Sure, Austin introverts have plenty to enjoy, but Austin caters to extroverts. If you are a social butterfly, here are 10 fun ideas to get you loving Austin.
10. Participate in a group exercise class
Accountability and encouragement help make an exercise regimen successful. When you participate in a group exercise class, you inject accountability from your classmates and encouragement from your instructor. Austin is loaded with places to bond with others in pursuit of personal fitness.
For a truly Austin workout experience, join a class that meets in one of Austin’s public parks. It’s easy to scope out classes at your neighborhood parks. If you like what you see, walk up to the instructor afterward to get the details on the class’s next meeting.
9. Bike to sample local brews
Do you like to bike? Do you like to drink craft beer? Well, Bike And Brew ATX has several tours for you to explore the Austin scenery and its breweries. Get two or more of your friends to go on a tour with you, and you get a sweet discount off the lone rider and two rider prices. They have easy and moderate difficulty tours, so even the novice cyclist can participate.
8. Cram into a dive bar music show
If you want to bond with 150 strangers in a place the fire marshal says only holds 152, check out a live music show at an Austin dive bar. If you’re that packed in, you know the band has a local following. People will be amped up for the show, so even if you don’t care for the music, the crowd’s energy will infect you.
7. Kick it at Kung Fu Saloon
Kung Fu Saloon is more than just a bar. Oh, yes, you can get a drink. But you can also play vintage arcade games. So grab some friends, and transport yourself back to your youth with old school arcade games like NBA Jam, Street Fighter II, Galaga, and Golden Tee. The competition will heat up quickly, and you’ll jump with every flick of the joystick. On top of all that, the Skee Ball machines are always free to play!
6. Join a running club
Austin is a fit city, and you can join the ranks of healthy Austinites by joining a running club. Keep pace with your running buddies to achieve new personal bests. Whether you want to jog block to block in the heart of the city, run along the Roy and Ann Butler Hike and Bike Trail, or scamper off on a wooded trail through one of Austin’s greenbelts, there’s surely a perfect setting for you to work in some cardiovascular exercise.
5. Revel at The Goodnight
If you can’t have fun at The Goodnight, you’re a stick in the mud. They have vintage bowling lanes, billiards tables, a mechanical bull, ping-pong tables, shuffleboard, Zoltar fortune telling, a private karaoke room, and much more. Their menu of scratch-made dishes will keep you fueled up for a night of revelry.
4. Propel your way along a pub crawl
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We’ve covered biking your way from brewery to brewery (see #9 on this list), but if you really want to bond over pedaling and drinking, try PubCrawler of Austin. You and 14 of your friends can take a giant pedal-powered vehicle around downtown going from bar to bar. Plus, you can bring your own beer and wine aboard provided it isn’t in a glass container. As long as you follow City of Austin alcohol consumption guidelines, you can drink it aboard, too.
3. Dine around shareable plates
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Dining family style fosters conversation. Even if you’re just asking someone to pass the rolls, at least you’re talking. Austin shareable plates restaurants like Barley Swine, Winebelly, Barlata Tapas Bar, and Swift’s Attic make it easy to order several dishes for the table that everyone can taste and discuss.
2. Beat the clock in an escape room
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Escape room games are sweeping the nation. Groups of friends and colleagues take on the challenge of escaping a room by solving a succession of puzzles. If your group escapes before time runs out, you win! Austin has several escape room businesses including The Escape Game Austin.
1. Sign up to play with Austin Sports & Social Club
Whether you have a group of sporty friends or you’re looking to assemble a new crew, Austin Sports & Social Club is a great way to get your competitive juices flowing, get some exercise, and make friends all at the same time. No matter which sports you like to play, chances are this club has what you’re looking for. New leagues start all the time, so you can jump in right away.
Austin Sports & Social Club partners with local bars to give participants happy hour specials after each game. It’s like when you were a kid and got a snow cone after your tee ball game. But now, it’s a beer.
Feature photo: Flickr user Incase, creative commons licensed.
