Things to Do This Weekend in Austin

Some weekends you want a plan. Other weekends you just want options. This guide gives you both. It is built to stay useful any weekend of the year, so save it and come back to it. Pick a mood, pick a neighborhood, and go.

Start Outside: Greenbelt, Lakes, and Parks

Austin rewards an early start. The Barton Creek Greenbelt is the easy answer. The Spyglass and Gus Fruh access points off Barton Skyway and Barton Hills Drive get you to the water fast. After good rain, swimming holes like Twin Falls and Sculpture Falls fill in. In a dry summer the creek can run low, so check before you drive out.

If you want water you can count on, Barton Springs Pool in Zilker Park stays around 68 to 70 degrees all year. Deep Eddy in Tarrytown is the other classic, a spring fed pool that has been open since the 1910s. For flat water and a view, rent a kayak or paddleboard on Lady Bird Lake near Rainey Street and paddle under the downtown bridges.

Prefer to stay on land? Walk or run the Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail, a full loop around Lady Bird Lake. For a longer drive and a real hike, Mount Bonnell off Mount Bonnell Road gives you the best free view in the city, and McKinney Falls State Park on the southeast side has trails, a waterfall, and room to spread out.

Live Music, Any Night

This is the Live Music Capital, so the hard part is choosing. The Continental Club on South Congress is the place to start for roots, country, and rockabilly in a room with real history. The Saxon Pub on South Lamar runs songwriter nights that locals love. For a bigger touring act, check the schedule at ACL Live at the Moody Theater downtown or Stubbs on Red River.

Red River Street is the dense music district. The Mohawk and Cheer Up Charlies sit a block apart and you can bar hop between sets. On the east side, the White Horse on East Sixth is a honky tonk with two stepping and almost never a cover. KUTX 98.9 is the city radio station, and their site lists shows if you want to scan before you head out.

One tip. A lot of the best Austin music is free or close to it on a weeknight or early on a weekend. You do not need a festival ticket to hear great players here.

Markets, Makers, and a Slow Saturday Morning

Saturday mornings belong to the markets. The Texas Farmers Market at Mueller, on the old airport grounds on the east side, has produce, breakfast tacos, and live music in a walkable setting. The SFC Farmers Market downtown at Republic Square runs Saturdays and brings farmers in from the surrounding Hill Country counties.

If you want to shop and walk, South Congress is the obvious stroll. You get local shops, the murals, and people watching from Academy Drive down to Annie Street. For vintage and oddities, head to the east side along East Cesar Chavez and Manor Road. Once a month, the First Thursday events on South Congress turn the street into an open block party with vendors and music.

• Texas Farmers Market at Mueller, Saturday mornings, family friendly and walkable.
• SFC Farmers Market at Republic Square, Saturdays downtown.
• South Congress for shops, murals, and a long slow walk.

Museums and Indoor Days

When it is 100 degrees or pouring, Austin still delivers indoors. The Blanton Museum of Art on the University of Texas campus holds one of the largest university art collections in the country, and Ellsworth Kelly's Austin building on the grounds is worth the trip on its own. Admission is free on Thursdays, so plan around that if you can.

For Texas history, the Bullock Texas State History Museum sits just up the street on Congress Avenue, with three floors of exhibits and an IMAX theater. Families with kids should look at the Thinkery in the Mueller neighborhood, a hands on children's museum that burns off energy on a hot afternoon.

Two more for a quiet day. The Harry Ransom Center on campus rotates rare books and manuscripts and keeps a Gutenberg Bible on permanent display, free to view. The LBJ Presidential Library, also on campus, covers the Johnson years with a replica Oval Office.

Where to Eat Around the City

Barbecue is the headline. Franklin Barbecue on East Eleventh still draws a morning line, and the brisket is the reason. If you do not want to wait, la Barbecue on East Cesar Chavez and Terry Black's on Barton Springs Road are both excellent and easier to get into. For breakfast tacos, you will hear arguments for Veracruz All Natural and Joe's Bakery on the east side, and both deserve the love.

Austin food is bigger than barbecue, though. Rainey Street has converted bungalows turned into bars and kitchens. East Sixth and Manor Road hold a deep run of restaurants. South First Street and South Lamar are full of food trucks and patios. For a sit down dinner with a view, the spots along Lake Austin Boulevard near the water are hard to beat at sunset.

If you only have one meal to plan around, build it around a neighborhood you want to explore. The walk before and after is half the point here.

Check the Calendar: Seasonal Events Worth Planning Around

Austin has a rhythm to its year, and a few weekends are worth planning your whole trip around. Spring brings South by Southwest in March and the Austin Reggae Festival around the same window. Late spring and early summer fill up with the Old Settler's Music Festival and a long run of patio season.

Summer means Blues on the Green, a free concert series at Zilker Park, and Bat Fest in August when the Congress Avenue Bridge bats get their own party. Fall is the big one. Austin City Limits Music Festival takes over Zilker Park across two weekends in October, and the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix runs at Circuit of the Americas out southeast. Winter slows down with the Trail of Lights at Zilker in December and a quieter, easier city to enjoy.

Before any weekend, scan the official Austin visitor calendar at austintexas.org. It catches the one off festivals, gallery openings, and neighborhood events that do not make the big lists.

Frequently Asked Questions