3 Best Sights in Austin, Texas

The logical place to begin an exploration of the city is downtown, where the pink-granite Texas State Capitol, built in 1888, is the most visible manmade attraction. The Colorado River, which slices through Austin, was once an unpredictable waterway but has since been tamed into a series of lakes, including two within the city limits. Twenty-two-mile-long Lake Austin, in the western part of the city, flows into Lady Bird Lake, a narrow stretch of water that meanders for 5 miles through the center of downtown. There are also 10 miles of riverside hiking and biking trails.

The sprawling University of Texas, one of the largest universities in the United States, flanks the capitol's north end. Among other things, it is home to several world class museums. Just to the northwest of the university is a fun and funky student-centered commercial street called Guadalupe ("The Drag").

Almost every street in downtown, from Cesar Chavez to 15th, is hopping with bars, music venues, and restaurants. The best shopping is either in the Second Street District or on South Congress Ave.

From March to October, check out the Ann Richards Congress Avenue Bridge, under which the world’s largest urban colony of Mexican free-tailed bats hangs out (literally). The bats make their exodus a half an hour after sunset to feed on insects.

Greetings From Austin Mural

South Austin

If you're in need of an Instagram-able memento of your trip to the capital city, head to the Greetings from Austin mural on South 1st Street. The welcoming phrase is depicted in the form of a colorful 1940s-inspired postcard that draws crowds of snapshot-happy visitors for a quick photo op. On any given day, you'll see tour bus groups, costumed bachelorette parties, high-end fashion shoots, and even locals taking their annual Christmas card photo with an on-site Santa Claus, at this popular public artwork. The mural is on the side of Roadhouse Relics, a small art studio and gallery showcasing the incredible work of local neon artist Todd Sanders.

I Love You So Much Mural

South Congress District

This simple mural, featuring the phrase "i love you" scrawled in red spray paint on the side of Jo's Coffee on South Congress, has become an unlikely art installation and permanent photo op for locals and visitors alike. On any given day, you could see a couple getting their engagement photos snapped or families taking their Christmas card portraits in front of the cheekily scrawled love letter. Lines for a quick photo in front of the now-famous green wall can stretch around the block, especially on weekends, but it doesn't seem to matter to most folks who use the same line to queue up for one of Jo's signature lattes and turbo cold brews.

Willie Nelson Statue

Downtown

Back in the 1970s, when the mainstream country music scene was based in Nashville, Willie Nelson kept his feet firmly planted in Texas. Playing around Austin at old haunts like the Armadillo World Headquarters, Nelson developed a name for himself strumming his beloved tunes, like the classic "Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain" and his own "On the Road Again." Today, he's a living legend here in town, and in 2012 on, when else, 4/20, he was immortalized with his very own 8-foot-tall bronze statue, complete with his signature braids and his famed guitar Trigger, standing proudly right in front of ACL Live at the Moody Theater.

Austin

Austin

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