25 Fun Things to Do in Austin
Austin’s energy is unlike any other city in Texas and there are fun activities all around town where you can experience it. We’ve gathered up a mix of iconic Austin activities and some fun things to do in Austin for you to try out that are perfect for Austin locals or for showing off to friends and family from out of town.
List of 25 Fun Things to Do in Austin
Experience live music and entertainment, outdoor activities, interactive art, and fun experiences all around town.
- Two-stepping at Broken Spoke, The White Horse, and Little Longhorn Saloon
- ACL Live at The Moody Theater
- Catch a movie at the Blue Starlite Urban Drive-In
- Dancing at Outer Heaven Disco Club
- Play putt putt at Peter Pan Mini Golf
- Purrfecto Cat Lounge
- Go COTA Karting at Circuit of the Americas
- Suite up at Sandbox VR in the Domain
- Play and drink at Cidercade
- Make a rug at the Fuzz Lab
- Rediscover the kid in you at the Museum of Ice Cream in the Domain
- Visit the Blanton Museum of Art
- Experience interactive art at Wonderspaces
- The Contemporary Austin
- Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum
- Lake Travis Zipline Adventures
- Explore the Zilker Botanical Garden
- Hang out at Pease Park
- Visit the peacocks at Mayfield Park
- Hike Mount Bonnell
- Take a swim at Barton Springs Pool
- Picnic at Zilker Park
- Kayaking on Lady Bird lake
- Be a tourist for the day on Austin Duck Adventures
- Play Pickleball at Bouldin Acres
Music & Entertainment in Austin, Texas
1. Two-stepping at Broken Spoke, The White Horse, and Little Longhorn Saloon
3201 South Lamar Boulevard
Austin may be an outlier in the South, but we still love our country music scene. For other country music and two-stepping fans, spending a night out at one of Austin’s best honky-tonks is the perfect activity. Check out the Broken Spoke, The White Horse, or Little Longhorn Saloon for a fun night out.
2. ACL Live at The Moody Theater
310 W Willie Nelson Blvd, Austin, TX 78701
This state-of-the-art live music venue is the place to hear diverse performances in the Live Music Capital of the World. Get tickets for ACL Live to hear some of your favorite artists or experience new ones year-round.
3. Watch a movie at the Blue Starlite Urban Drive-In
300 San Antonio Street, Austin, TX 78701
Austin’s only mini drive-in movie theater is the perfect place for date night in the city. The Blue Starlite shows indie films, cult classics, and childhood favorites on a rooftop downtown on Wednesday-Sunday. But they only take 15-40 cars a night, so make sure you reserve those tickets ahead of time.
4. Dancing at Outer Heaven Disco Club
1808 E 12th St, Austin, TX 78702
Why go out to the bars to have fun when you could dance the night away? Outer Heaven is perfect for a fun night of dancing, and if you’re feeling bold, grab a mic Tuesday-Thursday night and try a little karaoke.
New Fun Activities & Experiences in Austin
5. Peter Pan Mini Golf
1207 Barton Springs Rd, Austin, TX 78704
This iconic Austin spot is the number one place to go for a game of mini golf. Peter Pan Mini Golf has two sets of 18 holes, one perfect for younger kids and another more difficult one for the over-15 crowd. All you have to do is pay your $9 dues, pick the club color of your ball, and you’re set. Oh, and did we mention it’s BYOB? That’s a nice perk too.
6. Purrfecto Cat Lounge
2300 S Lamar Blvd unit 104, Austin, TX 78704
People bring their dogs all around Austin, but there are few opportunities to find feline friends in the city. Well, Purrfecto Cat Lounge is here to change that by providing Austin’s only cat lounge experience where you can hang out with a crowd of adorable cats. And if you’re in the market, Purrfecto has rescue patterns ready to help you adopt one of their cats.
7. Go COTA Karting at Circuit of The Americas
9201 Circuit of the Americas Blvd, Austin, TX 78617
Did you know you could also race at Circuit of The Americas? COTA Karting on the Formula 1 track is an experience you won’t want to miss as you race your competitors around 15 twists and turns to victory. The experience starts at $35 and is great for a special occasion with friends.
8. Suit up at Sandbox VR in the Domain
3100 Esperanza Crossing Suite 100, Austin, TX 78758
The world’s most advanced virtual reality is available right here in Austin. Sandbox VR puts groups of up to 6 players in a socially immersive gaming experience that combines full-body motion capture and high-quality haptics to provide unprecedented realism and complete immersion. This experience is on the pricier side at $80 a person but is such a fun and unique activity for adventure, fantasy, and sci-fi gaming fans.
9. Play and drink at Cidercade
600 E Riverside Dr, Austin, TX 78704
We all loved playing in the arcade at Main Event as kids, and you can still experience that same fun at Cidercade. With $12 you can play over 150 arcade games. And what goes better with games than pizza, wings, hard cider, and seltzers? Grab a group of friends and make a fun night out of reliving your childhood fun.
10. Make a rug at the Fuzz Lab
2222 Rio Grande St, Suite 120, Austin, TX 78705
Get creative with your friends and make your very own colorful tufted rugs at the Fuzz Lab. This unique experience lets you make and take home a small, medium, or large rug for $68, $98, or $198, and who doesn’t love owning a unique piece of home decor?
Art & Museums
11. Rediscover the kid in you at the Museum of Ice Cream in the Domain
11506 Century Oaks Terrace #128, Austin, TX 78758
Okay, who doesn’t love a pool of sprinkles? Well, at the Museum of Ice Cream, that is just the tip of the waffle cone. With slides, climbing structures, a forest of bananas, a wall of candy, and real ice cream to eat, this unique experience is perfect for all types of group outings.
Discover the culinary treasures at The Domain’s finest restaurants, and explore our guide to the best restaurants located in The Domain
12. Visit the Blanton Museum of Art
200 E Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Austin, TX 78712
The Blanton is one of the foremost university art museums in the country and holds the largest public collection in Central Texas with modern and contemporary American and Latin American art, Italian Renaissance and Baroque paintings, and rotating exhibitions year-round. And with their recent renovations, the Blanton is better than it’s ever been.
13. Experience interactive art at Wonderspaces
1205 Sheldon Cove #2A, Austin, TX 78753
Interactive art shows are some of the best activities for dates, family fun, or time with friends, and Wonderspaces is one of the best in Austin. There are 17 fun art installations to explore, from displayed work, giant tents to walk through, VR experiences, and beautiful hanging light shows. Tickets are $24 per person, and the art changes throughout the year, so don’t shy away from making a second visit in a few months.
14. The Contemporary Austin
700 Congress Ave., Austin, TX 78701
3809 W 35th St, Austin, TX 78703
If you’re more about modern styles rather than blasts from the past, The Contemporary Austin is the art museum you’ll want to check out. Austin’s only museum focusing on contemporary artists and their works houses an extensive variety of rotating exhibitions at a central location 10 minutes from the capital or out on the shores of Lake Austin.
15. Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum
1800 Congress Ave., Austin, TX 78701
If you want to learn the story of Texas, or you’ve forgotten what you saw when you came here on a school field trip, the Bullock Museum has all the answers. You can find exhibits on Texas state history and unique rotating exhibitions throughout the year. The museum also has an IMAX theater with special effects shows, but you can also watch new movies here on one of the best screens in town.
Outdoors
16. Fly above the water at Lake Travis Zipline Adventures
14529 Pocohontas Trail, Volente, TX 78641
Take an incredible 3-hour adventure in the sky on 5 zips from 250 ft to 2,600 ft long above Austin. Lake Travis Zipline Adventures is the longest zipline in Texas and 9th in the world, so you don’t want to miss out. And after a full day of flying, relax at the private lakefront park you get access to by purchasing a zipline tour package.
17. Explore the Zilker Botanical Garden
2220 Barton Springs Rd, Austin, TX 78746
The Zilker Botanical Garden is a gorgeous experience for a daytime date, family outing, or photoshoot, with diverse areas of lush plants and beautiful water features. The gardens also have incredible views of the Austin skyline and fun rotating main exhibits.
18. Hang out at Pease Park
1100 Kingsbury St, Austin, TX 78703
Pease Park is an urban park in central Austin paralleling Shoal Creek west of downtown and has so much to do. The 84 acres of public green space features a giant circular tree house, large green spaces, hiking trails, picnic spots, basketball courts, interactive water features, and play areas.
19. Visit the peacocks at Mayfield Park
3505 W 35th St, Austin, TX 78703
You don’t have to pay to go to the zoo to see peacocks when Mayfield Park has them for free! The park and preserve is home to around two dozen colorful peacocks as well as koi fish and turtles. After you say hello to the animals and take a look at the adorable historic cottage, you can hike along one of the 21 acres of hiking and walking trails.
20. Hike Mount Bonnell
3800 Mount Bonnell Rd; Austin, Texas 78731
Climb to the top of the highest point in Austin at Mount Bonnell with 360 views of the city skyline, hill country, and river. This great outdoor activity is free, an easy climb, and won’t take you hours to complete.
21. Take a swim at Barton Springs Pool
2131 William Barton Dr, Austin, TX 78746
Austin is home to one of the best outdoor swimming pools that is filled entirely with water from nearby natural springs. Barton Springs Pool measures 3 acres in size and has a very cool water temperature of 68-70 degrees year round, perfect for the intense Texas heat. Entry is cheap, the water is cool, and there are lovely green hills to relax on between dips in the water.
22. Picnic at Zilker Park
2100 Barton Springs Rd, Austin, TX 78704
Zilker’s Great Lawn is an iconic Austin spot that hosts big events throughout the year, but on a regular day it’s a versatile spot for Austenites to enjoy. The green space has a fantastic backdrop of downtown and makes for a great place to have a picnic, play volleyball, disc golf, or toss a football with friends.
23. Kayaking on Lady Bird Lake
2418 Stratford Dr, Austin, TX 78746, United States
There are so many ways to enjoy Lady Bird Lake and one of the easiest is water rentals. Find any rental company you’d like, we recommend Rowing Dock, Live Love Paddle, or Texas Rowing Center, and pick from paddleboards, kayaks, and canoes to get out on the water. Prices vary, but it’s never more than $30 a person per hour.
24. Be a tourist for the day on Austin Duck Adventures
602 E 4th St, Austin, TX 78701
It’s a bus, it’s a boat, it’s a Hydra Terra vehicle? Austin Duck Adventures takes visitors on a 75-minute tour of 6th street, the governor’s mansion, the state capitol, and Lake Austin all in one vehicle made for the land and the sea (or lake in this case). All tickets are under $40 and it’s a fun way to see the city or show friends from out of town a lot of Austin landmarks without trying to find parking across town.
25. Play Pickleball at Bouldin Acres
2027 S Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78704
Pickleball is all over Austin and super easy to learn, and if you were thinking about giving it a try, playing at Bouldin Acres is the perfect way. Any day of the week book at court in advance for $10 or $20 per half hour and you can rent equipment for under $5. Plus, there are food trucks and drinks available in the shaded patio area right next to the courts, perfect for cooling off or waiting for your court.
Conclusion
Why go to your same old dinner spot with friends when you could take them to experience one of these amazing, fun activities? Even if you’re all locals, isn’t it fun to be a tourist in your own city? Find some fun things to do in austin like live music, live it up on the dance floor, see incredible art, and experience the outdoors all in one incredible city.
