Sixth Street Nightlife in Austin, taken by Kenny Braun

You may expect the capital city of Texas to be one of the massive oil cities, Dallas or Houston, but it isn’t, it’s Austin, a relatively small university town and high tech centre in South Central Texas.

Forget everything you thought you knew about Texas; oil, JR, ten gallon hats, cowboy boots, George Bush. Austin is cool, hip and happening with a massive music scene. Hundreds of bands play in Austin every week, in addition to the annual madness of South by Southwest and the more mainstream Austin City Limits. There is endless nightlife from sophisticated bars to those at the grungier end of the scale, not to mention loads of restaurants and a big street food presence.

Just how happening Austin has become is illustrated by the fact that not only are Californians moving from Silicone Valley to work on Silicone Hill, but Californian kids are choosing Austin to come to university. They are leaving San Francisco for the urban hip lifestyle in Austin. I think that probably tells you all you need to know.

So, pull on your cowboy boots (those are still de rigueur if you can work the look), forget your visions of the Ewing family and get packing. With a balmy winter, Austin makes a fantastic city break, especially in early spring or late autumn. If you are looking for a longer trip, you can spend a few days in Austin and head out on a fabulous road trip taking in the Texas Hill Country and San Antonio. As of March 3 2014, those nice people at British Airways started direct flights from London Heathrow to Austin, making getting there that much easier. Expedia have a number of other options connecting through US hubs.

Austin Top 10 Attractions

For me the main reason to go to Austin is the fantastic music scene. Along with the partying. But there is more to Austin than sitting in bars listening to bands. Apparently.

Don’t miss…

Sixth Street Nightlife in Austin, by Kenny Braun

1) The music. To find the centre of the action head to East 6th Street. If you don’t like what you hear, there are venues all over the city and somewhere a band to suit your taste is playing. Live. Tonight.

2) If you want a mega festival head to South by Southwest. There is music, film and cutting edge technology, all in Austin and all in March.

3) For a less intense, more traditional music festival, check out Austin City Limits in October. A huge range of bands, definitely warmer and probably drier than any UK festival. What’s not to like?

4) The Street Food. The only thing Austin has more of then music venues is food trucks. You can get everything from BBQ and gumbo to vegan sandwiches, cheesecake and ice cream. Very handy when you’re in a rush between venues.

5) When you’re not stuffing your face or watching live music you can check out the State Capitol. The star on the inside the of Dome is cool.

Texas State Capitol at Night, Texas Tourism

6) All that street food is bound to result in a need for exercise. Head out to Zilker Park to hike, bike, canoe, swim at Barton Springs Pool and wander the botanical gardens.

7) LBJ was a native of Texas Hill Country and you can visit the Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library and Museum to find out more about the man and the turbulent times of his presidency.

8) If your ears need a break and you fancy a different type of art, the Blanton Museum of Art is well worth a look, with a mix of work from Renaissance and Baroque to contemporary.

9) If you want to find out a little about Texan history, your best bet is to head to the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum. This has three floors of exhibits outlining the geography, culture and human history of Texas, as well as an IMAX theatre.

10) If you have the time, a trip out into the beautiful Texas Hill Country, with its springs, creeks and lakes, as well as lovely small towns like Fredericksburg, makes for a wonderful change of pace. You can make a road trip out of your excursion and head to San Antonio for more Texan city life.

To get you in the mood for your trip…..

Listen; “Texas Flood” by Stevie Ray Vaughan

Read; “No Country for Old Men” by Cormac Mccarthy

Watch; Dazed and Confused