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.

Dog-Friendly Water Activities

Austin is an exceedingly dog-friendly city. Everywhere you go, you’re likely to find plenty of pups with their owners in tow. And with a warm climate for most of the year, there are lots of dog-friendly water activities so visitors and their pooches can stay cool, especially when temps rise in the…

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View the 2024 Total Solar Eclipse in Austin

On the afternoon of April 8, 2024, join the crowds gathering on rooftops, city parks and in the Texas Hill Country to watch the solar eclipse. It will be an exciting time to be outside and see the moon pass over the sun on the eastern edge of its path from Texas to Maine. In Austin, the partial…

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Texas Book Festival 2023

The annual Texas Book Festival (TBF) takes place each November at the Texas State Capitol grounds. Free and open to the public, the 28 th annual festival featured more than 300 authors and more than 200 sessions, including programming for adults, young adults, middle-grade readers and children. The…

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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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Guide to Austin's Barton Creek Greenbelt

The Barton Creek Greenbelt, which travels through South Austin, is the go-to destination for outdoor enthusiasts and athletes in the city. You can enjoy hiking, biking, rock-climbing, bouldering, swimming and even lazily passing a day perched in a hammock or sunbathing on a boulder along Barton…

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Where to See Longhorns In Austin

Perhaps no state mammal is associated with its “home state” as quickly as the Texas Longhorn. Weighing in at up to 1,500 pounds and standing up to six feet tall, these bovine beauties certainly catch the eye. But it’s their titular longhorns, sometimes reaching eight feet from tip to tip, that…

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Austin's Hike & Bike Trail at Lady Bird Lake

The Hike and Bike Trail is a low-grade trail, most of which is wide enough to accommodate both cyclists and pedestrian traffic, making it a leisurely, enjoyable ride for cyclists, runners and families alike. Because the trail winds through downtown, there are access points and parking all along the…

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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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Hot Summer Nights 2023

Hot Summer Nights is bringing four packed days of music to Austin's own Red River Cultural District. Originally created to bring awareness to local businesses and artists during the slower summer months, Hot Summer Nights has grown to be a marquee event for locals and visitors alike. Along with the…

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Where to See Live Music This Summer

The sun isn’t the only thing heating up this summer in Austin. The live music scene is also on the rise and you can catch performances nearly anywhere throughout the city. Watch a local act on the patio of your favorite beer garden, or pack a blanket and your friends to enjoy a show at the park…

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