18 Best Sights in Austin, Texas

Join the thousands of Austinites who frequent downtown's beloved hike-and-bike trail, which makes a sweeping 10-mile loop around the beautiful Lady Bird Lake. The trails are open to all ages and speeds, welcoming walkers, runners, cyclists, and people-watchers alike. This lush, urban path has recently expanded with a new boardwalk extension, allowing the full circuit to wind through some of the city's best sights, including lakeside parks, art installations, and downtown restaurants and coffee shops with walk-up windows.

Don't miss visiting the Austin Public Library's flagship branch, a striking architectural wonder reflecting the natural beauty of the Hill Country and affording beautiful views of Lady Bird Lake from the landscaped rooftop terrace. Wander through the six-floor structure, free of charge, filled to the brim with modern accoutrements that turn reading into a stimulating experience. There are art galleries, amphitheater seating for concerts and community events, kids' play areas, gaming and computer stations, and hundreds of cozy nooks and crannies to hide away with a book. On-site garage parking is easy to validate inside, and the first-floor gift shop is packed with lovely literary and Austin-centric keepsakes.

This 12-mile series of hike-and-bike trails follows the contour of Barton Creek and the canyon it created west along an 8-mile-long area from Zilker Park to west of Loop 360. The popular Greenbelt features even more sought-after swimming holes when the creek is full (very rain-dependent, it's usually in spring and fall). Several access points will get you on the riverside trails, including at Zilker Park, Loop 360, Twin Falls, Scottish Woods Trail Falls (near the intersection of MoPac and Loop 360), and Scottish Woods Trail (at the trail's northern border, off Loop 360).

No visit to Austin is complete without a ceremonial dip in the sacred waters of Barton Springs. A hallowed oasis within the Zilker Park area, this historic spring-fed pool maintains a constant 68°F temperature year-round, and the chilly waters attract hordes of people from all walks of life. (Admission is free from October 31 through spring break to help incentivize you during the cooler months.) The grassy slopes surrounding the pool are an idyllic place to post up for some of the best people-watching in town; unique experiences, like the free nightly and full-moon swims, are unforgettable; and the annual Polar Bear Plunge on New Year's Day attracts thousands. The pool is closed Thursdays for cleaning the delicate, protected natural habitat, and weather can affect operating hours throughout the season, so be sure to check their website in advance.

Austin is home to the largest urban bat population in the world, with as many as 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats taking up residence in the capital city every year. Every night starting in late March and continuing through fall, locals and visitors congregate all along (and underneath) Congress Avenue to watch the bats take flight from under the Congress Avenue Bridge for their nightly feeding ritual. On hot nights (with no rain), right around sundown, don't miss the incredible opportunity (for photographers, families, and nature lovers alike) to witness this natural phenomenon set against the backdrop of the downtown skyline.

Home to the city's largest and most important collections of art, the Blanton underwent major renovations in 2023 that expanded the 200,000-square-foot institution into a more fully developed museum campus. Visitors arrive through a new check-in building and cross to the main gallery via a stunning outdoor pavilion, shaded by three-story, flower petal-like structures, with an adjacent “sound gallery” park space and chapel installation by Ellsworth Kelly. Monthly Second Saturdays ($20) are a great time to enjoy live music and themed pop-up entertainment, in addition to after-hours tours of the collections. The museum café is closed temporarily, but the local Justine's Brasserie team is set to reopen a casual French concept on-site in spring 2025. Museum admission is free every Tuesday. There is garage parking, but the museum doesn't validate, so regular rates apply.

Originally known as the Austin Museum of Art, the Contemporary Austin's Jones Center is a striking downtown presence featuring a diverse roster of contemporary artists and exhibits. It also hosts various special events open to the public, including "rooftop sessions" with outdoor film screenings and live musical and artistic performances. While advanced reservations are recommended, walk-ups are welcome, and admission is always free on Thursdays. Your ticket also includes free admission to the Contemporary's must-see sister site, Laguna Gloria, in nearby west Austin.

Set on a lush peninsula jutting into Lake Austin, these grounds are home to the 1916 Mediterranean-style villa that was once home to Clara Driscoll, the famed Texas philanthropist who led the fight to save the Alamo from demolition in the early 20th century. The stunning villa is surrounded by gorgeously landscaped gardens and lakeside walking trails that lead visitors throughout an impressive collection of outdoor sculptures and large-scale art installations by world-renowned artists. A popular art school operates on-site, and a lovely gift shop and café, Spread & Co., serving tasty cheese boards and other gourmet picnic fare, help elongate a leisurely afternoon visit at this scenic spot. Admission is free on Thursday.

If you make time to visit one Austin hotel, even though you're not staying there, make it The Driskill. This delightful grande dame—which many say is haunted—is a Romanesque-style monument located right in the heart of Sixth Street. It features gorgeous two-story porches with Romanesque Revival columns surrounding both arched entrances and a Texas-sized lobby and mezzanine. A café, bakery, and bar, which offers free live music seven nights a week, are all open to the public. Over the years, countless legislators and powerful politicians have held court within the hotel's limestone walls, and some are believed to have never left. Hence, the popular guided ghost tours that stop daily at this historical property.

This stunning architectural site and museum, tucked just off Rainey Street overlooking Lady Bird Lake, was closed for two years for a multimillion-dollar renovation that expanded its physical space and scope of programming. Dedicated to celebrating Latino artists and empowering a new generation of Mexican-Americans, the museum boasts a phenomenal education department and offers popular youth and family programs. Live performances and community events are available throughout the year, ranging from flamenco recitals and hillside music concerts to Día de los Muertos celebrations.

Texans take great pride in their state history, particularly the period between 1836 and 1845 when Texas was an independent country. During the Republic of Texas era, many foreign diplomats traveled to Austin, including the French chargé d'affaires, sent to assess the new sovereign nation. He resided in this French-Creole-Greek-Revival–style house, now a state historic site just east of I–35, often referred to as the "old French embassy." It remains the oldest home in Austin (established 1841) in its original location and still boasts a protected corridor view of the Texas Capitol amid its high-rise surroundings. The small house museum is open for tours, which also tell the history of the surrounding Robertson Hill's freedman community. The 2-acre grounds, free and open to the public, are beautifully manicured with native gardens and sloping, grassy fields. Special events are hosted throughout the year, including vintage markets, Bastille Day celebrations, front porch concert series, and SXSW showcases. We suggest grabbing a picnic lunch from nearby East 11th Street (Paperboy and Franklin Barbecue are a five-minute walk) and enjoying it under the shady oak trees of this historic hidden gem.

The artifacts on display inside this stunning travertine building provide sharp insight into the 36th president's mind and motivations, and though his foibles are downplayed, a clear sense of the Texas native—earthy, conniving, sensitive, and wry—emerges. Pick up any of the clunky rotary-phone receivers throughout the museum to hear real recordings of conversations Johnson had with famous politicians and figureheads during his time in office. The 30-plus hours of tape include ruminations on Vietnam and civil rights, plus strategic arguments about vote wrangling (LBJ's specialty). There are rotating temporary exhibits on the ground floor and free on-site visitor parking in lot 38.  Be sure to check out the second floor, where a life-sized audio-animatronic figure of LBJ spins humorous anecdotes; it's a hoot.

Most people don't realize there is a sprawling state park just 10 miles south of downtown Austin, but McKinney Falls showcases two free-flowing waterfalls and natural limestone pools in a wildly beautiful setting. It's an ideal day trip for visitors who want to quickly escape the downtown's noise. Hike or bike a network of nature and riverside trails, swim in Onion Creek, picnic under the bald cypress trees surrounding the park's signature waterfalls, or stay overnight at a scenic campsite. Check their online calendar for scheduled events like park ranger coffee chats, stargazing parties, and guided wildlife walks.

Rising to a height of 785 feet, Mt. Bonnell offers the best views of Lake Austin from its location a few miles northwest of downtown and the Barton Creek Greenbelt. Stop by during the day for a glimpse of the sweeping panorama of rolling hills, the Colorado River, the picturesque 360 Pennybacker Bridge, and a great far-off view of the downtown skyline on a clear day. It's a short but steep climb up a flight of stone steps from a strip of informal parking spots just off the road. There is another sloping, crushed gravel trail at the end of the parking spots that also leads to the top. Once you're at the humble summit, you'll find a diverse crowd of first dates, nature and portrait photographers, families, picnickers, and just plain old tourists. The trails are open from 5 am until 10 pm, so visitors can catch stunning sunrises or starry skies.

Built in 1888 from Texas pink granite, this impressive structure, capped by a 60-foot-wide cast-iron dome, stands taller than the U.S. Capitol (yes, everything is bigger in Texas), and it is certainly a crown jewel of the Lone Star State. The Renaissance Revival building dominates downtown Austin, visible from various points through protected Capitol view corridors, and it looks grandiose from every angle. The surrounding grounds, occupying 22 acres on a well-appointed hilltop, are just as impressive.

You can catch one of the free 30-minute historical tours, offered from 9:30 am to 4 pm on weekdays and from 12:30 pm to 4:00 pm on weekends, or take a self-guided tour anytime during operating hours. No matter how you choose to experience the Capitol, be sure to stand in the center of the star on the ground floor under the main floor's rotunda and look up, up, up into the dome and lose perspective for a moment—it's a Texas rite of passage.

Located on 18 acres just a mile east of the Capitol, this beautiful state cemetery (established 1851) is the final resting place for some of the state's most important figures, from former presidents to pop stars: Stephen F. Austin, Buddy Holly, Ann Richards, and James A. Michener are among those lying here in eternal peace. Once inside the gated grounds, you'll also find monuments dedicated to September 11, the Vietnam War, and the War of 1812; you'll also find special headstones for the mothers who have lost sons and daughters in wars and a Purple Heart monument.

This nearly 450-acre university campus has a lot to do with Austin's reputation as a lone liberal island amid the roiling seas of conservative Texas. UT Longhorns are as passionate about football as they are about education, with 13 distinct colleges and schools and outstanding graduate programs that produce global leaders, Nobel Prize winners, and committed lifelong academics. Nicknamed the 40 Acres after the original tract of land set aside by the state in 1883, this now-sprawling campus is a feather in the cap of the Texas university system. Stroll the grandly picturesque grounds at your leisure, attend a home game at DKR Stadium, drop in to one of the award-winning campus museums, archives, or libraries (from the LBJ Presidential Library to the Ransom Center), or take a self-guided "Landmarks" walking tour of the campus' top-notch public art collection, which includes a Skyspcace by James Turrell.

A former Native American gathering place and later a site of Franciscan missions in the 1700s, present-day Zilker Park is Austin's biggest public green space. Locals consider the 351-acre park complex their own backyard, albeit a massive one that stretches along the shores of Lady Bird Lake and includes adjacent sites like Barton Springs, botanical gardens, and various lakeside trails. Parking is increasingly difficult in recent years, so take the free Zilker Shuttle that runs May through September to avoid the congestion. In spring, the park hosts a beloved annual kite festival plus a long-running concert series at the Zilker Hillside Theater, a natural outdoor amphitheater shaded by century-old pecan trees; musicals and plays take over in the summer. The annual Austin City Limits Music Festival, along with hundreds of thousands of attendees, descend on the park for two weeks in October.