Austin
 Laid back, Beloved, and Totally Eccentric - That's Austin
Aaahhhh, Austin — the one city that Texas myths and clichés seemed to have skipped right over. Or did they? I mean, Austin does have its own "Texas BIG" qualities, take its music scene for instance. Blues, country/western, reggae, swing, conjunto, tejano, jazz, rock and everything in between, have made this city the self-proclaimed "Live Music Capital of the World." Speaking of Texas stereotypes…you'll see typical Texan fervor brought to the surface in any Austin local when it comes to rooting for the Longhorns. And one last thing that will let you know that Austin is truly a TEXAN at heart is the imposing pink granite Texas State Capitol. 14 feet taller than the nation's capitol, the Texas Statehouse is the largest domed statehouse in the country. YEEEEHAAAAW!
As the state capital and home to the University of Texas, Austin offers history and attractions that will keep almost everyone busy. In fact, this city has been called, on more than one occasion, the playground of Texas. Maybe that's because of the 300 days of sunshine and year-round pleasant temperatures it offers visitors.
Austin is a city that holds its arms wide open, welcoming everything and everybody. Cowboy hats, Birkenstocks, Longhorns, guitars, pop-culture junkies, college kids, diehard shoppers, outdoor enthusiasts, art aficionados…you can find them all hanging out next to each other at the neighborhood saloon.
Enjoy the thousands of acres of parks, preserves, and lakes or the more than 100 music venues where you can catch a live gig on any given evening. Austin offers a wide variety of events you won't want to miss like, the 1.5 million free-tail bats that live under the Congress Avenue Bridge. Onlookers can watch the bats make their mass exodus after sunset to feed on insects in the surrounding Hill Country. COOL! No matter what your taste, Austin will entertain you, that's for certain. Welcome to the unconventional heart of Texas, y'all!
Austin Transportation
Airport
Austin-Bergstrom International Airport
Ground Transportation
Rail Service
AMTRAK
Provides nationwide rail service.
Bus Service
Capital Metro
Super Shuttle
Greyhound
Taxi
American Yellow Checker Cab 512-452-9999
Austin Cab 512-478-2222
Traffic
Austin Traffic
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Austin City Attractions
In the autumn of 1838, Mirabeau B. Lamar, president-elect of the Texas Republic, set out to hunt buffalo but ended up with a much greater catch — a home for the new state capital. Lamar fell in love with the area that was surrounded by rolling hills and fed by cool springs - the area that would come to be called AUSTIN! The government arrived within a year, and the people just kept coming. Today Austin has passed the half-million population mark, but has somehow never lost its small town feel. Many Texans who live in faster-paced cities like Dallas or Houston dream of someday escaping the hustle and bustle of city life and moving to the laid-back beauty of Austin. Relaxed it may be, but boring it's not. From one of the nation's largest universities to the nation's largest statehouse, Austin offers all around "TEXAS BIG" attractions.
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Austin Shopping
The best way to examine the depths of any city's character is to go shopping. You can tell a lot about an area by the goods they have to offer. And when it comes to items intellectual, musical or ingestible, Austin is a match for cities twice its size.
Austin is seeing a revitalization of its urban retail scene. Downtown, specialty shops and art galleries are filtering back to the renovated 19th-century buildings along Sixth Street and Congress Avenue. Below Town Lake, South Congress Avenue, from Riverside south to Annie Street, is especially trendy, with art galleries and boutiques joining its rows of secondhand clothing stores. Other rich shopping niches include the West End on Sixth Street west of Lamar and, nearby, north of 12th Street and West Lynn. In the vicinity of Central Market, between West 35th and 40th streets and Lamar and Mo-Pac, such small shopping centers as 26 Doors and Jefferson Square are similarly charming. Many stores on the Drag - the stretch of Guadalupe Street between Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and 26th Street, across from the University of Texas campus - are student oriented, but a wide range of clothing, gifts, toys, and, of course, books can also be found here.
Still, much of Austin's shopping has moved out to the malls. The newest growth area is in the northwest, where three upscale shopping centers, The Arboretum, The Arboretum Market, and The Gateway complex (consisting of the Gateway Courtyard, the Gateway Market, and Gateway Square), have earned the area the nickname "South Dallas." Bargain hunters go a little farther out of the way to the huge collections of factory outlet stores in San Marcos and New Braunfels.
Arboretum
Highland Mall
Barton Creek Square
Lakeline Mall
Austin Antique Mall
El Taller Gallery
Gallery at Shoal Creek
Tesoros Trading Co
Central Market
Clarksville Pottery & Galleries
Waterloo Records and Video
Grape Vine Market
Capitol Saddlery
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Austin Nightlife
 A vibrant nightlife, especially live music and good margaritas, goes hand-in-hand with a work-hard, play-hard attitude that translates into an active social scene. Despite the unfortunate demise of popular live music venues like Steamboat and Liberty Lunch, Austin is still the place for live music, with something going on seven nights a week. The city promotes the music with free noon concerts each Friday, and nearly every restaurant and bar in town has a band playing most nights.
Sixth Street is in a class by itself, with a mix of shot bars, billiards halls, restaurants and dance clubs that attract students, tourists and 30-somethings out on the town, while the Fourth Street Warehouse District is a slightly older crowd, enjoying martinis, expensive meals and plenty of people-watching.
The Second Street area is the newest kid on the entertainment block in Austin. With its mix of high-rise living and young successful professionals, it's attracted a wide range of people who want to relax and enjoy a good glass of wine in an urban setting. South Congress Avenue, one time known for its street walkers, is now home to such famed live music venues as The Continental Club and the ultra-hip Hotel San Jose.
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Austin Healthcare Facilities
In a city as laid-back and welcoming as Austin, it's not surprising that you'll find healthcare facilities that really look after their own. The Austin community supports six primary hospitals from two networks (St. David's Healthcare Partnership & Seton Daughters of Charity) and one independent heart hospital. There is a Level II Trauma Center, Children's Hospital and two Hyperbaric Medicine Centers. Together these facilities offer the very best in patient care.
Major Austin area medical facilities include:
Brackenridge Hospital
Children's Hospital of Austin
Heart Hospital of Austin
Seton Medical Center
Seton Northwest Hospital
Seton Southwest Health Center
Seton Shoal Creek
North Austin Medical Center
St. David's Medical Center
South Austin Hospital
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Austin Nursing Resources
Texas Nurses Association
Texas Board of Nurse Examiners
Texas Nursing Students Association
Texas Department of Health
Texas Nurse Practitioners
Texas Nurse Practitioners Foundation
Texas Association of Nurse Anesthetists
Texas Association for Associate Degree Nursing
Texas Online Nursing Licensure Renewal
Texas Online Licensure Verification
National Student Nurses Association
The American Nurses Association
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Austin Weather
When it comes to planning your trip to Austin, you might want to take the weather into account. Summer is — HOT! HOT! HOT! — but not in the good way. Temperatures can regularly climb into the 100s and even worse, it's often not a dry heat. High humidity is frequently piled on top of the heat. These extreme conditions may leave you wondering what on earth possessed you to make the trip and why so many people are deciding to call this city home. Visit any other time of the year and you'll totally understand what makes this area so desirable.
Spring in Austin is delightful. March through April brings cool, fresh clear weather to the area and the average temperatures are in the 70's. Mother Nature seems to have thoughtfully arranged the mild, generally dry weather in which to enjoy her glorious floral arrangements. Wildflowers bloom throughout central Texas creating lush carpet of extravagant colors. Many people choose to visit between October and April when the weather is usually mild and pleasant. Fall foliage in this leafy area is another treat, and it's hard to beat a Texas evening by a cozy fireplace — admittedly more for show than for warmth in Austin, which generally enjoys mild winters.
One last thing to keep in mind when visiting Austin — book your hotel room early. In spite of the climate, summer season is busy, but you also have to worry about legislative sessions and University of Texas events (graduation or home-team games). These happenings can cause hotels rooms to book up quickly.
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