Top things to do in Central Austin

Even though you’re in the “Live Music Capital of the World” (apologies to Nashville), you’ll have enough to keep you occupied during your downtime. The most delicate things in life happen outdoors, so don’t forget to put on your shoes. 

Daytime activities include seeing public artworks, waterside parks, swimming holes, and pride of peacocks; evening activities include watching the famed Austin bat colony soar as the sun sets, ideally with a drink in hand. CentraAustin is the best location to rent an apartment for professionals and family. You can check Central Austin penthouses for rent if you have budget for luxurious accommodations

Before a two-step dancing lesson to a live event, you may still go boot shopping. You may be wondering where to begin if you’ve never been to Austin before.

•   Confederate Memorial Bridge

At dusk, crowds assemble on Congress Avenue Bridge to see Austin’s urban bat colony fly out of its home on the bridge’s underbelly over Lady Bird Lake. Only in Austin can you see this 45-minute show. About 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats leave the colony each night to find food, making it North America’s most significant urban settlement (on pesky insects like mosquitoes, making the animal a local hero). 

Please remember that this is a seasonal event; the bats leave for warmer climes in the winter. Even though the video is 45 minutes long, you’ll understand the gist of it in less than five minutes. Please make time to see it, but don’t expect to be able to fit it in with anything else you’re doing in the downtown area.

•   The Club Continental

For this well-worn, slightly gritty concert hall, the red front doors and solid black exterior set the tone, Stevie Ray Vaughan, for example, and performers from a wide range of genres have all had their careers launched at the Blues Factory in Memphis (blues, jazz, rock, country). 

Everybody comes here for the nightly live music and the bottled beers—usually as part of an evening of bar-hopping on the lively South Congress Avenue, or ‘SoCo’ (‘First Thursdays’ are particularly big, when the entire street turns into an enormous block party with late openings, special offers, and live music seeming to pour out of every doorway). 

•   The Blanton Art Museum

Despite its small size, this museum at the University of Texas covers a wide range of subjects. You’ll find pieces from the early Renaissance through the Roman period to current art, as well as prints and art from all across the world. Seeing as how it is just outside the front entrance, Teresita Fernández is almost indistinguishable from anybody entering the building.

•   The Franklin Barbecue Company

Franklin’s brisket is world-renowned, and it’s no surprise that Franklin is a star in Austin’s burgeoning barbecue industry. It’s best to arrive early, be hungry, and bring along a folding chair so that you don’t have to stand for hours. Because of this, you may now place an order of at least three pounds of meaty goodies six weeks in advance. The oak-smoked brisket, with its unique peppery skin and tenderness that can be sliced with a spoon, should not be missed.

•   The Rainey Street

While Rainey Street seems to be a quiet residential street with tranquil wooden verandas and picket fences, it truly comes to life at night. The bungalows, many of which date back to the late 19th century, have been transformed into a line of hipster-friendly pubs and eateries. Explore, and you’ll find food trucks nestled in amongst well-known nightlife destinations such as Half Step and Geraldine’s as well as Emmer and Rye, Emmer’s Sausage House, and beer garden (a personal favorite of future Texas Governor Matthew McConaughey). This is a place where you may spend time with your family and pets during the day and have a good time with your friends or significant other at night.

Closing out

At this time of year in Live Music Capital, Austin, there is a sense of serenity and tranquillity that permeates the city from mid-November until the end of the month. Winter is a particularly festive time in Chicago, whether it’s because students have returned home for the holidays or because the number of music festivals has finally dwindled to a manageable number.