Austin Insider Blog

This blog, written and curated by Visit Austin staff, shares the things that visitors love and locals can't get enough of.

Experience Austin's Arts & Culture

Austin is an epicenter of creativity. And there’s no better way to plug into that inspiring energy than with a visit to some of the city’s top art museums, galleries, performing arts spaces and annual art events. Check out this roundup of Austin art and culture hubs you can’t miss. Courtesy of…

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Viva la Vida Festival & Parade

Each year, Mexic-Arte Museum celebrates the tradition of Día de los Muertos in Austin. During Viva la Vida Festival & Parade, the city's largest and longest-running Día de los Muertos event, visitors will experience a street festival and a parade down the iconic Congress Avenue, bringing together a…

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Historic Austin: Congress Avenue

Congress Avenue isn’t just Austin’s main street – it is the main street of Texas. Mirabeau Lamar, successor to Sam Houston as president of the newborn Republic of Texas, directed that a city be built here in 1839, specifically for the seat of government. His plan called for a 120-foot wide…

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Fall & Winter Film Festivals In and Around Austin

Fall and Winter are always a wonderful time for film fans in Austin, with film festivals almost every weekend covering a range of genres and distinct visions. From horror and sci-fi at Fantastic Fest, to the screenwriter-centric flicks featured at the Austin Film Festival there are a variety of…

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Self Guided Tour of Austin Murals

Take a drive around Austin and you will see a mix of eclectic and colorful murals. Check out this guide for a casual, self-guided tour of the most photo-worthy murals in town. Greetings From Austin 1720 S. First St. Start the day with this South Austin gem, one of the most photographed murals in…

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Visiting the Austin Nature & Science Center

If you are a parent to a budding naturalist or future environmentalist, a trip to the Austin Nature & Science Center is a must. Within the boundaries of Zilker Park, this ecological refuge lets kids explore and discover the natural Austin environment and learn about geology, animals, paleontology…

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Visiting Austin's Brush Square Museums

Once Brush Square was a bustling cotton market, but now it's home to the Joseph and Susanna Dickinson Hannig House Museum and the O. Henry House Museum, located between Trinity and Neches on East Fifth Street. Nestled in the heart of downtown Austin, the museums are tucked behind heritage trees in…

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Visiting the Blanton Museum of Art

There's so much to explore during a visit to the Blanton Museum of Art on the University of Texas at Austin campus. With nearly 21,000 works ranging from Greek pottery to Latin American modern art, you can spend the entire day at the museum and want to come back for more! If you don’t have all day…

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Latino Music Month in Austin

There is always a show going on somewhere in the Live Music Capital of the World® and May, Latino Music Month, is no exception. From Cinco de Mayo celebrations and anniversary shows to festivals, we've curated a list of events to attend this month. 5/11/23 La Santa Cecilia Parish Named after the…

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Queer Austin: 2 Day Itinerary

Austin is one of the most LGBTQ+-friendly cities in the country, with a perfect score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign's Municipal Equality Index. But you won’t find just one “gayborhood” here. The community is integrated throughout this inclusive town, which means that LGBTQ visitors will find a…

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