Things to do in Austin

Nature · Zilker Park

A three-acre spring-fed pool in the bed of Barton Creek, holding 20°C year-round.

Local tip: It is genuinely cold on a 40°C day, which is the point. Go early morning when entry is free and the crowds haven't arrived. The salamanders are endangered and the reason the water quality is protected.

Nature · South-central, running west

Twelve miles of trail, limestone cliffs and swimming holes cutting through the middle of the city.

Local tip: Twin Falls and Sculpture Falls only have water after real rain — check recent rainfall before promising anyone a swim. The Spyglass entrance has the shortest walk in.

Food · East Austin

The most famous brisket in Texas, and half a dozen genuinely comparable places within a few miles of it.

Local tip: The Franklin queue is a multi-hour commitment. LeRoy and Lewis, Interstellar and la Barbecue are the local answers when you want the same standard without the pilgrimage.

Neighborhood · South of the river

The postcard strip — boutiques, the 'I love you so much' mural, and the Capitol framed at the end of the street.

Local tip: Very much a visitor street now. The good move is to walk it for the view north to the Capitol at dusk and then eat somewhere off it, on South First or Manchaca.

Nature · Downtown

The largest urban bat colony in North America — around 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats emerging at dusk from March to October.

Local tip: Watch from the Statesman Bat Observation Center on the south-east bank rather than from the bridge itself. Arrive 20 minutes before sunset; the emergence is weather-dependent and some evenings are a washout.

Nature · South-east, 20 minutes from downtown

Waterfalls over limestone shelves on Onion Creek, with a 500-year-old bald cypress and trails, inside the city limits.

Local tip: Almost every visitor goes to Zilker and the greenbelt instead. This is a full state park fifteen minutes from downtown with camping and a swimming hole — book a day pass in advance at weekends.