Austin
Times to Visit
2008 10Best Bet - Award Winners
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DOWNTOWN. One of the city's most revered holiday traditions, Armadillo Christmas Bazaar is an ideal opportunity to get some Christmas shopping done Austin-style. Wander among creative craft booths while munching tacos and barbecue and enjoying a holiday soundtrack provided by live musicians. Artists sell jewelry, pottery, paintings, and handicrafts, making the entire event a much-needed alternative to the dreaded mall scene.
BARTON SPRINGS DISTRICT. Based on the traditional pre-Lenten carnival in Brazil, Austin's version of this festival is one of the city's best public parties. Held during one of the coldest times of the year, Carnaval heats things up with spicy samba rhythms, colorful feather masks, steadily shaking hips, wonderfully garish costumes, and lots of exposed skin.
NORTH AUSTIN. Austinites let their freak flags fly at this annual celebration of spring, dedicated to A.A. Milne's forlorn donkey character. Partake in the hippie atmosphere by opting to wear nothing but colorful body paint, joining the continuous (aka endless) drum circle, playing footbag or frisbee, wandering aimlessly among jam bands and food vendors, or just soaking up the whole psychedelic scene. The event actually benefits non-profit groups in Austin.
ROUND ROCK. Named for a local legend about a hermit who haunts and torments people with his howls and hair, this family-oriented festival just north of town is another "only in Austin" event. Hairy Man benefits local charities and features arts and crafts booths, kids' games, live music, and the legendary Hairiest Man Contest. Now that's scary.
NORTH AUSTIN. It's loud, sweaty, and loud, but the annual biker rally is a spectacle to behold: 40,000 motorcyclists descend on Austin for a weekend, proudly flaunting their magnificent machines. Despite the noise, the annual parade and Sixth Street revelry draw tens of thousands of locals, who emerge from air-conditioned comfort to witness the impressive showcase of leather, chrome, and mustaches.
6TH STREET. For one week each year, Austin becomes the epicenter of the music industry, hosting more then one thousand(!) bands from across the globe, not to mention the record labels and fans who keep them in business. It's Spring Break for the rock world, complete with perfect 70 degree days, ice cold beer, Tex-Mex and barbecue, and every type of music under the sun.
DOWNTOWN. Austin is known as the country's most literate city, and the Texas Book Festival ably exemplifies the claim. Founded by Laura Bush, the festival features notable keynote speakers (Barack Obama, Bill Clinton), renowned Texas writers, and the readers and intellects who devour their every word. Seminars and readings provide quality academic experiences for residents and visitors in this bookish town.
Autumn arrives in Austin much later than in the rest of the country, but crunching leaves and sweatshirts appear just in time for the long-standing football rivalry between the Longhorns and the Aggies. The stakes and the hits are always huge: it's a showdown for supremacy of Texas college football – perhaps the most important aspect of life in the Lone Star State. Know that tickets are extremely difficult to get and that the game location alternates. In 2007, it takes place at the Aggies' stadium; in 2008 it will be at the Longhorns'.
Springtime in Austin is like autumn in the northeast – nature is on display in vibrant, technicolor style. The leaves in Austin's version are newly emerging and closer to the ground, but the luminous effect is still mesmerizing, with iridescent hues emanating from fields of bluebonnets, Indian paintbrushes, poppies, and azaleas. Catch the show along Austin's highway medians and open pastures.
BARTON SPRINGS DISTRICT. Spring provides the perfect backdrop for this annual event, where participants and onlookers sit atop a hill overlooking the city while multi-colored kites flutter, dash, and soar across the clear blue sky. Marvel at the elaborate and simple craft designed to catch the wind and lift spirits, if only for a precious few moments before being abandoned by the reality of the jet stream. Oftentimes, you can't choose when you'll visit, but when you do have the option, why not let it coincide with a prominent event? Find out when the city is bursting with blooms, when holiday decorations are at their most enticing, or when a fabulously fun festival is being held. Discover, too, if there's a milestone that's being celebrated or if there's a small occasion that coincides with your own special interest. We'll spread the news and let you know when it's high time to visit the city.
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Oftentimes, you can't choose when you'll visit, but when you do have the option, why not let it coincide with a prominent event? Find out when the city is bursting with blooms, when holiday decorations are at their most enticing, or when a fabulously fun festival is being held. Discover, too, if there's a milestone that's being celebrated or if there's a small occasion that coincides with your own special interest. We'll spread the news and let you know when it's high time to visit the city. 
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