What started as a small riverside town in Texas has grown into a bustling metropolitan area popular for its distinct liberal culture, affinity for live music, quirky personality, and quickly expanding list of celebrity residents.
There's something about the energy of Austin - Texas' capital and home of the University of Texas - that permeates visitors, inviting them to enjoy the simplicity of life in Texas with benefits like a well-established culinary scene, lively music, and arts culture, and an appreciation for and preservation of nature.
Above all else, it's the city's weirdness that draws people in. Whether it's Matthew McConaughey getting arrested while playing the bongos naked, or dozens of couples and families watching the largest urban bat colony in the world leave the South Congress Bridge at sunset, there's something a little off about the everyday happenings in Austin that makes it an intriguing destination.
In the past decade, Austin's population grew by 21%, solidifying it as Texas' second-fastest-growing major city. This boom has helped the already interesting city grow into a tourist destination with even more one-of-a-kind restaurants, bars, activities, and sites to see.
No matter your vibe - hipster, haute, hippie, or humble - there's something for everyone in Bat City.
Despite the massive growth, the influx of tech companies, and the continuous construction, shades of Austin's small-town origins help make the city exciting, fun, and, yes, a little weird.