I know Wikipedia is what comes to mind immediately when you look up anything on Austin, but I promise you there are many other resources out there.
Hoping this will serve as a quick resource guide, whether you are visiting or planning on moving here.
GOVERNMENT AND MEDIA SITES
The official government site is AustinTexas.gov . This one matters only if you are moving here or maybe you want to learn about emergency notices such as COVID, etc. If you are trying to start a business here, then Austin Chamber is the way to go.
Start at the Visit Austin website which is updated often. This is a good resource for tourists but an even better resource for meeting professionals, travel professionals, film and sports production folks. This is the official site of Austin's Visitors Bureau.
Austin Texas Insider has a good listing of all the news and speciality media. In my opinion, the most prominent news media here seems to be the Austin American Statesman. I also personally like the Community Impact and the Austin Chronicle news media because they seems more personal and local.
The Austin Monthly is a good place to learn about the best of Austin. From tech to culture to food, they cover it all.
NEIGHBORHOODS
Looking for cool touristy things to do?
There are several happening neighborhoods in Austin. Downtown has live music and cool boutiques. Rainey Street is lively and best for evening drinks. Warehouse District has the best LGBTQ bars. South Congress Avenue in South Austin is family-friendly and THE spot to buy boots (Allen Boots!). Mueller in East Austin is a hip planned community. For high-end shopping and fantastic restaurants, visit The Domain. Find UT-Austin in Central Austin. For scenic hills and lake-views, visit West Austin neighborhoods like Tarrytown and Westlake.
Looking to move here?
I love this Dolly guide which has a breakdown and description of neighborhoods and average rents in the area. Curbed.com also has an updated guide - Where to live in Austin in 2021, including where to buy a home. Visit Niche.com or GreatSchools.com to explore the best school districts in the area - Leader, Dripping Springs, Lake Travis, Round Rock, Pflugerville and Liberty Hill are some good options. Please also join the Moving to Austin Texas group on FaceBook. It is fantastic!
GROCERY
H.E.B. is the local spot to shop, its pretty fantastic. Go there first before driving to Whole Foods, Trader Joe's etc.
LIFESTYLE
There are few wonderful lifestyle bloggers in Austin, who you should follow. They will direct you to the best restaurants, new shops, and cool happenings.
- LivvyLand by Olivia Watson
I also love Culture Trip. As someone who is always exploring new cities, Culture Trip is my go-to. This article that delineates reasons you should visit Austin is good one. Some other usual suspects are: The Austin Eater, Thrillist (Destination: Austin), etc. Oh, and let's not forget Culture Map.
OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES
You can have a great outdoorsy life in Austin, for the most part. There are lovely trails, jogging and biking paths by the water - even mountain-biking for the adventurous. You can swim in the public pools, camp in state parks, climb at Reimers Ranch Park, kayak on Lady Bird Lake, rent stand-up paddleboats or a boat on Lake Travis. Yep, you can also visit a farm or a drive-through safari :)
Here are some sites to check out:
KAYAK: https://www.austintexas.org/listings/austin-kayak-tours/9205/
ROWING: https://www.austintexas.org/listings/rowing-dock/9470/
SWIM: https://austintexas.gov/department/barton-springs-pool
GLAMPING: https://onechelofanadventure.com/best-glamping-near-austin-tx/
BOATING:http://www.zilkerboats.com
BOATING: https://austinrentalboats.com
BOATING: https://laketravis.com/best-lake-travis-boat-rentals/
STRAWBERRY PICKING: https://sweetberryfarm.com/index.html
SAFARI: http://www.topseyexoticranch.com
FOOD AND WINE
If you are looking for the best places to eat in Austin, look no further than this Local Food Experts resource called the Austin Food Blogger Alliance. Their list is broken up by cuisine, dietary restrictions, neighborhoods, drinks, etc. This list will definitely give you a jumpstart on your Austin food journey.
Food trucks are a rage here. If you want to explore the trucks, you should find them listed on Yelp. Always call the listed phone number to ensure they are still in that location but here is a good list of 25 food trucks that are unique and may pique your interest.
Barbecue is absolutely part of the culture - If meat is your thing, Franklin BBQ is a thing to do. So are LIVE MUSIC and breweries!
If you like wine, Wine County.com is a good resource to learn about wineries in the Austin area. This may surprise you but there are 50+ wineries near Austin, just about a little over an hour away. Look up the distance to Frericksburg and you will get a quick idea. Start with this resource for wine tours, sight-seeing tours and listing of the most popular wineries. Click on winery listings, or check out 8 wineries in two days!
TEMPERATURE
Austin summers are HOT, it can get to 100F. There are ways to cool off - Visit the Barton Springs public pool which is OMG huge and ensure you have air-conditioning if you are in an AirB&B. Also, the city is not equipped to handle major snow storms, but those are usually one-off events - so despite the recent events, do not be discouraged by that.
