Unique Things To Do In Austin Texas

Austin is a city in Texas surrounded by foothills, low forests, several lakes, a large river and several state parks. It serves as the capital of Texas, but is also known for the vast number of music festivals it hosts years, most famously Austin City Limits. The city has recently exploded in population, with tech-industries investing heavily in the urban area, though this has made traffic during rush hour a challenge. Due to it’s music culture, outdoor activities and robust culinary focus, there are many unique things to do in Austin, Texas. The city itself appreciates the strange, unsual and outlandish, so much so that the de facto slogan of the Austin community is “Keep Austin Weird.”

A List Of Unique Things To Do In Austin

Cathedral of Junk

Located in the backyard of an artist, this multi-level construct was created using over sixty tons of discarded furniture, home goods and other scavenged material. Visiting requires booking a reservation prior to arrival.

Uncommon Objects

This is an amazing and quirky shop filled with unique antiques, garish jewelry, obscene bits of taxidermy, odd gadgets and weird toys.

Congress Bridge Bat Colony

The largest urban bat colony on Earth can be found under a bridge in Austin, Texas. These Mexican free-tailed bats migrate each spring from Mexico and spread across the southern portion of the United States. Around 1.5 million choose to roost under the Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge from mid-March to early May and from late July through mid-September. The bats usually take flight during sunset, though many people turn out to watch them, so it’s wise to arrive early for a seat. The bats are an enormously popular attraction and one of the most unique things to do in Austin.

HOPE Outdoor Gallery

This is a large graffiti park set aside for local artists to create unique inspirational and colorful messages.

Mayfield Park Public Gardens

This is a relaxing public garden home to colorful flowerbeds and peacocks. The gardens are free for guests to enter and are open daily from 5 AM to 10 PM.

Sparky Park

This is a fun, if odd, Swedish eccentric junk art park. The park is filled with strangely curved stone walls and pillars with further odd shapes embedded in the cement. The park is near a residential neighborhood, so parking in the area is somewhat scarce. Lots of visitors often leave tiny trinkets in rock pockets, which can be fun for children to seek out.

Hamilton Pool

This unique, natural swimming pool filled with shallow clear waters, a large waterfall and a surrounding grotto is part of the Balcones Canyonlands Preserve (BCP). The area is home to several endangered species native to Texas alongside the scenic natural destination.

Inner Space Caverns

Located to the North of Austin, the Inner Space Cavern is a karst cave embedded in Edwards limestone. The vast underground cave can be explored through guided tours, including exploration tours leading to undeveloped sections.

Pease District Park

Pease Park is an excellent urban outdoor space which follows a long jogging and walking trail parallel to Shoal Creek. The area is popular with students from the nearby University of Texas at Austin.

Zilker Metropolitan Park

This is a huge recreational area in South Austin located at the juncture of Barton Creek and the Colorado River. The popular green space is known for several walking trails, a disc-golf course, riverside picnics and a large Zilker Holiday Tree during the seasonal holidays.

Capitol Building

Texas has a usually strong amount of state pride and personal identity, reflected throughout the region. Part of that distinction involves a large, stately capital building which offers free Capital Tours touching on important state histroy and culture.

Umlauf Sculpture Garden & Museum

Otherwise known as UMLAUF, this is an art museum and outdoor sculpture garden centered around the works of Charles Umlauf. The fantastic museum venue is home to dynamically posed human, animal and angel sculptures.

The Dinosaur Park

Located in the nearby town of Wyldwood, this is an outdoor attraction with numerous life-sized dinosaur statues standing between trees and other “natural habitats.” The venue is primarily targeted towards children.

Family Business Beer Company

This is a micro-brewery destination pub located in the hill country outside of Austin. The menu includes numerous hand-crafted beers, an outdoor seating venue and nearby food trucks. The bar is co-owned by Supernatural TV series star Jensen and Danneel Ackles, Ed and Debby Graul, and Gino Graul.

City Mural Tours

There are numerous murals throughout the city of Austin, making art tours a popular activity in the downtown area.

The Museum of Weird

Keeping in theme with Austin’s love of strange, this so-called-dime-museum features an array of oddity exhibits and gifts, including shrunken heads, Bigfoot models, cryptid creatures and taxidermy fakes.

Hippie Hollow

Roughly half-an-hour driving from Austin, this is a small, rocky beach space on the shores of Lake Travis. The area was a popular hangout during the 1960s and remained fairly well known. It’s the only clothing-optional park in the state of Texas, though other points of interest include the nature trails, designated swimming zones and quiet forested areas. For obvious reasons, Hippie Hallow is only accessible for adults.

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