Austin is, and always has been, the powerhouse of culture in Texas. If you’re looking to get away from the ever-pressing pulse of cowboy hats literally everywhere and other Texas cliches, then you go to Austin. The city is known for its Texas character as well as its colorful culture that is all its own. It’s weird and exciting and the hub of interesting in Texas. Take a spice of western culture mixed in with some really weird antique shops, awesome bars and food and the best music festival in the entirety of the West, and what you get is the towering beacon of personality and intrigue that is Austin. If you’re visiting, you might have already looked up a couple of things to do while you’re around town, but to get the true local flavor you’ll have to do better than checking out a couple Trip Advisor lists online. Thus, Maudie’s Tex Mex has decided to compile a list of the things you need to do in Austin to fully experience the weird and the fascinating facets of our hometown.
South by Southwest
Austin is, perhaps, most well known for some of its amazing conventions that it puts on. None of them can top South by Southwest. It began in 1987 as a small music festival, and now it’s a behemoth of a gathering that hosts musicians both budding and prestigious technology advances and artsy films. It’s a must-attend for music journalists everywhere, and thus it should be a must-do while you’re in Austin. If you’re lucky enough to plan your trip around the festival, it’s a must-see. The admission is a touch pricier than it used to be, but it’s totally worth it. They’ve hosted the Arctic Monkeys, Franz Ferdinand and just this past March they featured Goat Girl, A Place to Bury Strangers and Crush as well as many other indie artists that are ever-growing in popularity. The whole city volunteers its venues to host the most important minds in the creative industries from around the world, not just the country. They’ll be at SXSW creating the cultural agenda for the next year. You literally can’t miss the opportunity.
The Austin City Limits Music Festival
If you’re into a more laid-back environment for your festivals, you’ll thoroughly enjoy the ACL. If your trip happens to be planned in October, instead of March, be sure to hit up the Austin City Limits festival. This is the longest music festival Austin hosts and it stretches over two weekends (October 5-7 and October 12-14). It features over 130 bands that play on eight different stages across all of the different genres. You’ll be able to catch names such as Travis Scott, Metallica and even Paul McCartney while you’re there this year in 2018. You’ll certainly catch a few other timeless acts while you’re there, and at the very least, it’s something to do during the day when you’re not eating amazing food or partaking in some of the other attractions around Weird Austin.
Zilker Park
New York has Central Park, London has Hyde Park and Austin has Zilker Park. Do we feel comfortable comparing Zilker Park to these oases, known far and wide as the respite the city dwellers find in the middle of their busy days? Is Zilker Park on the same scale as those other landmark parks? In short, yes. It’s home to the Austin City Limits festival, the Trail of Lights, as well as a sprawling and super impressive playground beside the Umlauf Sculpture Garden and Botanical Gardens. You can rent a boat to traverse the entirety of Lady Bird Lake or stroll around the Butler Trail.
Visit Maudie’s Tex Mex
No trip around Austin, whether you’re from out of town or one of our beloved locals, is complete without a trip to Maudie’s. Fascinated by all of the cool spots to hit up in Austin? We’ve curated quite a few more must-see areas around our city. Be sure to watch our blog for the continuation of this blog series, but in the meantime, come down and catch some authentic Tex-Mex cuisine. Choose from a wide variety of beautiful, tasty dishes like our tacos or our traditional chile rellenos. If you have questions about to-go orders or catering, feel free to reach out to us. We’re excited to hear from you.