12 Free Things to Do in Austin, Texas - Travel Realist (2024)

This realistic List of Free Things to Do in Austin, Texas helps you visit the sights free of charge.

The Capital of Texas is a popular destination year round. A handful of sights in Austin, Texas charge admission fees. But both visitors and locals should not overlook free attractions in the city.

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There are a lot of reasons to prefer free-to-visit sights to the ones that charge admission. More often than not, they have to do with a perceived value of an attraction more than anything else.

You might have come to Austin to enjoy a big event, like SXSW, ACL, MotoGP, or Formula 1. In this case, you have already paid hundreds if not thousands for the event tickets, place to stay, and transport.

If you are an Austinite, you might not want to pay for the sights that you could see for free. You could use the savings to plan a trip to other, even more exciting destinations.

This List of Free Things to Do in Austin, Texas covers places that do not charge admission and parking fees. Not all sights are free every day, so pay attention to the opening hours and days of the week.

1. Texas Capitol

• Address:1100 Congress Ave., Austin, TX 78701.
• Hours: 7 a.m (weekdays) or 9 a.m. (weekends) to 8 p.m.
• Visit Duration: 20-30 minutes.

The Texas State Capitol is the best free thing to do in Austin, Texas. The largest capitol building in the United States, is 15 ft (4.5 m) taller than the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.

You do not need a reservation to visit the Texas Capitol. Just come to this 1885 landmark whenever it is open. You could explore the grounds and the building at your own pace. Expect a security check.

You should see the Rotunda, Texas Senate Chamber, and Texas House Chamber. The Capitol Extension gives you a chance to get a meal and buy a souvenir. You could also see the Open Air Rotunda.

Parking could not be easier when visiting the Texas Capitol. Park at the spacious Capitol Visitors Parking Garage. The first two hours are free year round. Just pay attention to the garage’s opening hours.

2. Mayfield Park

• Address:3505 W 35th St, Austin, TX 78703.
• Hours: 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.
• Visit Duration: 15-20 minutes.

Mayfield Park and Nature Preserve is the second best free thing to do in Austin, Texas. Just like the Texas Capitol, this park is open year round. There are no parking or admission fees.

Mayfield Park offers its visitors an incredible value. There is a wooden cottage that dates back to the 1870s. Six ponds are home to koi fish, turtles, snakes, water lilies, and other plants.

Volunteers maintain a community flower garden that is in bloom nearly every month. There is a mile (1.6 km) of hiking trails. But peafowls that roam the grounds steal the show in Mayfield Park.

You could see these majestic birds on oak trees, cottage roof, and near the ponds. A small parking lot and an off-limits cottage are just small wrinkles in an otherwise perfect park.

3. Elisabet Ney Museum

• Address:304 E 44th St, Austin, TX 78751.
• Hours: 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
• Visit Duration: 10-15 minutes.

The Elisabet Ney Museum is the third best free thing to do in Austin, Texas. It is a combination of an art and house museum in trendy Hyde Park neighborhood of the city.

Formosa, a four-story limestone building, dates back to 1892. It is a perfect exhibition space. You will see busts and full body statues in the halls. The information boards explain Ney’s sculpting techniques.

You should take the cedar staircase to the second floor. Exquisite furniture pieces await you in this exhibition room. Afterwards, take a tiny spiral staircase to the Tower if you are not claustrophobic.

Short admission hours are the only downside of visiting the Elisabet Ney Museum. You should make a stop in this museum if you are in the vicinity on any afternoon.

4. Butler Hike & Bike Trail

• Address:1000 Barton Springs Rd, Austin, TX 78704.
• Hours: 5 a.m. to 12 a.m.
• Visit Duration: 1 to 3 hours.

The Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail is another free thing to visit in Austin, Texas. This 10-mi (16-km) path connects the main sights along Lady Bird Lake.

Zilker Park and Barton Springs, Austin Central Library and Congress Bridge are all on this hiking trail. You could hike a few sections or go for a full loop around the lake.

Make sure to experience the Boardwalk. Going above the lake surface with great skyline views is a nice workout for beginner hikers. Just bring a hat, sunscreen, and water to make this walk more enjoyable.

Parking is a downside of the Butler Hike and Bike Trail. You could park for free in Zilker Park on the weekdays. Butler Park has free parking after 6 p.m. Lakeshore Blvd’s parking is free around the clock.

5. Mount Bonnell

• Address:3800 Mt Bonnell Rd, Austin, TX 78731.
• Hours: 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.
• Visit Duration: 10-15 minutes.

Mount Bonnell is among top free things to do in Austin, Texas. This small park has amazing views of Lake Austin and West Lake Hills. You could even get a glimpse of the Pennybacker Bridge.

Get ready for an uphill hike to the viewpoint. The staircase is steep but fairly short. You could catch your breath while enjoying amazing views. This is probably the most scenic viewpoint in the city.

Mount Bonnell is next door to Mayfield Park and The Contemporary Austin – Laguna Gloria. Together they form a free cluster in Austin’s Tarrytown neighborhood.

Parking could get sparse at Mount Bonnell if you visit the park on a weekend afternoon. Pay attention to incoming traffic on Mount Bonnell Road, too. You have to back up directly into the street.

6. Austin Murals

• Austin Sign:1720 S 1st St, Austin, TX 78704.
• “I love you so much” Mural:1300 S Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78704.
• South Congress SOCO Mural:1800 S Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78704.
• You’re My Butter Half Mural:2000 E Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Austin, TX 78702.
• Jeremiah The Innocent Mural:408 W 21st St, Austin, TX 78705.
• Austintatious Murals:453-401 W 23rd St, Austin, TX 78705.
• Hours: 24/7.
• Visit Duration: 5-10 minutes.

The Capital of Texas is an artistic city with lots of museums, sculpture gardens, and outdoor exhibits. It is hardly a surprise that murals are among the best free things to do in Austin, Texas.

You should see at least a few murals on your Austin itinerary. The Austin Sign, I love you so much, and You’re My Butter Half are amazing examples of street art.

A few of these murals, like Austintatious near UT Austin campus, go back as far as 50 years ago. You could see living history while enjoying this art form.

Parking is a hit-and-miss at these murals. You could usually find street parking nearby. But you might have to pay for it on the weekdays. Sunday is the only sure bet to pay nothing to see the murals.

7. UT Austin

• Address:110 Inner Campus Drive, Austin, TX 78705.
• Hours: 12 a.m. to 1 a.m.
• Visit Duration: 30-60 minutes.

The University of Texas at Austin is a must-visit destination in the Capital of Texas. Like Harvard University and University of Chicago, touring UT Austin is a great free thing to do in the city.

The UT Tower and Littlefield Fountain are the symbols of the university. You could also explore the Petal Stage and Austin by Ellsworth Kelly from the outside. Yet, not everything on campus is free.

You have to pay to visit the top of the Tower and Blanton Museum of Art. DRK Memorial Stadium, Moody Center, and Gregory Gym sell tickets for games. The LBJ Presidential Library also charges admission.

Parking is another consideration when visiting UT Austin. On-campus garages charge parking fees 24/7. But you could park for free along Guadalupe Street or San Jacinto Boulevard on Sundays.

8. The Contemporary Austin – Laguna Gloria

• Address:3809 W 35th St, Austin, TX 78703.
• Hours: 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. (Thursday only).
• Visit Duration: 45-60 minutes.

The Contemporary Austin – Laguna Gloria is another free thing thing to do in Austin, Texas. This museum’s presence on the list is not without caveats. Yet, they have little to do with the park’s beauty.

The open-air sculpture garden is a must-visit for art lovers in the Austin area. Contemporary art installations near Mayfield Park, another amazing free park to visit, are a sight to see and reflect upon.

But, before you hop in your car or rental and visit Laguna Gloria, you should learn about its admission policy. The museum charges $10 per adult on most days. Yet, there is one notable exception.

Thursday is the day with free admission. On the bright side, Laguna Gloria is open for 6 hours longer than usual on this day. You could also join a free guided tour if you visit the museum at 7:30 p.m.

9. Bat Viewing at Congress Bridge

• Address:Congress Avenue Bridge, S Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78704.
• Hours: 24/7
• Visit Duration: 30-60 minutes.

As a city built on the Colorado River, Austin is no stranger to bridges. Still, the Congress Bridge deserves a special spot among the best free things to do in Austin, Texas.

You could get an amazing view of the Texas State Capitol from this bridge. But Downtown skyline panorama is only part of the attraction. Go to this bridge around sunset between March and October.

A colony of bats flies out nearly every day then. The bats form a cloud for a surreal experience. Skip the parking lot near Statesman Bat Observation Center. You will pay $18 for a couple of hours.

Street parking is less than $5 for the same time. A few meters are not enforced past 6 p.m. either. You could park at Auditorium Shores for free if you are ok walking and completing the visit in 2 hours.

10. Barton Creek Greenbelt

• Address:3755 S Capital of Texas Hwy, Austin, TX 78704.
• Hours: 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
• Visit Duration: 1-3 hours.

Barton Creek Greenbelt is a large park and wilderness area in South Central Austin. It remains one of the best free things to do in Austin, Texas. Both locals and visitors come to Barton Creek to enjoy nature.

The Greenbelt starts from the Butler Hike and Bike Trail, Zilker Park, and Barton Springs Pool. It continues along the creek. You will go underneath two highway bridges like in Cuyahoga Valley in Ohio.

Get ready to see the Bluffs, Seismic Wall, Twin Falls, Sculpture Falls, and Hill of Life. A few of this areas are nice swimming holes in the summer. You do not need to pay a dime to swim in these pools.

Yet, Barton Creek Greenbelt is not without problems. And a need to carry a towel to the pools is the least of them. Car break-ins are common at all Greenbelt parking lots. Do not leave any valuables in the car.

11. Bull Creek Greenbelt

• Address:6701 Lakewood Dr, Austin, TX 78731.
• Hours: 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.
• Visit Duration: 1-2 hours.

Bull Creek Greenbelt is a free park to visit in Austin, Texas. Unlike its better known neighbor to the south, it is not a continuous park along the creek. Instead, there are a few parks with patches of private land.

You could choose between hiking in Bull Creek District Park, Bull Creek Preserve, and St. Edward’s Park. A few of these parks are great places to see blooming bluebonnets in the spring.

Native and extinct birds are another common sight in Bull Creek Greenbelt. Once the temperatures become too hot for hiking, you could go for a wade in its swimming holes.

Car break-ins are a problem at Bull Creek Greenbelt, too. St. Edward’s Park and Bull Creek Preserve parking are notorious for broken windows. Nearby construction on TX-360 highway is also a downside.

12. Pennybacker Bridge

• Address:5300 N Capital of Texas Hwy, Austin, TX 78730.
• Hours: 24/7.
• Visit Duration: 2-5 minutes.

The Pennybacker Bridge, or 360 Bridge, is a symbol of the Capital of Texas. But, unlike the Golden Gate Bridge or the George Washington Bridge, it is free to explore. Every Austin itinerary should cover it.

The bridge connects two shores of Lake Austin on the Colorado River. It is part of Capital of Texas Highway TX-360 Loop. The highway’s number gave the bridge its colloquial name.

No tolls are charged to cross the Pennybacker Bridge. This fact should put it higher on the list of the best things to do in Austin, Texas, shouldn’t it? The answer is not so simple in case of the 360 Bridge.

Nearby cliffs offer great views of this arch bridge. But the trail to the viewpoint is steep and lacks maintenance. On top of it, plenty of No Parking on ROW signs put you at risk of a parking ticket.

Takeaways: Free Things to Do in Austin, Texas

Austin, Texas had a solid number of free things to do on a trip. Nearly every visitor could find a free attraction in the city that appeals to their heart.

You could visit architectural landmarks at the Texas Capitol, UT Austin, and Pennybacker Bridge. Enjoy the views on the Butler Hike and Bike Trail and from Mount Bonnell.

See art exhibits in the Elisabet Ney Museum, Laguna Gloria, and on the streets. Reconnect with nature in Barton Creek and Bull Creek Greenbelts. Or see wildlife in Mayfield Park and from the Congress Bridge.

Not everyone is lucky enough to be in Austin on Austin Museum Day in September. It is one day a year when local museums offer free admission. The number of free things triples on Austin Museum Day.

Take a look at this Video List of Free Things to Do in Austin, Texas. And visit theYouTube channelfor the latest videos.

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