avenue to Guadalupe Street.

Just a mile or two from downtown, you’ll find the South Congress Avenue (SoCo) area, centered on the beloved Continental Club at 1315 S. Congress Ave. Off South Lamar in SoLa, there’s the renowned honky tonk called The Broken Spoke at 3201 South Lamar.But that doesn’t even scratch the surface — when you add in all the coffee shops, restaurants, neighborhood hangouts and more, there can be hundreds of opportunities to hear live Austin music on any given night.

To learn more about Austin’s live music, click here.

Q: How do I see a taping of Austin City Limits?
A: Austin City Limits tapes on an irregular schedule throughout the year, based on the musicians’ availability. The taping takes place on the sixth floor of the University of Texas® College of Communications Building B at Dean Keeton (26th Street) and Guadalupe. Free tours of the studio are offered every Friday at 10:30 a.m.

Vouchers for admission to the tapings are free, however they are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis at specific dates, times and locations (which are announced via local radio stations). Possession of a voucher does not guarantee admission — you will have to wait in line again for your chance to get in for the performance, as seats are limited. Call the Austin City Limits Hotline at 512-475-9077 for more details.

Q: Why is Austin called the Live Music Capital of the World®?
A: With nearly 200 venues, the city has more live music entertainment per capita than any other U.S. city.

Q: I have heard of SXSW; does Austin have other big music festivals?
A: For 10 days each March, the South by Southwest Music, Film and Interactive Conference and Festivals brings people from all over the world to Austin. But that’s certainly not all.
Held in September of each year, the Austin City Limits Music Festival is a three-day outdoor music extravaganza: Now in its sixth big year, the ACL Fest spreads over 16 acres in Zilker Park and features hundreds of the best music acts in the world.

Q: Why is Austin referred to as the "Third Coast"?
A: There are a lot of reasons Austin has become a film and TV production mecca: For five years running, Austin has bested all other Texas cities in feature film production budgets. Numerous independent and blockbuster movies have been made here, and the annual Austin Film Festival is one of the top film festivals in the country.
But don’t take our word for it. MovieMaker magazine recently named Austin the No. 1 city to live, work and make movies in. In fact, our city was ranked No. 3 on the magazine’s "Top 10 Cities For Movie Makers" list in 2007 and No. 2 in 2006.