Austin Travel Guide

There’s a popular Austin t-shirt that tends to make appearances during the city’s South by Southwest festival in March. It reads, “Welcome to Austin. Please don’t move here.” It sums up the temperament in the Texas capital these days. Once a small college town, Austin is growing. It's consistently ranked one of the fastest growing cities in the country and crane—industrial, that is—might as well be the unofficial city bird. While a few lifers grumble, this infusion of talent (not to mention tech money) is good news for residents and travelers. Restaurants, hotels, and shops are sprouting up at an unprecedented rate, adding texture to the city’s arts and dining scene. Still, Austin continues to be a place where food trucks go brick and mortar and garage bands get their big break. Only now, a bigger audience is listening. The trick to uncovering Austin's weirdness under its newfound techie, hipster sheen is to pick your "thing"—be it breakfast tacos, hiking trails, line dancing, mezcal, food trucks, or even just brunch—and dive deep, real deep. Because for all the hype, Austin’s charms don't sit obviously at the surface.