|
|
|
|
|
Austin is the capital of Texas,
located at the center of the state. It is about 3-hour drive from Houston (in
the east) and Dallas (in the north) and about an hour drive from San Antonio.
The UT Austin campus is immediately north of downtown Austin.
Austin-Bergstrom International
Airport has flights from most US destinations, as well as Canada, Mexico,
Netherlands, Germany, UK. The airport is a short driving distance to downtown
Austin (less than 20 minutes).
The main hotels around campus
are:
There are many restaurants and
stores (e.g., Target, CVS) walking distance from these hotels, mostly around
Guadalupe Street. There are many other hotels and airbnbs with a large variety
of price ranges in Austin. Many hotels are downtown. Roughly: north of campus
is quiet residential neighborhoods (with some shops and restaurants); west of
campus (Guadalupe) is the “Drag”, where undergraduates live; east of campus is
east of the major highway I-35 and rapidly gentrifying (and has lots of
restaurants); south of campus is downtown.
Transportation:
You can either use ride share
apps/taxis or rent a car. Uber partners with Waymo in Austin and offers
autonomous cars in addition to normal Ubers. Both UT campus and downtown Austin
are walkable. Additionally, there are buses and scooters to rent everywhere
near campus. If you get to campus or downtown by car, you need to pay for
parking. Outside of these areas parking is often free.
What to See Around Campus:
It’s nice to walk around campus.
The UT Tower is iconic (but you can’t
climb all the way up). Next to the tower is the lovely turtle
pond. Visit the Littlefield
Fountain and the main campus buildings. It’s nice to stroll by Waller
Creek, and this coffee
shop is right by it. There are two main food courts on campus:
in The Student Activity Center, which is close to the creek, and in The Texas
Union (which also has a bowling alley!). The
campus has beautiful
swimming pools close to the creek, and it’s possible to purchase day
passes. The campus is home to several museums and libraries: The LBJ presidential library, the Blanton Museum of Art, a small natural history museum, the Bullock Texas history museum and
the Harry Ransom Center
with its rare books collection.
Food:
Austin has a large variety of
excellent restaurants and coffee shops. It is famous for great BBQ, Tex-Mex
and food
trucks. Black’s BBQ
and Rudy’s are
not too far from campus. Taco Joint
on San Jacinto is near campus. There are quite a few options on Guadalupe
Street right outside campus. Famous local chains Kerbey Lane
(diner) and Juice Land (smoothies,
acai bowls) are nearby. Other famous local chains are Tacodeli, Torchy’s Tacos.
Downtown Austin:
Downtown Austin is south of
campus and walkable. It borders the Colorado River and Ladybird Lake (The
Colorado River in Austin is not to be confused with the famous Colorado River). The Texas
Capitol (at the northmost part of downtown Austin) is iconic and open to
the public. It’s surrounded by a park with a nice visitor center. You
need to walk a little more south before you get to the bustling part of
downtown (around Sixth Street and all the way to the river). Congress Ave is
the main street that goes through downtown Austin and South Austin. During the
spring and summer the (space under the) Congress Ave Bridge is home to a huge
population of bats, and watching
the bats is a major tourist attraction. It’s nice to stroll by the river or
rent a kayak. Austin is famous for its live music scene.
Outdoors:
Austin has a large variety of
trails, from Pease Park that’s not far
from campus (and has a playground in its southmost end, around downtown), to
farther hiking trails, e.g., Spicewood
Springs or Bull Creek.
Farther yet are the Enchanted
Rock, Longhorn Cavern and
the spectacular Natural Bridge
Caverns. Many other hiking options are available.
For Book Lovers:
The Austin Central Library
on the river in downtown Austin is beautiful. It has plenty of spaces to hang
out, a coffee shop, a board games collection, a giant chess set, a “technology
petting zoo” and a wonderful kids’ library.
Check out the large bookstore Book People downtown (it also has a small
branch at the airport). If you happen to be in Hyde Park (a residential
neighborhood north of campus), First
Light is a popular bookstore and coffee shop.
For Ice Cream Lovers:
Amy’s is a local ice cream chain with
large portions, a good selection of flavors (including one changing boozy
flavor) and a large variety of toppings and crushings. There are many other ice
cream shops around town. We like the Italian ice cream in Gelatoro in Hyde Park, and Lick Honest Ice Creams.
For Pizza Lovers:
Not too far from campus is Via 313 (deep dish pizza). A short drive
away are Home Slice Pizza on 53rd
St, which has indoor and outdoor seating and a play area for kids, and All Day.
Supermarkets:
Supermarkets in Austin are surprisingly
worth a visit:
- Central Market: an upscale
supermarket with a restaurant, coffee shop, ice cream shop, prepared food, live
music performances several times a week, a park with a playground, as well as
car carts and fruit snacks for kids.
- The Whole Foods headquarters
are in Austin. Their flagship store downtown has a large food court downstairs
and a roof-deck upstairs.
- HEB
is the main Texas supermarket chain. The stores have BBQ and/or pizza
restaurants, and a large variety of products, including a respectable
international selection.
Movie Theaters:
Movie Theaters (e.g., Alamo Drafthouse or Violet Crown) in Texas have
comfortable reclining armchairs, and you can order food to be delivered to your
seat.
Swimming:
There are many swimming options
in Austin: Barton
Springs in Zilker Park (a pool made of part of the river), Deep Eddy
(cold springs water), Emma
Long Park (beach-like situation). Every neighborhood in Austin has pools
that are open and free during the summer. Year-round there are pools like Bartholmew
pool. Around Austin there are great water parks, like Kalahari – a large indoor
waterpark with plenty of great slides, lazy river, hot-tubs, water basketball,
and large sections for kids and toddlers. One of the best water parks in the US
is Schlitterbahn
outside San Antonio.
More in Driving Distance:
- A combination of restaurants,
coffee shops, stores, parks, playgrounds with free parking: The Triangle; The Grove; The Domain.
- Restaurants and bars in old
renovated houses: Rainey
Street (downtown).
- For waterfront restaurants and
a coffee shop, navigate to Hula Hut
(there are several other options along that strip).
- Austin
Bouldering Project: Large indoor bouldering gyms, have exercise equipment
and classes too. Mostly for adults but have nice kids’ sections.
- Ninja Nation: Large indoor ninja
gym (obstacle courses) for adults and kids.
- There are many yoga studios
around town. I like My
Vinyasa Practice.
- Shopping: Round Rock Premium Outlets.
Malls in south and
north Austin.
More For Kids:
Thinkery in Mueller is Austin’s children’s
museum. Right next to it there is a park with a large playground and plenty of
restaurants. Mueller is home to many families and has several nice parks and
playgrounds.
Alliance
Children’s Garden by the river (south of downtown) is a large playground in
a beautiful park.
Play
for All in Round Rock is an amazing playground about half an hour drive
from downtown Austin. It includes an elaborate play city where kids ride their
bikes and scooters, as well as many different play areas.
Another nice option: Brentwood Social House is a coffee
shop with performances and play areas for toddlers.