Diverse Austin: Capital City Culture

When we say "come as you are" in Austin, we mean it. The Live Music Capital of the World® plays to a diverse population of cultures, political leanings and lifestyles. The Mexican American Cultural Center anchors the Hispanic community, as does the George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center for the city's African-American neighborhoods. An increasing Asian influence has resulted in many festivals, parades, marketplaces and cultural performances. And Austin has long been regarded as one of the friendliest cities in the country for GLBT travelers and residents. Take a look around and see everything our capital city has to offer.

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The first thing many people notice when they travel to Austin is how green the city is - and from that moment on, Texas' capital city is a series of pleasant surprises. An acoustic guitar player in a jewelry shop. The best crepes you've tasted in years - served from an Airstream trailer. An evening stroll accompanied by one of North America's most unique natural phenomena: a major urban bat colony. And an atmosphere that mixes a friendly vibe with a rich history and just a touch of Texas bravado.

The seat of Texas government, Austin is lovingly referred to as "the little blue dot in the big red state." It is home to some 50,000 students at the University of Texas at Austin®, nearly 2,000 recording artists, hundreds of startups and tech companies, and several world-class festivals. The local population is, on average, young and engaged, with politics as common a debate as which local restaurant serves the best barbecue. It's hard to miss the statesmanly side of Austin with the sunset-red granite Texas Capitol crowning Congress Avenue, which divides the city between east and west.

Downtown is easy to navigate, with a standard grid of streets. A dozen hotels are within walking distance to key landmarks like the Capitol; the Austin Convention Center, where the Austin Toros and Texas Roller Derby have their bouts; Sixth Street, the famed historic row of taverns and live music venues; and the 2nd Street District, where a new W Hotel and Austin City Limits studio/music venue anchor a pedestrian row of upscale boutiques.

Known as the Live Music Capital of the World®, Austin's lifeblood is the local music community, from the local bands, to major festivals like SXSW, Fun Fun Fun Fest and the Austin City Limits Music Festival, to organizations like the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians, which provides medical insurance for performing artists. Austin-Bergstrom International Airport has three live music venues, a factor that contributes to its consistent recognition as one of the best airports in the world for its size. There are singers and strummers in Austin's grocery stores, boutiques and restaurants - even one dedicated guitarist who has played on the shores of Lady Bird Lake almost every day for the past several years.

For visitors, the music scene is easy to find; nearly 200 venues offer rock, blues, jazz, hip hop, punk or Latino shows nightly. The Broken Spoke, known as "the last true Texas dance hall," features great country acts - and guests can also take a Texas Two-Step lesson. The Continental Club has showcased blues, rock and folk music since 1957, earning it the title, "Granddaddy of the Austin music venues." Antone's, Austin's "home of the blues," is where Stevie Ray Vaughan cut his proverbial teeth. And Emo's continues its reign as the city's original alternative, punk rock and hip hop venue. Newer stages like those at The Mohawk and Club DeVille showcase local acts alongside big-name touring artists. A printable guide to Austin's music scene, including a list of famous musicians from Austin and great musical attractions, is available at www.austintexas.org/music.

Austin's famed nightlife goes beyond music. At The Highball, patrons bowl, sing karaoke, play skee-ball, or dance the night away at the club's near-nightly themed dance parties. At the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, guests can sing or quote along with modern classics, or erupt in laughter as a comedy troupe skewers an 80s teen hit. In the up-and-coming East Side, the historic Scoot Inn offers a popular beer garden and bars like The Liberty are popular for 20- and 30-somethings out for a fashionable night.

When the sun comes up, visitors find 300 annual days of sunshine and an average temperature of around 70 degrees, Austin has also been named among the top U.S. destinations for lovers of the outdoors. Horseback riding, speed boating, water playgrounds and natural caves are only the beginning. On the south edge of downtown, Lady Bird Lake offers fishing, kayaking, canoeing, and the newest on-the-water trend: stand-up paddle boarding. Local company SUP Austin offers free stand-up paddle boarding lessons along the Hike & Bike Trail, which circles the lake for 10 miles and is easily accessible from several downtown entry points. Some 10,000 people walk, jog and bike along this popular trail every weekend; many of them visit at dusk to see Austin's signature attraction: the nightly flight of North America's largest urban bat colony - 1.5 million Mexican Free-Tailed bats - from underneath the Congress Avenue Bridge (April through October.) Abdul Ford's "Brazos Basiliensis Batini" won the Austin Batini contest in 2010, naming it the city's signature cocktail. The drink combines the made-in-Austin Tito's Handmade Vodka, hibiscus/ginger syrup, and sour. Garnished with a blackberry and hibiscus flowers, the drink even has a batty presentation.

The Barton Creek Greenbelt offers another shady path throughout west Austin. Along the eightmile trail, visitors find swimming holes and natural rock climbing walls. Adventurous cyclists navigate their way across the creek, and sunbathers picnic on open rock faces.

As home to three of golf's greatest - Harvey Penick, Ben Crenshaw and Tom Kite - Austin claims a deep-rooted golf heritage. Barton Creek Resort & Spa offers four of Texas' most famous and exceptional courses. Designed by Tom Fazio, Arnold Palmer and Ben Crenshaw, the links at Barton Creek reflect the natural terrain of the Hill Country. Wolfdancer Golf Club at the new Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort & Spa makes the most of the area's natural beauty by combining a sloping prairie, wooded ridgeline and river valley dotted with native pecan trees. Lakeway Resort & Spa offers is home to two 18-hole championship courses, The Hills and Flintrock Falls, designed by Jack Nicklaus. Horseshoe Bay Resort offers more than 20,000 yards of challenging golf on three championship Robert Trent Jones, Sr. golf courses, as well as a Whitewater Putting Course, which is billed as one of the most elaborate 18-hole putting courses in America. In addition, Austin Parks and Recreation operates five municipal courses. The longtime favorite is Lions Municipal, where Ben Crenshaw made his first hole-in-one.

When it comes to dining, barbecue is king of Austin. In fact, where to find the best is a heated topic of debate. Is it at The Salt Lick, where a 50-year-old pit still smokes thousands of pounds of brisket every week, or is it downtown at Stubb's, where the sauce rules and dinner is served with a side of live music? County Line? Is it at Kreuz Market in Lockhart, along the Texas BBQ Trail, or is it in downtown Austin at Lamberts, where the menu is "fancy?"

Of course, Tex-Mex is a popular option as well. The breakfast taco is Austin's unofficial food, and local purveyors like Maria's Taco Xpress help to Keep Austin Weird. Downtown, at Guero's, casual Tex-Mex is the order of the day, with fresh corn tortillas coming out of the kitchen on a regular basis. A more upscale Interior Mexican menu is available at Fonda San Miguel, the award-winning restaurant just north of downtown.

Wherever you are in Austin, chances are you're close to one of the city's 1,500 mobile food vendors. This "haute trailer cuisine" movement means visitors can sample Mexi-Korean tacos, gourmet doughnuts (covered with fried chicken and honey butter), grilled romaine and rabbit salads and more - all from a fancy food truck. Most trailers offer seating, so visitors can go and eat, rather than eat and go.

Nothing pairs with a Texas meal like Texas wine, and the Texas wine country is growing by leaps and bounds. Recently recognized as the number two wine destination in the US by Orbitz.com, the Texas Hill Country is home to award-winning vineyards like Fall Creek, Becker Vineyards, Messina Hof and more. In addition, Uchi's June Rodil was named Texas' Best Sommelier by the Texas Sommelier Association, and TRIO at the Four Seasons' Mark Sayre was recognized as one of the top seven new sommeliers in the nation by Wine & Spirits magazine.