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Inside ScoopFrom Austin Locals

SXSW Music Festival: Making the Most of Badges, Bands, and Your Budget

Ed Schipul, Flickr In the last five years, the SXSW...Read More

Austin Hotels: The Best Luxury and Budget Hotels

Photo by Karen Blaha on Flickr The progressive city of Austin, Texas has...Read More
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Austin OVERVIEW
Whether it’s the music, the food, the largest urban bat colony in North America or the University of Texas Longhorns, there’s a reason why 17 million people each year sign up for Austin travel on their time off. This city of 786,000 is one of contradictions—and makes no apologies for it. During your Austin vacation you’ll find tattooed moms and dads, technology millionaires and students alongside each other at any one of the city’s live music venues or outdoor festivals. Perhaps that’s why so many celebrities and film luminaries—such as Sandra Bullock, Lance Armstrong and Robert Rodriguez—choose to make Austin their home (they have the added bonus of knowing that they won't be bothered here because, quite frankly, no one cares). Those contradictions extend to the scenery, too. It’s Texas, sure, but it’s neither flat nor desolate. Instead, locals and out-of-towners alike often compare the city’s terrain to Colorado—without the Rockies. Stunning vistas, lung-burner hills, wildflowers in ...See More bloom and a year-round outdoor lifestyle have earned Austin a reputation as one of the nation’s best cities to live in—or to just hang out. There’s no doubt that music is simpatico with this quirky and intelligent city—it starts at the airport with local musicians—and doesn’t let up. Austin is known as the “Live Music Capital of the World,” and it’s served up all over the city—but traditional ‘Edelweiss’ it ain’t. Instead, it’s the twang of a vintage guitar, the slow and sensual sound of the blues, a sharp country twang, and just about everything else in between. Dallas is about three hours to the north; San Antonio is about 90 minutes south, and Houston’s about three hours east. But Austin’s place right in the middle—and its undisputed reputation as the coolest city in Texas—serves the city and its residents well, with scenery and attractions in every direction, and a climate that manages to escape most extremes in weather. See Less
BEST IN Austin TRAVEL
from our Editors
  • Homestead Studio Suites Hotel - Downtown Ed Lallo, Getty Images for AOL
  • Homestead Studio Suites Hotel - DowntownWho needs fancy when you’re going to be out partying the whole weekend anyway? With rooms starting at around $95 per...
  • ...
  • The Bob Bullock Texas State History MuseumWith three floors of interactive exhibits that will suck you in, the Bob Bullock Museum tells the story of Texas like no...
  • AOL Travel Editors test hundreds of travel experiences at all price points. See their recommendations and make the most of your trip...
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