What to DoAustin
Things to Do in Austin
Things to do in Austin with address, hours and price, read 15 Oct 2026: the Capitol, the bats, Barton Springs, Mount Bonnell, Hamilton Pool, the $1.25 bus.
Austin
Texas's capital, known for live music on Sixth Street and the bats under the Congress Avenue Bridge.
Downtown Austin is easy without a car. CapMetro Route 20 runs from the airport to downtown for $1.25 in about 35 minutes, and kids under 18 ride free. The Capitol, the Congress Avenue Bridge, the Bullock Museum and the LBJ Library are all in or near the center. A car helps most for Hamilton Pool in Dripping Springs, since there is no confirmed bus to it.
Capitol tours are free. Watching the bats from the Bat Observation Area is free, but parking near it is not. Texas Parks and Wildlife runs boat viewing from March through October. Mount Bonnell lists no fee. Barton Springs Pool is $5 for Austin residents and $9 for everyone else, and it closes Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. for cleaning. Hamilton Pool needs a reservation every day. Booking costs $12 a car, and each adult pays $8 in cash at the gate.
Stay downtown to walk to the Capitol, the bridge and Sixth Street. The Zilker area puts Barton Springs and the lake trail close. The LBJ Library is $16 for an adult and half price on Tuesdays.
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