101 Free Things To Do In Austin (2024!) | The Austin Things (2024)

Austin, Texas isn't cheap, but there are still plenty of free things to do in Austin if you know where to look!

So if you love hunting for a deal and scoping out budget-friendly travel ideas, this post is for you. From music to festivals, to museum exhibits, concerts, free zoo events, guided tours, kid-friendly attractions, and parks…we’re loading up this guide with tons of FREE stuff!

1. Barton Springs Swimming Pool is 100% FREE if you enter between the hours of 5-8 am! So as long as you sneak in there by 7:55 am, you can enjoy a few hours of swimming in one of Austin's most popular swimming holes...totally free.

2. If you're in Austin with kids, go to the Nature and Science Center.They have a giant sand pit where kids can dig for "dinosaur bones," a pond with nets for catching minnows, and other fun interactive activities. Totally FREE every day!

3. Hike Mount Bonnell.The view is insane, and since it's a public park, it's always free.

4. Visit The Blanton Museum.Did you know this famous Austin art museum is always free on Tuesdays? Here's the website.

5. Take a Guided Tour at the Texas State Capitol Building. Yep, tours are always FREE! I might be biased, but I think this building is exceptionally beautiful. Here's how to plan your tour.

If you’re visiting in the summer, stop by the Congress Avenue Bridge and watch the largest colony of Mexican free-tailed bats emerge for their nightly feeding.

It happens just before sunset, and you can view the Austin bats for free from the top of the Congress Ave bridge or below the bridge at the observation deck.

Parking can be a bit tricky, so check out this guide to the Austin bats before you go to get all the details. It includes insider tips like the best places to eat near the bat bridge.

While Austin definitely doesn't have mountains (despite having a really famous spot called "Mount Bonnell"), Austin is on the edge of the Texas Hill Country, so here are some beautiful hikes that offer views for days.

Pro tip: autumn is the very best time to go hiking in Austin. If you can manage to get out on a weekday morning when the most popular trails aren't quite so packed, you're golden!

Even if you don’t want to spend any money, there’s some really great window shopping on this street.

SOCO is also home to tons of famous murals (like the iconic "I Love You So Much" mural on the side of Jo's Coffee and the "Willie For President" mural on the side of STAG clothing), so be sure to do some mural photo shoots, too. Bonus: it's another FREE thing to do in Austin, Texas!

It’s a FREE concert series in Austin that happens every summer at Zilker Park.

Blues On The Green typically hosts concerts in June and July. Check out the ACL Radio website to see this year's BOTG schedule.

The Blanton is a seriously impressive art Museum at the University of Texas at Austin. At nearly 190,000 square feet dedicated to art galleries and exhibitions, the Blanton is one of the largest art museums at a university in the entire country.

By the way, here are some other fun museums in Austin, many of which have free days as well.

It’s a 350-acre park in the middle of Austin, Texas, with a beautiful view of the downtown Austin skyline. It’s totally free to visit!

Bring a soccer ball or a frisbee, a picnic lunch, or maybe a hammock for a nap, and enjoy this free Austin activity.

It’s one of the most beautiful places to watch the sunset in Austin, it’s very romantic, and it’s completely free (including free parking.)

The Thinkery is an amazing kids' museum in Mueller.

Although there's typically a cost associated with admission, The Thinkery offers FREE community nights from 3-5 pm on Sundays.

They recently did a massive renovation to this super cool central Austin park, and it’s a beautiful place to bring the family.

The Liz Carpenter fountain is located near the Alliance Children's Garden. You can let the little ones run around at the playground before heading to the splash pad.

Best part? It all has a gorgeous view of downtown Austin!

You can walk through it for free, and you might score some free samples.

Regardless of the samples, it’s the original Whole Foods, and it’s pretty fun to see. Be sure to take a picture at the ATX sign outside.

Visit Austin's iconic Waterloo Records to catch free in-store performances by local musicians.

The performances typically start at 5 pm but check out Waterloo Records’ events page to check the schedule.

Did you know that if you enter between 5-8 am, you don’t have to buy a pass?

This gorgeous spring-fed swimming pool in Austin is about 68 degrees year-round, so lots of athletes enjoy swimming for fitness in the early hours of the day before tourists overtake it in the afternoon.

BTW, here are 15 best swimming holes in Austin!

Relax and unwind as you ride your bike around the Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail in Downtown Austin.

The bike trail goes around the lake and offers an amazing view of the city skyline.

There are 10+ miles of trails, but you can completely customize your bike ride based on which bridge you choose to cross.

Don't have a bike? There are a bunch of great bike rental companies in Austin that have reasonable rates if you'd like to rent a bike for a few hours.

It’s a 227-acre nature preserve that was founded by 7 women in 1974 as Austin’s first nature preserve.

You can enjoy hiking, views, and even a small waterfall after the rainy season! (Don't expect to see too much water if you're visiting at the end of the summer...just FYI.)

This beautiful park in central/west Austin is an oasis.

It's typically fairly quiet because it'sjust far enough away from downtown to not be in a touristy zone.

Mayfield Park has walking trails, a view of the lake, and, of course, a close-up view of the peaco*cks!

Tours are free, and you’ll learn a little bit of Texas history trivia knowledge. This is a very popular field trip activity for schools around Texas, so if you go on a weekday morning, you can expect to be joined by a few school buses full of kids.

More info about tours here!

It’s located on South First Street, not too far from South Congress Ave.

Afterward, walk across the street to Dolce Neve for the best gelato in Austin!

It’s a beautiful green space that runs through the middle of the city. Here's an in-depth article about the best places to park and hike along the greenbelt.

Kids 3 & under eat FREE at Salt Lick BBQ with the purchase of an adult family meal.

While Salt Lick isn't necessarily one of thevery best bbq spots in Austin, it is pretty iconic and has a fun ambiance. And free bbq is free bbq, you know?

The Austin Symphony performs a free concert on the Long Center lawn, and fireworks explode over the lake.

It happens every single 4th of July. Plan on arriving early (parking is madness), and be sure to bring earplugs for any sensitive ears!

Saxon Pub is one of the coolest little hole-in-the-wall music venues in south Austin, and they offer a lot of free (non-ticketed) concerts.

Of course, you'll probably want to buy a beer or a soda, but you won't have to pay for a ticket! Check out their even schedule here.

Explore various parts of Austin like the South Congress, historic Austin churches, and east Austin landmarks.

Click here to download your free map and tour guide.

Waterloo Greenway offers all sorts of free yoga and fitness classes throughout the year.

The schedule changes based on the season, but check out their website to see what current events they have going on right now.

Play at Mueller Lake Park, an awesome park in east Austin with a pond, playground, walking trail, and ducks.

For more photos and information on this gorgeous green space in the middle of Austin, check out our guide to Mueller Lake Park here!

It’s where the German artist created lots of her art in the 1800s, including a sculpture of Stephen F Austin.

Admission is completely free, although donations are accepted at the door.

It’s a summer event with free films shown on the Long Center lawn.

Details here.

Head to this award-winning Austin brewery, grab a pint of beer and enjoy some free music on a Friday night.

They have some of the best Austin vibes! Check out the concert schedule here.

If you love jazz music, The Elephant Room has no cover from Sunday - Wednesday.

You can check out their monthly calendar here.

You've probably already seen a bunch of them in photos (I love you so much, Greetings from Austin, You're my butter half, etc.), but it's so much cooler to see these Austin murals irl!

Here’s your guide to all the best murals in Austin, Texas.

Morning Glories is a weekly early childhood education series in Waterloo Park that offers hands-on play and learning on Tuesday mornings.

They have really fun events for toddlers, like painting, interactive music, fun book readings/signings, and more!

You can find the details on their events page.

Here's a guide to all of the best honky tonks in Austin.

Little Longhorn Saloon has no cover charge and offers free music almost every night. |WEBSITE|

It’s a really sweet little ceremony that kicks off the Trail of Lights holiday season.

The moonlight tower in Zilker Park is transformed into a giant Christmas tree that you can see all the way from Mopac.

Here’s a list of our very favorite ones.

Visiting Austin in the spring? Take a photo with the beautiful Texas bluebonnets.

You can truly find them all over the city. But if you're looking for the best and densest fields of bluebonnets, here are some of the best places to take bluebonnet pictures in Austin.

Visiting Austin in the fall? Head to a fun pumpkin patch!

The Tarrytown United Methodist Church has a free one where you can wander and snap photos at no cost, and then purchase pumpkins to take home.

Go to the rooftop garden at the Central Austin Library and take a photo of the view.

From this rooftop garden, you can take in views of the lake, South Austin, and glimpses of the Austin downtown skyline.

Load up your fam and your bikes in the car and bring everyone to The Veloway.

It’s a 3-mile loop that’s great for the whole family.

(Texas’ largest 10k race!) to hand out water or other race-related tasks.

It’s a great way to watch the running crowd, experience Austin, and cheer on your community.

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