If you’ve never been to Austin, you’ve probably heard of it. It’s the capital of Texas.
It’s famous for live music, barbecue and breakfast tacos.
It’s home to the University of Texas, major technology companies, beautiful outdoor spaces, and one of the largest urban bat colonies in North America.
And somewhere along the way, Austin decided that being normal was overrated.
Keep Austin Weird.
Today, that history is on full display at one of Austin’s most recognizable landmarks:
The Texas State Capitol. Completed in 1888, this enormous pink-granite building dominates downtown. And naturally, it’s taller than the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
Sixth Street is also part of Austin’s original downtown, and over the decades it became one of the places where business, entertainment and music came together. And music would eventually become one of Austin’s defining characteristics. In the 1970s, Willie Nelson helped change the city’s musical identity. He brought country music together with rock, blues, folk and Austin’s growing counterculture. Then came artists like Stevie Ray Vaughan, who helped put Austin blues on the international map. So when Austin calls itself the Live Music Capital of the World, there’s a lot of history behind the name.
But music isn’t the only thing Austin puts on a show.
If you want to trade the city skyline for some green space, head to Zilker Park. This enormous park is one of Austin’s outdoor playgrounds. And inside Zilker is another Austin icon: Barton Springs Pool. Fed by natural springs, the pool has been a gathering place for generations.
So is education. The University of Texas opened in 1883 and became one of the major forces shaping the city. UT helped make Austin an intellectual and cultural center, attracting students, researchers, artists, engineers and entrepreneurs. And that connection between education, research and entrepreneurship eventually helped fuel Austin’s technology boom.
But even with all that technology and growth, Austin has held onto its independent streak.
That’s where Keep Austin Weird comes in. It’s more than a slogan.
It’s a celebration of independent businesses, artists, musicians, food trucks, street performers and people who aren’t afraid to do things a little differently.
And then there’s the food.
Austin is serious about barbecue.
Central Texas barbecue means smoke, post oak and brisket.
And that magical moment when someone puts a perfectly smoked piece of meat in front of you and suddenly waiting in line for an hour seems completely reasonable.
Then there are breakfast tacos.
Eggs, potatoes, bacon, sausage, cheese…
Put it in a tortilla and you’ve got breakfast on the move.
But maybe what makes Austin so interesting is the combination of all these things.
Texas history.
Music.
Education.
Technology.
Outdoor life.
Food.
And a healthy dose of weird.
You can visit the Texas State Capitol in the morning…
walk through the historic Driskill Hotel…
wander down Sixth Street…
explore Zilker Park…
cool off in Barton Springs…
walk around Lady Bird Lake…
watch the bats fly out at sunset…
and finish the evening listening to live music.
That’s a pretty good day in Austin.
But here’s my advice:
Don’t just check the landmarks off your list.
Walk around.
Listen to the musicians.
Try something you’ve never eaten.
Talk to the locals.
Take a different street.
Look for the stories hiding behind the places everybody already knows.
Because Austin isn’t just a destination.
It’s a city that’s constantly changing while still trying to hold onto the personality that made people fall in love with it.
From a little frontier settlement called Waterloo…
to the capital of Texas…
to the Live Music Capital of the World…
to Silicon Hills…
Austin has certainly come a long way.
And somehow, through all of it, the city still manages to be a little different.
A little unpredictable.
And yes…
a little weird.
I’m Curious Perro.
And Austin is definitely a city worth getting curious about.
Live the Life Less Traveled. Stay Curious. 🐾