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Below you'll find a list of top 25 things to do in Austin, Texas featuring Austin sightseeing, attractions, tours, museums, and more that locals love just as much as visitors!
Last updated on May 29, 2023 by Ivan Collins
Back before tourism hit the Austin market and visitors had endless options, floating the Guadalupe and San Marcos rivers provided locals with a relaxing way to spend the day chilling in the water. As the city grew so did the attraction and depending on when and where you go the parking and lines can be a mess. Joining a buss load of other tubers on a tour from Texas State Tubes makes it super EASY and a little SAFER with transport from Austin to the rivers down South and back.
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Arriving in Austin during covid, Wonderspaces offers 28,000 square feet of art installations to dazzle every corner of your mind, like Hoshi By NONOTAK Studio (pictured above.) An exquisite fun house of varied installations of light, mirror, technology, and pure imagination, Wonderspaces features a sensually diverse experience that everyone will love. Tickets sell out, so check online to find a day and time to go spend a few hours blowing your mind with this indoor activity that features plenty of space for socially distanced fun alone or with your crew.
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Locals and visitors alike will enjoy the dark, spooky style of Haunted ATX hearse limo and van tours. One of the more unique experiences in Austin that is seriously keeping Austin weird, this tour lets you pack your friends in a hearse that's been converted into a limo or a passenger van wrapped in spooky art to visit historic locations and hear the tales of ghosts that haunt these landmarks. Tours start at $49 per person, but lasts 3 hours so you get a lot of entertainment bang for your buck. The tour itself is a blend of scary stories, Austin history, and a deep dive into some intriguing tales behind some of Austin's most iconic buildings.
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View the Congress Bridge Bats is Austin's most popular tourist attraction for a reason. It's simply a marvel. Watch as 1.5 million bats pepper the sky in their nightly departure from Congress Bridge in their relentless and appreciated pursuit to rid us of mosquitoes. There are a lot of ways to view the bats. Use the button below to learn about 4 fun ways to check them out.
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One of the first tours to show visitors around town and the only land and water tour available, Austin Duck Adventures is one of the most popular tours in town. The tour starts at the Austin Visitor Center at the corner of 4th and Red River in downtown Austin. It drives along 6th street, up Congress where you get great views of the Texas Capitol and then on to Lake Austin where you drive straight into the water and float around before heading back. Tours run 7 days a week.
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Located downtown next to the Austin Visitor Center, this is the #1 escape room in Austin. You and your friends will work together to find clues and overcome challenges to ultimately complete a mission and ESCAPE! The Escape Game has 5 different adventures to choose from including The Heist, Gold Rush, Playground, Classified, and our favorite - Prison Break.
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A uniquely Austin activity that usually takes about an hour, visiting the Texas State Capitol is both enjoyable and educational. Who knows, you might get lucky and bump into Alex Jones protesting against masks, science, or some idea of civic responsibility. While a lot of people will stroll the grounds, take some selfies, and head out, you can go inside on a tour with Texas Capitol City Tours that feature 1 hour tours for $20 a person
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One of the most exotic Austin things to do, Unchartered Adventures features a variety of high octane activities. Originally they featured a Rage Room full of breakables, suited up guests in protective clothing and let them go wild with a baseball bat. Since releasing the rage room they've added more activities with Smash Car, Escape Rooms, Splatter Paint, and something called Zombie Airsoft. If you're looking to log some off the charts memories, definitely check out the scene at Unchartered Adventures.
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If you’re looking for a very unique and fun thing to do in Austin, check out the Eureka Room. It's Austin’s one-of-a-kind boutique immersive experience space. The Eureka Room is a curious mix of delightful programs featuring participatory absurdity and playful excitement in a room of light, sound, and bizarre instructions. Great for groups of up to ten. Be warned: if you do not like participation or secret surprises, this is definitely not the activity for you. This homegrown wonder is the brainchild of local IRL experience designer Mike Michaels. Eureka Room is open Wednesday - Sunday for ages 16 and up.
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Everybody has a friend that claims their city has the most restaurants per capita. You hear that from Austin locals all the time. While it may not offer the most restaurants per capita, it's definitely a hot market for culinary talent looking to escape the high prices of running a boutique restaurant along the nation's coasts. Austin City Guide recently released our Best Austin Restaurants Guide that is organized like this things to do list. We figured we'd give it a quick plug here since everybody loves to eat!
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What better way to bond with friends and family than showcasing your Uzi skills? The Range features a state of the art facility and immersive experience that begins the moment you step inside. Pick from shooting packages featuring, pistols, revolvers, shotguns, modern rifles, and/or automatic firearms! Packages start at $49. We suggest you go big and get the AR15 + Uzi Two-Gun package for $199. Your party's Safety Officer will run you through the protocol and demonstrate proper usage of your gun(s). The Range Safety Officer is there to assist your party from start to finish and make sure you're prepared for the next invasion.
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With the craft brew trend hitting overdrive in Austin, there are quite a few fantastic breweries to choose from for a private tour. A favorite among the bachelor and bachelorette activities, a guided brewery tours offer a responsible means to hit the top spots. The team at Texas Twisted Tours covers all the details from designated driver to steering you towards the best IPAs and ales from a local's point of view. The first round is on the house at each location and you're welcome to seconds just as long as you keep your act together.
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Pedal power is all the rage in the new green America! Help do your part to save the environment by saddling up on a PubCrawler and hitting the town. If you're worried about stamina, these rides come with electric pedal assist as a backup for your quads. Your tour can include stops at bars, murals, and food trucks in the downtown area. Private tours are a clear favorite of bachelor and bachelorette parties, but public tours are also offered and are a great way to meet new people for locals and visitors alike. Wigs are encouraged but not required;)
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Climb up above the tree lines and then zip across the forest and water like a modern Tarzan with (hopefully) more than a loin cloth. Lake Travis Zip lines offers a chance to suspend your pedestrian life with something more airborne as you zip through, across, and over some of Austin's best scenery. Zip lines offers one of the most highlighted photographic opportunities available to declare to your social media pals that you're bravery is not grounded to bikes and scooters.
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Ready to join a biker gang? This doesn't quite qualify as an automatic entry into the Sons of Anarchy gang but it's as close as you’re likely to get and a lot more fun! YourBikerGang.com offers ridiculously fun guided adventures on electric powered bikes. It's one of our favorite ways to see Austin! They have a variety of different experiences to choose from and tours depart every day of the week.
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Nothing cures a hangover from a night out on Rainey Street like Austin's favorite meal of the day! Rallying your squad for a boozy brunch is an Austin tradition. Consider a "brunch crawl" for some elevated day drinking and the perfect pre-party for another big night out. The team at Twisted Texas Tour offers several brunch experiences with private and public options available. From a bus with a live band to walking tours around our city's favorite neighborhoods, they've got you covered.
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Often catering to Austin's elite, the boat scene at Devil's Cove has earned its nickname with boats tying together creating a dance floor that rival's Austin's best night clubs. The guys at Lone Star Party Boats make it easy to get your groove on with single and double decker boats to rent. All boats have captains, large floating pads, plenty of pool noodles, and big coolers. If you want to seize the day in Austin, there's no better experience than Lake Travis and Devil's Cove!
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One of the most unique activities in Austin is the Lake Travis Waterloo Adventures. Opening for season in May, this aquatic adventure land mixes elements of Kevin Kosner's Waterworld with a splash of Gladiator and Total Wipeout. As a totally original Austin attraction, Waterloo Adventures holds its own in every aspect that makes Austin unique with an outdoor activity, killer scenery, and unparalleled excitement.
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We absolutely love Live Love Paddle's bat watching tours during bat season. But they also rent kayaks, paddleboard, and canoes for those looking to get a little exercise in with their sightseeing. The views of downtown from Lady Bird Lake are amazing. Also, check out their full moon music paddle that features kayaking to an island, watching a band play, eating smores, and kayaking back at night under the stars.
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Located in Southwest Austin, Magic's Theater offers a full auditorium sized Magic show on Saturday nights and a close up magic show on Friday nights. It also doubles as a magic museum with pieces from Harry Houdini's collection, and offers a snack bar. One worthwhile feature is that you can bring your own wine with a small corkage fee.
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Like Escape Games? We love them. The guys at Novel Escape build them based on classic novels. Their main game is built around 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and requires escaping a submarine before you run out of air. Talk about pressure! Novel Escape features 100% private games just for you and your mates.
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We love biking in Austin and nobody knows the trails and sites better than Mike. His crew offers a variety of tours to choose from including a couple on Austin's premiere mountain bike trails and a few that explore the city itself. You might think summer is the only time for a bike tour in Austin, but due to our warm weather these tours run all year round
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Transport Yourself offers a whirl of a good time sightseeing in downtown Austin on a segway. They cater to small groups, feature customizable tours, and local guides that know the best photo ops. Their fat tire segways make it easy to master in minutes and offer a smooth ride.
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Do you believe in furry tails? Indulge your kitty fix or adopt your new family member with a visit to the newest, coolest, chic lounge in Austin...Purrfecto. This is the only cat lounge in Austin and a one of a kind activity that will warm your heart.
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Maybe you're into breweries and outdoor seating. Perhaps it a hot dance floor with a sweet disco ball. In the past, Austin's nightlife was isolated to historic sixth street. Now there's districts all over town. Check out our nightlife guide for hot spots to get your groove on or chilax with your dogs and some brews.
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