Austin Texas: Cool Things To Do // Destinations Explained

Auditorium Shores is accompanied by lush green parks, hiking trails, and scenic skyline views, with occasional live music and performances.

Zilker Park is a recreational area in South Austin with over 350 acres of terrain, offering an alluring view of the city, and popular establishments like the Austin Nature and Science Center, a botanical garden, and a disc golf course.

Barton Springs Pool is a three-acre pool fed from underground springs with an average temperature of 68 to 70 degrees Fahrenheit, ideal for year-round swimming.

South Congress Avenue (SoCo) boasts boutiques, eateries, galleries, and music venues, offering a true Austin feel.

Mount Bonnell, located in Covert Park, is considered the highest point in Austin and a tourist attraction known for its incredible views of the Colorado River and the city skyline.

The Pennybacker Bridge Overlook offers an unobstructed view of the bridge, river, and faint skyline, popular for sunsets.

The Broken Spoke is a honky-tonk known for country music and two-stepping lessons, with a little country museum inside.

Sagebrush is a newer honky-tonk offering dancing, music, and local acts with a big dance floor and patio.

Texas Rowing Center provides kayaking or paddle board experiences in Austin with views of the city.

The Barton Creek Greenbelt is a destination for outdoor enthusiasts, offering hiking, biking, rock climbing, bouldering, swimming holes, and relaxing spots.

Violet Crown is considered a trailhead on the backside of Barton Springs Pool.

Spyglass includes Campbell's Hole for cliff jumping, small slot canyons, and a short steep hike to an aerial view.

Gus Fruh Trail Head provides a relaxing beach, rock climbing, and a rope swing.

Twin Falls and Sculpture Falls Trail Head is accessible via a decent sized parking lot where you can access the double rope swing under Mopac and take a mile and a half hike to Twin Falls and Sculpture Falls.

Hamilton Pool Preserve is a natural pool created when a dome of an underground river collapsed, surrounded by lush plant communities and wildlife.

Pace Bend Park is a state park on a peninsula for adventures to fish, boat, swim, hike, and bike, with camping on the edge of cliffs and cliff jumping.

Krause Springs is an iconic camping and swimming site with 32 springs that feed man-made and natural pools.

Enchanted Rock is a pink granite mountain offering hiking trails, rock climbing, and camping for stargazing.

Kerbey Lane Cafe offers farm-to-table comfort food at all hours of the day, serving mimosas and pancakes in the morning, and queso and green chili mac and cheese.

Torchy's Tacos is a must-have taco place in Austin, combining fresh ingredients with a hipster twist, known for the trailer park and green chili pork tacos.

Uchi is home to sushi master Tyson Cole, who marries global ingredients with traditional Japanese flavors, offering seafood and small plates.

Terry Black's Barbecue captures Texas-style barbecue with a rustic western interior, country-style sides, and smoked meats.

Franklin Barbecue is known as the best barbecue in the world, requiring hours of waiting in line.

Ramen Tatsu-Ya serves ramen while playing hip-hop and 90s pop in a dimly lit setting, also offering katsu sliders and desserts.

Kemuri Tatsu-Ya is where Texas meets Japan with a Lone Star influence, offering small plates like a take on frito pie made with octopus, hot pockets with brisket, and ramen.

Mozart's Coffee Roasters offers roasted beans, baked goods, and live music with a patio view, transforming into a magical wonderland of lights during the holidays.

Matt's El Rancho is known for its amazing queso and strong margaritas.

Cosmic Coffee + Beer Garden is a low-key spot in South Austin with live music, fresh cocktails, food trucks, and a garden setting.

Round Rock Donuts is known for its signature glazed donut.

Gourdough's Big. Fat. Donuts. purveys over-the-top donut creations, with a restaurant offering brunch, appetizers, and entrees.

Casino El Camino offers a loaded Bloody Mary and their famous Amarillo Burger, as well as live performances and pilsners.

Banger's Sausage House & Beer Garden is a beer garden where you can find relaxed bar-goers strolling from bar to food trailer to bar again with sausages and beers.

Wonder Bar is begging for Instagram stories and TikToks with several colorful rooms with themes like disco, space, and clouds with accompanying neon signs and mixing cocktails.

Upstairs at Caroline is Austin's premier urban backyard party with cocktails, beer, brisket tacos, and games like giant Jenga, foosball, and cornhole.

Caroline Restaurant is a somewhat pricey place for breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner.