Matthew Hampton visits Austin, the Texan capital and home of the South by Southwest music festival
Are you ready to rock? Austin is. The self-styled ‘Live Music Capital of the World’ is so full of venues and willing musicians it can’t fail to set your toes tapping.
South by Southwest in March and Austin City Limits in September are the two main events on the musical calendar, but the Texan capital makes a good city break
or flydrive stop-off any time of the year.
Music fans will love it; so will anyone looking for the real America. Heed the local catchphrase – Keep Austin Weird – and you can’t fail to have a good time. This guide will help get you started.
Hotels
Austin is currently a boom town for hotel and real estate investors. Major chains including Marriott, Four Seasons and Hyatt already have properties downtown, but all eyes are on Starwood, which will open a W property in 2009.
There are also plans for a 300-room Westin. Marriott will add two more properties (1,000 rooms combined) by 2010 and Hyatt has plans for an airport hotel.
The Driskill is Austin’s grand dame – the historic property is currently refitting rooms to 21st century standards, with plasma screens and luxurious bathrooms.
Boutique properties include the Hotel San Jose on South Congress Avenue; this will be followed in 2010 by the 21C Museum Hotel, the second in an upmarket chain started in Louisville, Kentucky.
Sights and activities
Austin’s music clubs are a major attraction, but there are daytime activities too. Active types might like to pound the biking and running trails around Lady Bird Lake – as Hollywood actor (and local boy) Matthew McConaughey sometimes likes to.
Just outside the city, Barton Creek Greenbelt offers plenty of challenging mountain biking terrain; further afield, the Texas Hill Country is where another local boy, Lance Armstrong, cut his teeth as a cyclist. The Hill Country is also home to a growing number of wineries, many of which offer tastings.
Back in the city, South Congress Avenue is the place to soak up Austin’s alternative vibe. ‘SoCo’ as locals call it, is full of hipster type shops selling vintage clothes and kitsch ephemera. There are good places to eat, drink and see bands too, such as the Continental Club or Hills Cafe.
‘Keep Austin Weird’ is more than just a local catchphrase; it’s a movement dedicated to doing just that. Pop into Book People on Lamarr and 6th and take a look at
A Guide to the Odd Side of Town, the book by the man behind the movement, Red Wassenich.
Book People is typical of the independent retailer favoured by Austinites. Across the street is Waterloo Records, which sells much more than just music. Toilet roll depicting George W Bush’s likeness is a speciality, and typically Austin.
Nightlife
Music seeps from every pore of this city. You might see a band in a half-empty TV studio or a packed club. Street corners, shops, restaurants, and hotel lobbies all double up as performance spaces.
And it’s not just rock. As James Spoke, owner of legendary venue The Broken Spoke put it: “We do country, country and more country, with a great dance floor, cold beer and the best chicken fried steak in town. The good news is we ain’t changin’ nothin’.”
Enough said, except to add, perhaps, that blues and folk get a good airing too.
Perhaps more surprising is the dedication to the fine arts. The Austin Music Hall, on the south side of Lady Bird Lake, is the city’s original performance venue, and reopened in November last year after a renovation project doubled its size.
Brand new is the Long Center for the Performing Arts, which will provide a permanent home for the city’s symphony orchestra, opera and ballet companies.
For those who do want to rock, Austin is the perfect playground. There are more than 50 clubs in the downtown district alone. The town is at its busiest during South By Southwest and Austin City Limits, but there will be music on any time of year.
For food, try Huts Hamburgers, a favourite local hangout, or the Magnolia Cafe, a classic American diner, open 24 hours a day and always buzzing.
Lastly, remember your ID. It’s standard practice in the US to ID up to 30. In Texas, it feels more like 40. Getting asked is funny the first time; maybe flattering. But once you’ve had to take a taxi back to your hotel to pick up your passport, it’s just plain annoying.
Austin, Texas travel facts
Getting there: No direct flights from the UK. Continental Airlines flies from Heathrow and Gatwick into Houston; American Airlines from Heathrow into Dallas. Frequent connections to Austin are available from both.
Journey time: Around 12 hours, including transit.
Currency: US dollar; currently around $2 to £1.
Time difference: GMT -6 hours
Weather: Relatively mild winters and hot, humid summers. Spring and autumn are good times to visit, to avoid the summer heat.
Sample product
Thomson America and Canada offers five nights at the Crown Plaza in Austin from £839 per person based on two sharing on a room-only basis, including return flights and car hire.
Continental Airlines Vacations offers a new 12-night ‘Lone Star State’ flydrive, taking in Houston, San Antonio, Austin and Dallas, from £1,385 per person this May to June or September to November 2008. Price includes flights, accommodation and car hire.
