3 Essentials for Exploring Austin

Austin’s Bergstrom International Airport provides a convenient and hassle-free gateway to our awesome city. You can be kickin’ back on 6th Street, exploring SOCO, or taking in a live music show within a half hour of arriving at the gate. The airport is compact and has a sensible layout (unlike some we won’t mention!) so you’ll be out the door and having fun quicker than you’d expect. The number of direct flights continues to grow, and you can now hop straight to Austin from New York, Orlando, Seattle, Washington DC and cool international cities including Frankfurt, London and Toronto. Check out ABIA’s website for the latest news to help you plan your visit: http://www.austintexas.gov/airport

Traffic in Austin is unpredictable and gets busy on most main routes between 8 and 9 in the morning and 4 and 6 (and sometimes later) in the evening. I-35, Mopac and 183 can get really slow during these peaks so it’s best to stay clear if you can. Our road names and numbers can be a bit confusing for the visitor, so remember that Mopac is the same highway as Loop 1, and 183 is the same highway as Research Boulevard. Lamar Boulevard and Burnet Road are great north-south routes if you want to stay off the big freeways, and both are crammed full of stores, bars and places to eat and have fun. The Austin Police Department has a cool GIS traffic viewer that can help you avoid delays as you explore: http://www.austintexas.gov/GIS/TrafficViewer/

For those of you with good walking feet there’s plenty to discover around Austin on foot. We have parks, creeks, cool stores and funky hangout spots in abundance. This great blog from Hans, Lisa (and Rosie the cat) gives a bunch of ideas to get you thinking: http://metamorphosisroad.blogspot.com/2015/03/a-week-of-exploring-central-austin-on.html . Just remember to bring sun protection and drink plenty of water!