South Congress Ave is home to many shops and restaurants. Shops range from traditional Texas cowboy boots to eclectic decor and jewelry. Most weekends there are vendors set up alongside the street selling handmade goods as well. The famous street is home to murals and original Austin locales such as Jo's, Continental Club and Austin Motel. Over the years South Congress has certainly changed and may not quite embody the "Keep Austin Weird" vibe it used to, but still holds a lot of Austin energy worth seeing!

Formerly "Town Lake," Lady Bird Lake is part of the Colorado River and flows through the center of Austin. A waterside 10-mile loop trail stretches across downtown with many shorter loop options using the 3 bridges linking north and south parts of town.

Austin is home to the world's largest urban bat colony. Each evening in the spring and summer, up to 1.5 million bats fly out from the underside of Congress Avenue bridge in search of their dinner - they collectively consume approximately 20-30 thousand pounds of insects each night!! The bats emerge in a stream which resembles plumes of smoke rising toward the sky. The "show" typically starts around 30 minutes before sunset and lasts about 45 minutes to an hour start to finish. It is best viewed from the bridge itself or the grassy areas and trail to the sides of the bridge. Follow the crowds that gather every night and go early if you want a good view!