Austin
Just 2.5 miles from downtown, this 47-bed hostel is located on a shady street right on the shore of Lady Bird Lake. Two-story views of the water from the sunny great room – complete with fish tank, guitar and comfy couches – might make even nonhostelers consider a stay.
The facilities are clean, tidy and cheerful. And with 24-hour access you can enjoy it at your leisure – although they do ask that all jam sessions end by 11pm. Rates for nonmembers are slightly higher.
Bat Colony Under Congress Avenue Bridge
1.72 MILES
Austin is known as the capital of Texas quirk, so it shouldn't be surprising that it's a city tradition to sit on the grassy banks of Lady Bird Lake and…
2.28 MILES
Completed in 1888 using sunset-red granite, Texas’ state capitol is the largest in the US, backing up the familiar claim that everything’s bigger…
3.37 MILES
This 350-acre park is a slice of green heaven, lined with hiking and biking trails. The park also provides access to the famed Barton Springs natural…
2.95 MILES
Whatever you do, don't call it 'Texas University' – them's fightin' words, usually used derisively by Texas A&M students to take their rivals down a notch…
Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum
2.6 MILES
Big, glitzy and bursting with high-tech interactive exhibits, this showcase museum celebrates the story of the Lone Star State, from its earliest…
Lyndon Baines Johnson (LBJ) Library & Museum
2.83 MILES
Devoted to the 36th US president, who launched his political career in Austin, this museum is still attracting the crowds more than 50 years since he left…
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
9.85 MILES
Anyone with an interest in Texas' flora and fauna should make the 20-minute drive to the wonderful gardens of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center,…
25.06 MILES
How gorgeous is the pool beneath Hamilton Creek, which spills over limestone outcroppings just upstream from the Pedernales River? Let's just say…
1. Ann & Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail & Boardwalk
0.01 MILES
You can gaze at the downtown skyline from a series of photogenic boardwalks on this scenic 10-mile trail, which loops around Lady Bird Lake. Shorten the…
1.38 MILES
Revitalized in the 1990s, the state's official cemetery is the final resting place of key figures from Texan history. Interred here are luminaries…
1.59 MILES
This simple expression of devotion draws legions of photo-taking lovebirds. Spray-painted on the side of Jo's Coffee on South Congress, it now joins the…
4. George Washington Carver Museum
1.72 MILES
On 19 June 1865, slaves in Texas were freed pursuant to the Emancipation Proclamation – 2½ years after it was signed by President Lincoln. This day is now…
5. Bat Colony Under Congress Avenue Bridge
1.72 MILES
Austin is known as the capital of Texas quirk, so it shouldn't be surprising that it's a city tradition to sit on the grassy banks of Lady Bird Lake and…
1.77 MILES
Pay the entrance fee in the gift shop, then step inside Austin's version of a cabinet of curiosities. It's more of a hallway of curiosities, really, lined…
1.89 MILES
Alright, alright, alright. Fans of Matthew McConaughey and Dazed and Confused can pay their respects to Wooderson – the unrepentant admirer of high school…
1.9 MILES
This wonderful, eclectic downtown museum features works from Mexican and Mexican American artists in exhibitions that change every two months. Many are…