Adorned with a huge, resplendent Texas star and located on Congress Avenue, the Bullock Museum is hard to miss. It tells the story of Texas by using artifacts, dioramas and multimedia “campfire stories” to give a chronological account of the state’s history – from the native inhabitants and the Spanish colonizers right through to the present day.

The Texas State Capitol, which was officially dedicated in 1888, is surrounded by a large park. The imposing structure was built in Renaissance Revival style and has a dome 92 meters high. This makes it taller than the Capitol Building in Washington D.C., on which it was modeled. The building was extensively renovated following a fire, and underground extensions were constructed for some areas. The Capitol still houses the Texas Legislature and the office of the Governor of Texas.

This pool in Zilker Park is fed from underground springs. The water temperature is approximately 68–70 degrees Fahrenheit (21 degrees Celsius) all year round. People meet here to swim and have picnics, and to create and listen to music. The Umlauf Sculpture Garden, which exhibits modern sculptures, is adjacent to Zilker Park.

The Colorado River winds its way toward Austin from the northwest. From the 1930s to the 1950s, eight flood control reservoirs were constructed along its course. Six of these reservoirs are known collectively as the Texas Highland Lakes, the largest of which are Lake Travis and Lake Buchanan. These popular leisure destinations offer a variety of recreational and sporting activities – from fishing to ziplining.

The view from the water offers a charming cityscape of Texas’s capital. By escaping the road traffic and traveling by electric boat, you can admire the promenades and parks, or cruise around the Lady Bird Lake. The evening tours are particularly popular in the summer months, when the largest urban bat colony in the world leaves its home beneath Ann Richards Congress Avenue Bridge to go hunting for insects.

Along with iced tea, Coke and Pepsi, Dr Pepper is one of the most popular soft drinks in the United States. It was invented in 1885 in Waco, which is about halfway between Dallas and Austin on Interstate 35. Since 1991, the former bottling plant in Waco has been home to a museum about the company’s history, a gift store and Frosty’s Soda Shop, which serves food and drinks.

The dusty slope from the State Capitol down into the city was paved in 1905, and the street has been Austin’s flagship boulevard ever since. There are numerous historical buildings on the street, including the Old Bakery & Emporium (number 1006), which is now a gallery and a hub for local artists, and the Paramount Theater (number 713). The theater, which was previously called the Vaudeville Theater and dates back to 1915, is one of the city’s popular event locations.

On Brush Square, there are three charming little museums – each in a faithfully restored building. One is the Susanna Dickinson Museum, which was at one time home to a survivor of the Battle of the Alamo (1836). Another is the O. Henry Museum, dedicated to the author known by that name and housed in his former residence, a Victorian-style structure. The third, the Austin Fire Museum, is in Austin’s first fire station, which is still in use today. Admission to all three museums is free of charge.

This art museum belongs to the University of Texas and was opened in 2006. The collection consists of around 18,000 works from different eras, and the museum also houses temporary exhibitions. Since 2015, one of the highlights has been Ellsworth Kelly’s “Austin” – a walk-in kaleidoscope.

The Longhorn Cavern State Park in the hills of Burnet County is roughly an hour’s drive north of Austin. The Longhorn Cavern from which it takes its name is a water-carved limestone cave system. Thanks to its year-round temperature of a comfortable 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit) and its well-made paths, this natural wonder is a real pleasure to explore. For visitors looking for adventure, there’s a wild cavern climbing tour to the less accessible parts of the caves.

There are plenty of time-honored clubs in Austin, and this one, which first opened in 1955, is possibly the most venerable. While the neighborhood has become trendy in recent years, at the Continental, time seems to have stood still. There’s a soft patina to the furniture, and a chalkboard above the bar proclaims the week’s program. The bands here play mainly rock and country – and a lot that sounds like both – to a mixed crowd of old and young at the bar and on the dance floor.

On Lady Bird Lake in Austin, there’s a monument to late guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan, who first made a name for himself with regular appearances at Antone’s – although the club then occupied different premises. The club has relocated several times since first opening in 1975, but even in its new building and with its minimalist decor, the place has an inviting feel to it. The label “Home of the Blues” is as relevant as ever today. And there’s even blues to take home here – from the record shop by the front door.

A honky-tonk used to be the name for a bar that served alcohol and staged live music. The White Horse also calls itself a honky-tonk, and rightly so, since it has it all: beer and whiskey at the bar, musicians on the stage. This place really does recall a Wild West saloon, where older folk in Stetsons and tattooed hipsters sit side by side at the bar and tables, enjoying a program of predominantly country and related music styles. Come early to take the two step course and learn the right dance floor moves – which are a little like disco fox.

A picture-book Texan landscape of desert, cactuses and blazing sun adorns the wall behind the stage here, while the rest of the decor does without much color. Many of the musicians who play here regard themselves as the heirs to punk and new wave, but cover bands also regularly feature on the program. For big names, the venue also has a larger stage out back, and for a cocktail in between, there’s the Volstead Lounge next door.

Wood on the outside, wood on the inside: the Saxon Pub looks like a ranch house or a saloon, which is why it is also a popular set with film crews. Musicians like to record live albums here, and for Kris Kristofferson, performing here is like playing a gig in his own front room. Country star Willie Nelson has also played here. Many country careers took off at the Saxon Pub, and big names show their gratitude by coming back here. This small venue has already hosted more than 20,000 gigs.

Every year in early March, the SXSW Festival draws visitors from all over the world to Austin, and the Mohawk is one of the most popular venues. It has a large outdoor stage and inside, another one in a small hall – head past the bear in pajamas at the bar to get there. The shows start later here than in most other clubs. For sure, the people who come here don’t have to get up early next day.

The ambiance at Uchi is much more luxurious than you might suspect from the outward appearance of this red brick building, which is on a major road. The restaurant serves top quality contemporary Japanese cuisine. The vegetarian dishes are delicious as well.

Named after a public housing project in New York, the Parkside Projects group of restaurants runs numerous establishments in downtown Austin – of which Parkside is the oldest and the most sophisticated. In addition to high-quality “farm-to-table” cuisine, it serves oysters and has a raw bar.

These family-friendly restaurants, which are run by the Mandola family, serve down-to-earth Italian food. There are four branches in and around Austin.

The city has numerous branches of Torchy’s Tacos, so every visitor to Austin is likely to pass one sooner or later. These restaurants are well worth a visit because they serve affordable, fresh Tex-Mex dishes such as tacos, fajitas, burritos and chile con queso.

The small town of Elgin, which is around 40 kilometers (25 miles) east of Austin, lies on the “BBQ Trail” and is the self-proclaimed “Sausage Capital of Texas.” This restaurant, which also runs a store and online business (southsidemarket.com/shop), is considered to be one of the region’s top locations for meat and sausage dishes.

Threadgill’s, which was once a gas station, is now something of an institution in Austin’s music scene. Musicians (often traveling musicians) have been performing here since as early as 1933. There is live music at various times of the week, including songwriters’ evenings and Sunday brunch events.

This club is named after Louis Charles “C-Boy” Parks (1925-1991), one of the city’s most famous blues club managers. There are soul or R&B sessions every evening in the small bar, which has a large outdoor terrace area. Another popular part of the club is the upstairs area called the Jade Room – a lounge styled after Japanese GI bars of the 1950s.

This club boasts three stages and is located on the eastern outskirts of the downtown area, between Red River and Interstate 35. Although the Empire looks like a warehouse from the outside, inside it is kitted out with modern sound equipment. It predominantly showcases newcomers.

This entertainment complex has three floors and contains a music lounge, a retro-chic bowling alley, a 1920s-style speakeasy bar and a roof terrace bar with a fantastic view. You really can party all night long at this venue.

Stubb’s is another venue where there are bands playing on various nights throughout the week. But what makes this BBQ restaurant famous is its Gospel Brunch – from 10:30 am every Sunday. The religious theme changes from week to week, but the brunch is consistently incredible.