SXSW has so many great things for badge holders to enjoy: music, movies, speakers, comedians, interactive exhibits and so much more. You can overwhelm yourself doing official SXSW things. But if you just do SXSW activities, you’ll miss out on a truly Austin vacation. Austin is a great place to visit year round, so don’t restrict yourself to the festival.
Carve out some time in your busy schedule to do some of these things to experience Austin and SXSW like a local.
5.) Visit A Museum
Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum. Photo: Flickr user Robert Gray, creative commons licensed.
Austin has great museums for people of all ages and tastes. Are you into the arts? Try Mexic-Arte Museum or the Blanton Museum of Art. Did you bring kids with you? Let them expend their energy at The Thinkery while they learn about science in hands on ways. Interested in learning about Texas? Do yourself a favor and spend a few hours at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum.
4.) Grab A Bite To Eat At A Food Trailer
BBQ brisket taco from The Peached Tortilla. Photo: Flickr user Rachel Leah Blumenthal, creative commons licensed.
Food trailers have become a big deal around the nation, but they were a big deal in Austin first. If Austinites hadn’t been into food trailers years ago, there would never have been The Great Food Truck Race. Austin’s most famous food trailers include Mickelthwait Craft Meats, East Side King, Peached Tortilla, Torchy’s Tacos and Gourdough’s.
You can find some of Austin’s best food cooked in a kitchen on wheels and served through a window. Like Old West outlaws, you typically see food trailers in small groups. These culinary enclaves dot Austin’s map. If you’re not looking for any particular trailer, these trailer parks allow you to get something from several trailers and split the food among friends like going out for sushi where everyone tries everyone else’s rolls.
3.) Watch Some UT Baseball
Photo: Flickr user White & Blue Review, creative commons licensed.
The University of Texas baseball program is consistently one of the best in the country. They’re perennial contenders to play in Omaha, Nebraska, for the College World Series.
UFCU Disch-Falk Field is a great place to catch a ballgame and rub elbows with long-time Austinites. Tell them you’re from out of town, and you’ll get an earful of restaurant recommendations and stories about how it used to be in Austin.
During SXSW 2015, the Longhorns play home series against West Virginia and Kansas State. See the full baseball schedule here, and buy tickets here.
2.) Explore Parts of Austin Outside The City Center
Two patrons at Hula Hut on Lake Austin. Photo: Flickr user slettvet, creative commons licensed.
Austin’s city center is the main tourist draw because of the entertainment districts and convention space, but Austin is so much more. Each part of Austin has its own character while still Austin is unique. Other parts of the city aren’t as busy or as loud, but they have their own things to do. For example, check out these 18 west Austin adventures or 17 ways to have a blast in north Austin.
1.) Take A Drive In The Hill Country
Photo: Flickr user ManoRegejimas, creative commons licensed.
Austin is big, but its neighbor to the west — the Hill Country — is bigger. With many small towns among the rocky, rolling hills, you can find endless things to do. Lucky for you, the folks at Hill Country Magazine have collected all the information you need to make your drive a memorable one filled with fun activities, colorful sights and tasty meals.
Get out there and see why Waylon, Willie, and the boys sang about Luchenbach, Texas!
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Featured photo: Andrew Nourse, creative commons licensed.
