Nature along Onion Creek, interactive learning experiences, and Texas history give a trip to Austin a variety of focal points. There are also year-round exhibitions on natural sciences and art, as well as live music venues. When planning, you can first decide whether you’d prefer to spend your time on landscapes and historic sites, exhibitions, or the Texas Capitol.
Science and Learning
The Austin Nature & Science Center offers educational exhibitions on natural sciences and art year-round. The Dino Pit is a permanent outdoor paleontology exhibition at the Austin Nature & Science Center in Zilker Park. Thinkery offers interactive exhibitions and hands-on learning experiences across 40,000 square feet. The focus of each is clearly distinct: the Center offers natural sciences and art, the Dino Pit is dedicated to outdoor paleontology, and Thinkery combines interactive experiences with hands-on learning. This can help you choose between the facilities based on their topics and the type of learning experience they offer.
Nature and History along Onion Creek
McKinney Falls State Park is within Austin’s city limits. The Onion Creek Hike and Bike Trail follows Onion Creek and runs through the woods around the camping areas. At Lower Falls, Onion Creek flows over limestone ledges into a pool below. The trail and waterfall make the same creek a focal point in different ways: as a companion along a path and as water flowing over rock ledges. Visitors can fish in Onion Creek in the park.
Another point of interest in the state park is the Prehistoric Rock Shelter. The limestone overhang is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and provided shelter to Native Americans for more than 8,000 years. Along with the trail, waterfall, and fishing, this adds a historic site and its long history of providing shelter. If you’re choosing Austin for its nature and history, the park offers different perspectives that can’t be reduced to a single focus for an outing.
The Texas Capitol and Live Music
The Texas Capitol was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970 and designated a National Historic Landmark in 1986. Guided tours of the Texas Capitol take visitors through important areas of the building and offer insights into Texas history and state legislation; please check before your trip to see whether they are currently available. Self-guided tours of the Texas Capitol and its grounds are available daily. The two options differ in whether a guide provides insights along the way: check current visitor information about the tours before your trip.
Austin’s Red River Cultural District has live music venues. This adds a distinct musical focus alongside the history and legislation at the Texas Capitol. Both topics offer different cultural perspectives on Austin: the state’s history and legislation on one hand, and live music venues on the other.
Discover more destinations: Lakeway, Pflugerville, Hudson Bend, San Leanna, Windemere, Manor, Point Venture, Leander.
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