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Find top austin sightseeing places, tours, and experiences here

Find sightseeing buildings, experiences, tours, and more here.

Last updated on Dec 19, 2024 by

1. Splash into Lake Austin with Austin Duck Adventures

One of the first tours to show visitors around town and the only land and water tour available, Austin Duck Adventures is one of the most popular tours in town. The tour starts at the Austin Visitor Center at the corner of 4th and Red River in downtown Austin. It drives along 6th street, up Congress where you get great views of the Texas Capitol and then on to Lake Austin where you drive straight into the water and float around before heading back. Tours run 7 days a week.

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2. Enjoy a Sightseeing or Dinner Cruise on Lady Bird Lake

Sightseeing Tours on Lady Bird Lake

There are two large river boat operations on Lady Bird Lake that are super packed during warmer months taking people on bat watching tours. When they bats leave, they still offer great sunset, sightseeing, and moonlight cruise tours of Lady Bird Lake. There's also a few companies that offer kayaking tours that are very popular because the weather can be perfect on a weekend afternoon.

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3. Zip Over Land and Lake with Lake Travis Zip Lines

Climb up above the tree lines and then zip across the forest and water like a modern Tarzan with (hopefully) more than a loin cloth. Lake Travis Zip lines offers a chance to suspend your pedestrian life with something more airborne as you zip through, across, and over some of Austin's best scenery. Zip lines offers one of the most highlighted photographic opportunities available to declare to your social media pals that you're bravery is not grounded to bikes and scooters.

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4. Snap Some Selfies at the Texas State Capitol

Viewing the Texas State Capitol

Austin and Texas are at odds when it comes to politics. Exploring the Texas State Capitol is a unique Austin experience and may help you understand the complexities of the local political scene. Who knows, you might get lucky and bump into Alex Jones protesting against masks, science, or some idea of civic responsibility. While a lot of people will stroll the grounds and take some selfies, we recommend a tour with Texas Capitol City Tours that lasts about an hour and costs $20 a person

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5. Get the Gang Back Together with YourBikerGang.com

Bring your gang of friends on one of YourBikerGang.com's tours and they will have the time of their life! They have won Tripadvisor's Traveler's Choice Award 7 years in a row and for good reason; everyone has a BLAST! Choose from one of their biker gang themed e-bike tours or learn about Austin's music history on their newest walking tour. They also offer e-bike rentals if you want to explore Austin on your own. It's a bucket list experience in Austin!

View YourBikerGang.com

6. Keep Austin Weird and Visit South Congress Avenue

The epicenter of the "Keep Austin Weird" movement, South Congress Avenue remains a top visitor attraction albeit more and more upscale as the years go by. It's a great place to do some unique shopping, catch a great restaurant, even see live music.

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7. Walk, Jog, or Ride the Boardwalk on Lady Bird Lake

It wasn't until they finished the boardwalk on Lady Bird Lake that you could circle the entire trail without a few treks on the road. Now there's a full 10.2 mile loop along the water in downtown Austin. We love getting our bikes out there when the weather is right.

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8. Check out the World Famous Congress Bridge Bats

Watching the Austin Bats depart the Congress Bridge is Austin's most popular tourist attraction for a reason. It's simply a marvel. Watch as 1.5 million bats pepper the sky in steady stream appreciated pursuit to rid Austin of mosquitoes. There are a lot of ways to view the bats. Use the button below to learn about 4 fun ways to check them out.

View the Austin Bats