Home / City Guides / Best attractions in Austin, Texas

Best attractions in Austin, Texas

Austin is the state capital of Texas. It is known for its eclectic live-music scene centered around country, blues, and rock.


Hide Map

Austin is the state capital of Texas, Austin is known for its eclectic live-music scene centered around country, blues, and rock. Its many parks and lakes are popular for hiking, biking, swimming, and boating.


1. Lady Bird Lake

Lady Bird Lake

Lady Bird Lake pretty much looks like a river on the Colorado River This was created in 1960 and used as a cooling pond for a new city power plant. Lady Bird Lake is named in honor of the United States’ former First Lady, Bird Johnson.


2. Bullock Texas State History Museum

Bullock Texas State History Museum

The museum is dedicated to interpreting the continually unfolding “Story of Texas” to the broadest possible audience through meaningful educational experiences. The museum is operated by the Texas State Preservation Board, which also operates the Texas State Capitol, the Texas Capitol Visitors Center, the Texas Governor’s Mansion, and the Texas State Cemetery.


3. Texas Capitol

The Texas Capitol

The Texas State Capitol is the capitol building and seat of government of the American state of Texas. Designed in 1881 by architect Elijah E. Myers, it was constructed from 1882 to 1888 under the direction of civil engineer Reuben Lindsay Walker. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970 and recognized as a National Historic Landmark in 1986. The Capitol was ranked 92nd in the 2007 “America’s Favorite Architecture” poll commissioned by the American Institute of Architects. 


4. Barton Springs Municipal Pool

Barton Springs Municipal Pool

Barton Springs Pool is a recreational outdoor swimming pool that is filled entirely with water from nearby natural springs. It is located on the grounds of Zilker Park in Austin The pool exists within the channel of Barton Creek and utilizes water from Main Barton Spring, the fourth largest spring in Texas. The pool is a popular venue for year-round swimming.


5. Blanton Museum of Art

Blanton Museum of Art

The Jack S. Blanton Museum of Art at the University of Texas at Austin is one of the largest university art museums in the U.S. with 189,340 square feet devoted to temporary exhibitions, permanent collection galleries, storage, administrative offices, classrooms, a print study room, an auditorium, shop, and cafe. The Blanton’s permanent collection consists of almost 18,000 works, with significant holdings of modern and contemporary art, Latin American art, Old Master paintings, and prints and drawings from Europe, the United States, and Latin America.