Austin is known for its music, high tech industry, politics, the University of Texas, and a whole lot more. Check out the sites below to learn what Austin has to offer.

General Information

For lots of great pictures of Austin, see the City of Austin's Web Gallery.

The Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau has a good summary of all things Austin on their Visiting Austin page.

The Austin-American Statesman is the main local newspaper, and is affiliated with Austin360.com, another great source for news information about what's going on in the city.

The Austin Chronicle is an alternative weekly newspaper with lots of coverage of local politics, and is the source for information on music events and other performances, art shows, and public festivals

Entertainment

Check out the Austin music scene and learn why Austin is the "Live Music Capital of the World." 6th St and 4th St downtown are packed with bars and clubs. Some of our favorites are the Continental Club (rock, blues), Ginny's Little Longhorn Saloon (country), and Oslo (nightclub). See more clubs.

Environmental Attractions

Austin offers lots of great outdoor activities. Get information on hiking, camping, canoeing, parks, golf, local activities, scenic drives, walks, area parks and anything else you can do outdoors!

The main city park is Zilker Park, which has soccer fields, Barton Springs Pool, access to the Town Lake hike and bike trail, and hosts outdoor music festivals during spring, summer, and fall. See more info about the Austin park system.

Geography and Transportation

Students spend most of their time on and around the UT campus, so the UT Tower is the hub of daily life. It is a big campus, and students get around by foot, on the UT shuttle (free with a student ID), and on bicycles.

The campus is located close to downtown Austin, and it's easy to bike around the neighborhood or the city or catch a city bus (also free with a student ID). The buses run until 3:00 a.m. Thursday–Saturday, and there are buses running between UT and 6th St.

Food

Fiesta supermarket carries many ingredients to make Brazilian food. Austin has restaurants with food from all over the world, but what you'll see the most of is Tex-Mex. By the time you leave you won't be afraid of chili peppers or hot salsa (pimenta) any more!

Students eat mostly at their coops or dorms, and also spend time eating and talking at the many coffee shops around campus. Some of these are Spider House, Little City, Quakenbushes, and Flightpath.