There’s always something playing in Austin, the capital of Texas and Live Music Capital of the World. As the gateway to the Texas Hill Country, Austin offers urban hiking trails, legendary barbecue, and farm-to-table cuisine. The city has more than 250 live music venues, where on any given night, the sounds of rock, country, indie, and Tejano music echo throughout the streets.
Experience Austin at Visit Austin.
Austin began as a settlement named Waterloo. Immigrants from Germany, Sweden, and Mexico were the area’s original settlers, but extreme periods of growth followed the renaming and becoming the state capital in 1839. In 1883, Austin became a college town with the founding of the University of Texas at Austin, and it is now the fourth-largest city in Texas.
Explore Austin’s 11 diverse entertainment districts, where you’ll find everything from trendy shops and restaurants to cool live music venues, renowned museums and galleries, and scenic outdoor destinations. Downtown, you can explore six of these districts:
2nd Street District is home to celebrated restaurants, entertainment venues, and most of the downtown shopping.
Rainey Street is filled with renovated houses turned into bungalow bars filled with craft beers, live music, and dog-friendly venues. Visit Emmer & Rye, hailed by Bon Appétit as one of the best restaurants in the country.
Red River is the place to see live music in some of the hottest stages in town.
Sixth Street is filled with restaurants, bars, and entertainment venues that are all distinctly “Austin.”
Warehouse District is the home of Austin City Limits, the longest-running music series in American TV history and a popular venue for live music performances. You’ll also find the Contemporary Austin, a museum highlighting contemporary art from all over the world, and Lady Bird Lake, home of the famous Congress Avenue bats.
West Sixth Street is a destination for decadent dinners, craft beer, shopping, nightlife, and sporting events. You might see a pedal-powered beer pub bike crawl cruising by as you stroll by independent book and record stores, boutiques, and 24-hour diners. Whole Foods Market’s flagship store is located here.
Experience the taste of Austin from home with the Best Seat In The House digital series. This digital series brings together some of the best personalities in Austin's service industry sharing some ways to experience Austin from your home.
