Central Texas
The blackened pit room and homely dining room are all original (they used to have knives chained to the tables). Choose from a succulent array of barbecued meats – and ask them to trim the fat off the brisket if you’re particular about that.
Standing just a block from the courthouse, Smitty's imbues the entire town square with the nonstop aroma of smoked meat. If you smell like barbecue before you've even had lunch, you have them to thank.
Bat Colony Under Congress Avenue Bridge
26.42 MILES
Austin is known as the capital of Texas quirk, so it shouldn't be surprising that it's a city tradition to sit on the grassy banks of Lady Bird Lake and…
27.26 MILES
Completed in 1888 using sunset-red granite, Texas’ state capitol is the largest in the US, backing up the familiar claim that everything’s bigger…
27 MILES
This 350-acre park is a slice of green heaven, lined with hiking and biking trails. The park also provides access to the famed Barton Springs natural…
27.99 MILES
Whatever you do, don't call it 'Texas University' – them's fightin' words, usually used derisively by Texas A&M students to take their rivals down a notch…
Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum
27.63 MILES
Big, glitzy and bursting with high-tech interactive exhibits, this showcase museum celebrates the story of the Lone Star State, from its earliest…
Lyndon Baines Johnson (LBJ) Library & Museum
27.92 MILES
Devoted to the 36th US president, who launched his political career in Austin, this museum is still attracting the crowds more than 50 years since he left…
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
24.03 MILES
Anyone with an interest in Texas' flora and fauna should make the 20-minute drive to the wonderful gardens of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center,…
27.64 MILES
A big university with a big endowment is bound to have a big art collection, and now, finally, it has a suitable building to show it off properly. With…
13.95 MILES
This downtown museum is dedicated to Luling’s history and culture, and to the central-Texas oil industry. The museum was closed at press time for…
16.34 MILES
Screenwriter/photographer Bill Wittliff founded this repository of literary and photographic archives on the campus of Texas State University. Stop here…
3. Mary Moore Searight Metropolitan Park
20.78 MILES
Home to a disc golf course, tennis courts, a playground and hiking trails, this South Austin fave is just over a mile west of I-35 (exit Slaughter Lane).
21.08 MILES
Prehistoric creatures walk the earth once more at the Dinosaur Park, halfway between Austin Bergstrom Airport and Bastrop. Well, they don't exactly walk,…
5. McKinney Roughs Nature Park
21.79 MILES
Four different ecosystems – post oak savannah, blackland prairie, east Texas piney woods and riparian – meet at this 1100-acre park, 13 miles southeast of…
23.85 MILES
An ongoing (and climbable!) backyard sculpture that turns one man's trash into everyone's treasure. Visitation is by appointment, by phone. Owner Vince…
7. Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
24.03 MILES
Anyone with an interest in Texas' flora and fauna should make the 20-minute drive to the wonderful gardens of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center,…
8. Ann & Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail & Boardwalk
25.1 MILES
You can gaze at the downtown skyline from a series of photogenic boardwalks on this scenic 10-mile trail, which loops around Lady Bird Lake. Shorten the…