Austin: A Capital City

Cavender's western wear is a local landmark.

You have to be intrigued by a city whose unofficial slogan is “keep Austin weird”. The Capital of Texas is proud of its eclectic, liberal culture. If you’re attending an event at the Austin Convention Center, you’ll find a lot more than cowboy boots, ribs and honky-tonk here.

Austin bills itself as the live music capital of the world, and claims to be home to over 1,900 bands. The city has a bureau of music, and in addition to the usual tourist information, the official visitor site features a colorful, 12-page downloadable music guide that you may want to study before your visit. There’s a lot to choose from.

Austin also claims honors as the golf capital of U.S., an honor bestowed by both CNN’s Golf.com and Golf Magazine. The course list at austingolf.com is too long to count; just reading through it will give duffers a vicarious thrill.

Weather here is more temperate than elsewhere in Texas, and if golf isn’t your bag, there’s plenty more to do outdoors in Austin. A river, the Colorado, runs through it, and the city boasts three lakes within the city limits. There are plenty of local hikes, or you may want to rent a bike at the Bicycle Sport Shop to cover more ground. Be sure to call ahead to reserve; with miles of greenbelt, biking is a popular activity here.

Good eats abound. Get the scoop at CitySearch and austincityguide.com, which features behind the scenes video from local restaurants. Austin360 is a great site for event listings for after dinner, or any time.

Despite its eclecticism, Austin is still a great place to pick up some kick-ass cowboy boots and western wear at such venerable institutions as Cavender’s and Allen’s. Venerable, but modern–both offer the opportunity to shop online so you can arrive in town with your boots on, ready to go.

Tempted? Check out ConferenceHound for a reason to visit — that is, a conference in your field.