Search Holidays
Austin
Austin is the state capital of Texas and is a huge city at the heart of the state, which has a small town atmosphere and a young population that offers a casual lifestyle and more recently Austin is becoming a Mecca for live music.
The University of Texas has its campus in Austin, bringing even more youthful and enthusiastic energy to the city. Young people are drawn here too by the array of live concerts that are held frequently around the shores of Town Lake. Most famous of these events is the annual South by Southwest music festival-conference held each March. Visitors wanting to tune in to Austin's live musical repertoire, which spans everything from blues and country to reggae, simply have to drift down the famous Sixth Street strip of pubs and clubs any night of the week. Austin's laid-back attitude lends itself to the great outdoors, and the city has miles of hiking and biking trails linking parks, preserves and greenbelts adding to the ambience of its leafy streets.
State Capitol
The pink granite capitol building in Austin is almost more impressive than the one in Washington DC. Encircled by its original wrought-iron fence topped with gold Lone Stars and standing proudly in a hectare (three acres) of ground, the domed building was constructed in 1882 out of granite quarried from Granite Mountain 75 miles (121km) away. Visitors can take guided tours of this interestingly designed building, or attend legislative sessions, which are open to the public.
Address: Congress Avenue between 11th Street and 14th Street; Telephone: (512) 463 0063 (Tour Guide Office) or (512) 305 8400 (Visitors Center); Opening time: Monday to Friday 7am to 10pm, weekends 9am to 8pm. Tours leave Monday to Friday 8.30am to 4.30pm; Saturday and Sunday 9.30am to 4.30pm (every 15 minutes)
Zilker Park
The vast expanse of Zilker Park is one of Austin's most popular public recreational areas and is home to a spring fed natural swimming pool, which Native American's believed to have special healing powers. The park was donated to the city by a German immigrant by the name of Zilker and is now a lush landscape open to everyone. The pool is about the size of a football field with water at a constant warm temperature all year round. Zilker Park has other attractions, too, including a botanical garden which features dinosaur tracks, a nature preserve, the Umlauf Sculpture garden and museum, and eight miles (13km) of biking and walking trails. There are sports facilities aplenty and amusements for children like the Zilker Zephyr miniature train and paddleboat rides.
Address: Barton Springs Road; Telephone: (512) 478 8286; Website: www.ci.austin.tx.us/zilker; Opening time: 7am to dusk
Guadalupe Mountains National Park
Originally a barrier reef under the waters of an ancient sea created the rugged wilderness of the Guadalupe Mountains, which are situated in west Texas. Today fir trees and pockets of lush vegetation cling to this mountain range rising from the desert. Formerly the home of the Apache nation the National Park is now occupied by hundreds of plant and bird species, 60 species of mammals and 55 varieties of reptiles and amphibians. Visitors can traverse more than 80 miles (129km) of trails on foot or horseback, or take the 4WD route provided. There are several historic sites in the park including Frijole Ranch History Museum and the ruins of a stagecoach station. McKittrick Canyon in the northeast corner of the park is regarded as the most beautiful spot in Texas, where oaks and maples make a colourful display in fall.
