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Austin Attractions
Austin Children's Museum
201 Colorado St.
Austin, TX 78701 USA Phone: (512) 472-2499
Austin Children's Museum is at 201 Colorado St. This hands-on museum for preschool and grade school children offers activity galleries, changing and touring exhibits, workshops, performances and demonstrations. Visitors can shop in a pint-sized grocery store or step onto the Austin Kiddie Limits Stage and sing with their favorite Texas musicians.
Allow 1 hour minimum.
Admission: Admission $5.50; ages 12-23 months, $3.50; under 12 months free; free to all Sun. 4-5
Attraction Type: Museums; Children's attractions
Hours: Tues.-Sat. 10-5 (also Wed. 5-8), Sun. noon-5; closed Jan. 1, July 4, Thanksgiving and Dec. 25
Credit Cards: AE, MC, VI
Austin Museum of Art-Downtown
823 Congress Ave.
Austin, TX 78703 USA Phone: (512) 495-9224
Austin Museum of Art-Downtown is at 823 Congress Ave. The museum's downtown site presents changing exhibitions and educational programs showcasing 20th-century and contemporary art.
Street parking is limited. Garage parking $2.50 with validation or metered parking on weekdays. Allow 1 hour minimum.
Admission: Admission $5, over 55 and students with ID $4, under 12 free; $1 to all Tues.; donations first Sat. of the month
Attraction Type: Art Galleries & Museums; Museums; Exhibits & Collections-Art
Hours: Tues.-Sat. 10-6 (also Thurs. 6-8), Sun. noon-5; closed holidays
Credit Cards: AE, DS, MC, VI
Austin Nature & Science Center
301 Nature Center Dr.
Austin, TX 78746 USA Phone: (512) 327-8181
Austin Nature & Science Center is off Stratford Dr. at 301 Nature Center Dr. Visitors can explore the animals, plants and geology of central Texas through interactive outdoor exhibits and nature trails. The Dino Pit features reproductions of local fossils, dinosaur tracks and archeological finds. Wildlife exhibits include native Texas mammals, birds and reptiles that have been injured or orphaned.
Allow 1 hour minimum.
Admission: Donations
Attraction Type: Nature centers; Nature trails; Exhibits & Collections-Science
Hours: Mon.-Sat. 9-5, Sun. noon-5; closed July 4, Thanksgiving and Dec. 25
The Blanton Museum of Art
200 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.
Austin, TX 78712 USA Phone: (512) 471-7324
The Blanton Museum of Art is at jct. Congress Ave. and Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. at 200 Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. Within a two-building complex, the museum features changing exhibitions and a 17,000-piece permanent collection that includes European art from the Renaissance and baroque periods, 19th- and 20th-century American art, contemporary Latin American art, and prints and drawings from the 15th through 20th centuries.
Allow 1 hour, 30 minutes minimum.
Admission: Admission $5; over 65, $4; ages 13-25, $3; free to all Thurs.
Attraction Type: Art Galleries & Museums; Museums; Exhibits & Collections-Art
Hours: Tues.-Sat. 10-5 (also Thurs. 5-8 and first Fri. of the month 6 p.m.-midnight), Sun. 1-5; closed holidays
Texas Natural Science Center
2400 Trinity St.
Austin, TX 78705 USA Phone: (512) 471-1604
Texas Natural Science Center is at 2400 Trinity St. The natural science museum contains skeletons of dinosaurs, collections of fossils, gems, rocks and minerals, live animal exhibits and several dioramas of preserved Texas animals. A virtual reality facility contains 3-D images of fossils. Paleontologists are on-site to answer questions.
Allow 1 hour minimum.
Admission: Free
Attraction Type: Museums; Exhibits & Collections-General; Exhibits & Collections-Historical
Hours: Mon.-Fri. 9-5, Sat. 10-5, Sun. 1-5; closed major holidays
Texas State Capitol
1200 Congress Ave.
Austin, TX 78701 USA Phone: (512) 463-0063
Texas State Capitol is on Congress Ave. at 11th St. Completed in 1888, the Renaissance Revival-style Capitol is clad in Texas "sunset red" granite and features an impressive dome crowned by "Goddess of Liberty," a nearly 16-foot-tall statue of a woman holding up a gilded five-pointed star. Several monuments are scattered throughout the Capitol's extensive parklike grounds. Housed within the 1856-57 General Land Office Building on 11th Street, the Capitol Visitors Center features interactive exhibits, theaters, maps and visitor information.
Allow 1 hour minimum.
Admission: Free
Attraction Type: Buildings, public/capitol/city hall
Hours: Mon.-Fri. 7 a.m.-10 p.m., Sat.-Sun. 9-8. Guided tours are given Mon.-Fri. 8:30-4:30, Sat. 9:30-3:30, Sun. noon-3:30, depending on legislative sessions and other official functions. Closed Jan. 1, Easter, Thanksgiving and Dec. 24-25
University of Texas at Austin
2247 Guadalupe St.
Austin, TX 78712 USA Phone: (512) 475-6636
University of Texas at Austin is bounded by W. 19th, Guadalupe and Red River sts. Chartered in 1883, the Austin campus is the keystone of the statewide university system. It boasts one of the largest endowments of any public university and is a noted national research center with several internationally-renowned scholars on its faculty, including a Nobel laureate. Campus walking tours are offered daily through the union information center; tours of the U.T. Tower are available by reservation.
Admission: Tower tours $5
Attraction Type: Schools-Colleges/universities
Zilker Botanical Gardens
2220 Barton Springs Rd.
Austin, TX 78746 USA Phone: (512) 477-8672
Zilker Botanical Gardens is at 2220 Barton Springs Rd. Oriental, rose, butterfly, cactus, herb and native plant gardens are featured. The Hartman Prehistoric Garden re-creates a local dinosaur habitat with ponds, a waterfall and re-creations of plants from prehistoric times. The Austin Area Garden Center also is on the grounds.
Allow 1 hour minimum.
Admission: Admission Mon.-Fri. free. Parking Sat.-Sun. $3
Attraction Type: Gardens; Butterfly Houses
Hours: Daily 7-7. Hours may vary; phone ahead
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