The quality of life is what attracts new-comersEntertainment to Austin. Music: No matter how many things you’ve heard about the music scene in Austin, you can’t visualize its full depth and breadth. More than 150 venues offer regular musical sets. At any given time, more than 3,000 musical acts navigate this maze, and public places are a magnet for live music. Almost across the board it’s a consistently high level of musicianship that twice a year peaks in mammoth festivals: South by Southwest in the spring and Austin City Limits Music Festival in the fall.
Arts: Second only to music, the arts are ubiquitous in Central Texas. In a select group of cities with professional symphony, opera, bal- let and theater companies, Austin also has benefited as those offerings improved exponentially during the past decades. There’s only one large art museum — the Blanton Museum of Art — but plenty of high-quality galleries and smaller museums. Comedy is red-hot in Austin, with dozens of transient sketch, improv and hybrid comedy troupes winning international fame.
Movies: Austin has been a movie mecca, more or less, for about 20 years. Besides giants like Robert Rodriguez, Mike Judge, Richard Linklater and Elizabeth Avellán, other directors, actors, designers and technicians wander our streets every day. The Alamo Draft- house phenomenon started here. Depend on the good folks with the Austin Film Society, Austin Film Festival, South by Southwest Film Festival and other hyperactive groups to keep this city cranking out the films.
Nightlife: As money poured into Austin during the past two or three booms, club scenesters multiplied the “going out” options. Ultra-lounges were all the rage a couple of years ago. Now the night tribes follow celebrity party planners, social media mavens and mixologists sparking the next cocktail revolution. Newer entertainment districts include West Sixth Street, East E. Sixth Street and Rainey Street.
Sports: In Austin, sports count as entertainment. Especially the University of Texas Longhorns on any field of action. They’ve been joined recently by superior minor-league teams, such as the Round Rock Express, Austin Toros, Texas Stars and the amazing freshman Austin Aztex. Add to that fast-expanding local sports bar phenoms, such as Third Base, Bikinis and Cover 3.
Style: Not long ago, the only fashion show in town was staged annually by the UT design program. Now it seems models walk the runway every night of the week. The presence of powerful national stores (Neiman Marcus, Saks, etc.) helps, but more influential are the masses of designers and boutiques that make up the backbone of the Austin fashion scene.
Food: When asked what they do for entertainment, Austinites often say: “Eat out.” As you will soon discover, dining in Austin often comes with a dash of design, music, comedy or film. Take it all in.
DENISE VINCENT BUSINESS CONSULTANT 3520 Executive Center Dr, Suite G-100 Austin, TX 78731 MOBILE 512.431.7572 | MOBILE 512.795.9755 [email protected] www.firstamaustin.com
TX-Austin - 07/2011 What to do & where to do it:
TOURS: Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center Texas Union Undergroud Austin Duck Adventures 4801 LaCrosse Avenue 24th & Guadalupe 232.0100, www.wildflower.org 475.6670, www.utexas.edu/txunion 209 E. 6th Street 477.5274, www.austinducks.com Landa Park Volente Beach Water Park Austin Ghost Tours 110 Golf Course Road (New Braunfels) 16107 FM 2769 (Leander) 830.221.4350, www.nbpard.org 258.5109, www.volentebeach.com 853.9826, www.austinghosttours.com Mabel Davis District Park Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve Bremond Block (March-November) 3427 Parker Lane 805 N. Capital of Texas Hwy 478.0098 441.5247 327.7622, www.wildbasin.org Capital Cruises www.ci.austin.tx.us/parks/mabeldavis.htm Wonder World 208 Barton Springs Road Main Event 1000 Prospect Street (San Marcos) 480.9264, www.capitalcruises.com 13301 N. Hwy 183 392.3760, www.wonderworldpark.com Congress Avenue & 6th Street 401.0000, www.maineventusa.net Zilker Botanical Garden 478.0098, www.austintexas.org Millennium Youth Entertainment Complex 2220 Barton Springs Road French Ligation Museum 1156 Hargrave Street 477.8672, www.zilkergarden.org 802 San Marcos Street 472.6932, www.myec.net Zilker Park 472.8180, www.frenchlegationmuseum.org Mount Bonnell 2100 Barton Springs Road Lone Star Riverboat 3800 Mount Bonnell Road 974.6700, www.ci.austin.tx.us/zilker/ 327.1388, www.lonestarriverboat.com 974.6700 THINGS TO SEE: Texas Capitol Natural Bridge Caverns 11th & Congress Avenue Austin Steam Train 26495 Natural Bridge Caverns 463.0063, www.capitol.state.tx.us 401 E. Whitestone Blvd. (Cedar Park) Road (San Antonio) 210.651.6101 477.8468, www.austinsteamtrain.org Vanishing Texas River Cruise www.naturalbridgecaverns.com Austin Zoo 16942 RM 2341 (Lake Buchanan) Old Bakery and Emporium 756.6986, www.vtrc.com 10807 Rawhide Trail 1006 Congress Avenue 288.1490, www.austinzoo.org COOL PLACES: 477.5961 Bats in Flight (mid March – early November) Animal World and Snake Farm www.ci.austin.tx.us/park/bakery1.htm 305 S. Congress Avenue 5640 S. IH-35 (New Braunfels) Peter Pan Mini Golf 416.5700, www.batcon.org 830.608.9270 1207 Barton Springs Road www.exoticanimalworld.com 472.1033 Capitol Visitors Center Aquarena Center Playland Skate Center 112 E. 11th Street 305.8400, www.texascapitolvistorscenter.com 921 Aquarena Springs Drive (San Marcos) 8822 McCann Drive 245.7570, www.aquarena.txstate.edu 452.1901, www.playlandskatecenter.com Historic Georgetown Austin Nature and Science Center Ramp Ranch 101 W. 7th Street (Georgetown) 800.436.8696, www.visitgeorgetown.com 301 Nature Center Drive 10355 Hwy 29 (Liberty Hill) 327.8181, www.ci.austin.tx.us/ansc 515.7600, www.austinskatepark.com J&M Aviaries Austin’s Park & Pizza River Walk (San Antonio) 8647 W. Hwy 290 288.2199, www.austinavianrr.org 16231 IH-35 North (Pflugerville) 210.227.4262, com 670.9600, www.austinspark.com www.thesanantonioriverwalk.com Texas State Cemetery Bear Creek Stables San Marcos Skate Park 909 Navasota Street 463.0605, www.cemetery.state.tx.us 13017 Bob Johnson Lane 627 E. Hopkins Street (San Marcos) 282.0250, www.bearcreekstables.com 393.8400 The Chisholm Trail Chaparral Ice Schlitterbahn Sam Bass south to RM 620 (Round Rock) 463.6255, www.thc.state.tx.us/heritage 14200 N. IH-35 & 2525 Anderson Lane 400 N. Liberty Avenue (New Braunfels) tourism.htchisholm.shtml 252.8500 & 451.5102, www.chaparralice.com 830.625.2351, www.schlitterbahn.com/nb Treaty Oak Fall Creek Vineyards Sea World 5th & Baylor Street 1820 County Road 222 (Tow) 10500 Sea World Drive (San Antonio) 478.0098, www.ci.austin.tx.us/treatyoak/ 325.379.5361 800.700.7786, www.seaworld.com/sanantonio www.fcv.com Shaylah Dame Skate Park Inner Space Cavern 1600 Gattis School Road (Round Rock) 4200 S. IH-35 (Georgetown) 218.5540 931.2283, www.myinnerspacecavern.com www.roundrocktexas.gov/home/index.asp?page=1366 Kiddie Acres (closed Monday) Six Flags Fiesta Texas 4800 W. Howard Lane 1700 W. I-10 (San Antonio) 255.4131, www.kiddieacres.com 210.697.5050, www.sixflags.com/fiestatexas MUSEUMS: National Museum of the Pacific war Chorus Austin Austin Children’s Museum 340 E. Main Street (Fredericksburg) 719.3300, www.chorusaustin.org 830.997.4379 201 Colorado Street Chamber Soloists of Austin 472.2499, www.austinkids.org O. Henry Museum 719.3300, www.chambersoloists.com Austin History Center 409 E. 5th Street Heart of Texas Chorus 472.1903, www.ci.austin.tx.us/parks/ohenry.htm 9th & Guadalupe 866.801.4238, www.hotchorus.org Palm House Museum 974.7480, www.ci.austin.tx.us/library/ La Follia Austin Baroque 212 E. Main Street (Round Rock) Austin Museum of Art-Downtown 879.6404, www.lafollia.org 512.255.5805 823 Congress Avenue River City Pops 495.9224, www.amoa.org Pioneer Farms 350.7677, www.rivercitypops.org Austin Museum of Art-Laguna Gloria 10621 Pioneer Farms Drive 837.1215, www.pioneerfarms.org Tapestry Singers (Austin Women’s Chorus) 3809 W. 35th Street www.tapestrysingers.org 458.8191, www.amoa.org Republic of Texas Museum Bastrop County Historical Society Mu- 510 E. Anderson Lane University of Texas Chorale seum 339.1997 471.0851, www.music.utexas.edu/Choirs 702 Main Street (Bastrop) Texas Fine Arts Association Wild Basin Winds 512.303.0057 700 Congress Avenue 331.9333, www.wildbasinwinds.com Blanton Museum of Art 453.5312, www.tfaa.org DANCE: Texas Highway Patrol Association and MLK & Congress AZTLAN Dance Company Museum 471.7234, www.blantonmuseum.org 524.4278, www.aztlandance.com Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum 501 Oakland Avenue 491.9117, www.thpm.org Austin Babtist Women 1800 N. Congress Avenue 291.1536, www.babtistwomen.com 936.8746, www.thestoryoftexas.com Texas Memorial Museum Ariel Dance Theatre Capitol Visitors Center 2400 Trinity Street 471.1604 458.4258, www.arieldance.org 110 E. 11th Street Ballet Austin 305.8400, www.texascapitolvisitorscenter.com Texas Military Forces Museum 2200 W. 35th Street 3002 Guadalupe Street The Dolph Briscoe Center 476.9051, www.balletaustin.org for American History 465.5659, www.kwanah.com Ballet East Dance Theater University of Texas Texas Music Museum 3111 Garwood Street 495.4515, www.cah.utexas.edu 1009 E. 11th Street 385.2838 Dougherty Arts Center 472.8891, www.texasmusicmuseum.org Umlauf Sculpture Garden and Museum Kathy Dunn Hamrick Dance Company 1110 Barton Springs Road 934.1082, www.kdhdance.com 397.1468 605 Robert E. Lee Road Roy Lozano’s Ballet Folklorico Elisabet Ney Museum 445.5582, www.umlaufsculpture.org The Williamson Museum 1928-C Gaston Place Drive 304 E. 44th Street 928.1111, www.rlbft.org 458.2255, www.ci.austin.tx.us/elisabetney 716 S. Austin Avenue (Georgetown) Sharir+Bustamante Danceworks French Legation Museum 943.1670, www.williamsonmuseum.org MUSIC: 3724 Jefferson Street 802 San Marcos Street 458.8158 472.8180, www.frenchlegationmuseum.org Austin Chamber Ensemble Tapestry Dance Company George Washington Carver Museum 345.7420, www.austinchamberensemble.com 507-B Pressler Street 1165 Angelina Street Austin Civic Wind Ensemble 474.9846, www.tapestry.org 472.4809, www.ci.austin.tx.us/carver www.acwe.org Third Coast Jazz Georgetown Firefighters Museum Austin Choral Artists 11150 Research Blvd, Suite 107 103 W. 9th Street (Georgetown) 200 E. 8th Street 349.7198 512.930.3473 472.9600 THEATER: Harry Ransom Humanities Austin Chord Rangers Austin Playhouse Research Center 477.7664, www.chordrangers.org 3601 South Congress 21st & Guadalupe 476.0084, www.austinplayhouse.com 471.8944, www.hrc.utexas.edu Austin Civic Chorus 719.3300, www.chorusaustin.org/acc Austin Circle of Theaters Jones Center for Contemporary Art Austin Civic Orchestra 4402 Burnet Road 700 Congress Avenue 454.9700, www.acotonline.org 453.5312, www.arthousetexas.org 3012 Rexford Drive 990.8ACO, www.austincivicorchestra.org Austin Shakespeare Festival Lester E. Palmer Events Center Austin Lyric Opera 700 W. 31st Street 900 Barton Springs Road 454.2273, www.austinshakespeare.org 404.4470 901 Barton Springs Road 472.5992, www.austinlyricopera.org B. Iden Payne Theatre LBJ Library & Museum Austin Symphonic Band 300 E. 23rd Street 2313 Red River Street 471.5793, www.finearts.utexas.edu/tad 345.7420, www.asband.org 721.0200, www.lbjlib.utexas.edu Bastrop Opera House The Austin Symphony Mexic-Arte Museum 771 Spring Street (Bastrop) 419 Congress Avenue 1101 Red River Street 512.303.6283 476.6064, www.austinsymphony.org 480.9373 Encore Kids Capital City Men’s Chorus Museum of the Weird 100 Congress Avenue, Suite 2000 412 E. 6th Street 477.7464, www.ccmcaustin.org/ 469.3545 476.5493, www.museumoftheweird.com Esther’s Follies Elephant Room 525 E. 6th Street 315 Congress Avenue 320.0553 473.2279, www.elephantroom.com Georgetown Palace Theatre Emo’s 810 S. Austin Avenue (Georgetown) 603 Red River Street 512.869.7469, www.thegeorgetownpalace.org 477.3667, www.emosaustin.com Hideout Theatre Hill’s Café 617 Congress Avenue 4700 South Congress 443.3688, www.hideouttheatre.com 851.9300, www.hillscafe.com Long Center La Zona Rosa 701 W. Riverside Drive 612 W. 4th Street 457.5100, www.thelongcenter.org 476.7833, www.lazonarosa.com North by Northwest Theatre Company Maggie Mae’s www.nxnwtheatre.org 323 E. 6th Street Off Center 478.8541, www.maggiemaesaustin.com 2211 Hidalgo The Mohawk 476.7833, www.rudemechs.com 912 Red River Street One World Theatre 482.8404, www.mohawkaustin.com 7701 Bee Caves Road Saxon Pub 330.9500, www.oneworldtheatre.org 1320 South Lamar Paramount Theatre 448.2552, www.thesaxonpub.com 713 Congress Avenue Stubb’s 472.5470, www.austintheatre.org 801 Red River Street Salvage Vanguard Theater 480.8341, www.stubbsaustin.com 2803 Manor Road Threadgill’s 474.7886, www.salvagevanguard.org 6416 North Lamar Scottish Rite-Children’s Theater 451.5440, www.threadgills.com 207 W. 18th Street 474.7886, www.scrt.org Second Youth Family Theatre 386.8292, www.secondyouth.com State Theatre 719 Congress Avenue 472.2901, www.austintheatre.org University of Texas Performing Arts 23rd & East Campus Drive 471.4444 Vortex Theater 2307 Manor Road 478.5282 Zachary Scott Theatre 1510 Toomey Road, 1421 W. Riverside 476.0541, www.zachscott.com Zilker Hillside Theatre Zilker Park 477.5335, www.zilker.org LIVE MUSIC VENUES: Antones 213 W. 5th Street 320.8424, www.antones.net The Belmont 305 W. 6th Street 457.0300, www.thebelmontaustin.com Broken Spoke 3201 South Lamar 442.6189, www.brokenspokeaustintx.com Continental Club 1315 South Congress 441.0202, www.continentalclub.com Donn’s Depot 1600 W. 5th Street 478.0336, http://donnar.home.texas.net