📍 Zilker, Austin

Spring-fed swimming pool in Zilker Park that holds 68-70°F year-round. Three acres of clear water under pecan trees. The most Austin thing you can do, and morning swims before work...

351 acres anchoring Austin's outdoor identity. Home to Barton Springs Pool, the Zilker Botanical Garden, and the Zilker Zephyr train. ACL Music Festival takes over every October. T...

Austin vegetarian institution near Zilker that's been doing meat-free Tex-Mex and diner food long before it was trendy. The patio is shaded and shaggy, the crowd is mixed, and the ...

Retro drive-in on Barton Springs Road since 1946. Thin-patty burgers, hand-dipped frozen custard, and root beer floats at counter prices. The simplicity is the appeal — nothing has...

Lou's lands right on Barton Springs Road, which means the crowd comes in either sandy-footed from the pool or working up an appetite before it. Donuts and coffee in the a.m., burge...

The tree canopy over Shady Grove's patio is the real draw — a wide, shaded outdoor room where Tex-Mex, burgers, and live music converge on Barton Springs Road. Order the Hippie San...

The original Chuy's opened in 1982 on Barton Springs Road with a vision of fun, funky Tex-Mex. Green chile chicken enchiladas, Big-as-Yo'-Face Burritos, and the Creamy Jalapeño dip...

Zilker's neighborhood Italian done right — the spicy rigatoni alla vodka earns its reputation, and the roasted garlic ricotta stuffed ravioli is the move when you want something in...

One block from Zilker Park, The Picnic runs rotating food trailers under shaded pavilions with the kind of easy outdoor energy that Austin does better than most cities. The lineup ...

Zilker-adjacent Tex-Mex institution open since 1963, where the Famous Purple Rita and the Mexican Martini are still what carries the night, alongside puffy tacos, beef fajitas, and...