Get away from the hustle and bustle that is Austin for a few hours and enjoy some BBQ (or super hearty veggie sides). Mapquest organizes a free BBQ bus every year at SXSW. - Erica Swallow
Check out the largest of Austin's downtown parks. This is a community gathering space like no other in the city and besides, what's not good about a park?
If you're starving but aren't in the mood for battery chicken and waffles, the Charred Bitters salad is delicious, healthy(?), and quite bitter.
Check out the Japanese and prehistoric gardens if you're looking for more interesting plants to... look at.
Starting off your tour with the Western European Art Collection and ending it with the modern art of the Americas lets you observe exactly how art has redefined itself over hundreds of years.
This coffee shop comes well supplied with addictive Cuvée and Tweed coffee beans as well as baristas that pour out the tastiest and most gorgeous rosettas in the city.
Locavore before it was cool, this quintessential Austin diner serves fresh and delicious grub and embraces all that is our quirky community. Great things can happen over a bowl of Kerbey Queso at 4am. Read more.
Reasonably priced and informal but still very fine dining, indeed. Rising star Ned Elliott’s seasonal menu is spare but stunning, with each well-conceived plate coming together in delicious harmony. Read more.
Brad Sorenson brings "homespun twists on upscale classics" and clean, modernist-inspired design to Rainey Street. NO VA serves up dinner, late night, and brunch with a craft-forward cocktail menu.
