Austin Meeting Planner & Destination Guide 2008

GROUP TOUR PLANNING Austin Getaways Texas Hill Country Hub and Spoke Tours As the gateway to 32,000 square miles of Texas Hill Country, Austin is within an hour’s drive of great towns such as Johnson City, Georgetown, Fredericksburg, San Marcos, Gruene and many more. Enjoy all of the most breathtaking scenery in Texas and unpack just once. See the Day Trips Worth The Drive (page 70) section for more options. Wildflower and Garden Tours Before you know it, spring is in the air, wildflowers blanket the landscape, and Austin is in full bloom. Among the attractions to help get you on the road to Texas wildflowers and Hill Country gardens are: • Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center • Umlauf Sculpture Garden • Zilker Botanical Gardens • Mayfield Park & Preserve • Hill Country Wildflower Trail • Wildseed Farms (Fredericksburg) Cultural and Art Tours Austin is one of only a handful of cities in the country to support professional companies in all four major disciplines — ballet, opera, symphony and theater. Museum and cultural districts around town, including West End and South Congress Avenue, are a great way to experience Austin’s flair for the arts (see page 103 for more information). Outdoors and Sports Tours Runner’s World magazine describes Austin as “a hymn to the outdoors,” and Continental in-flight magazine names Austin as the #1 “sports crazed city.” Golf is especially popular in Austin and the Hill Country with many challenging and scenic courses. Some 12,000 acres of greenbelts and 7,000 acres of parkland provide a paradise for runners, hikers and cyclists. Major events such as the Austin Marathon, Texas Relays, Capitol 10,000 and Lance Armstrong’s Live Strong Challenge attract avid participants and spectators. Water sports abound on area lakes and in spring-fed pools such as Barton Springs and Deep Eddy. Sightseeing, bat watching and dinner cruises are available on Lady Bird Lake. The University of Texas Longhorns, Austin Ice Bats (hockey), the Round Rock Express (baseball), Austin Wranglers (arena football) and Austin Toros (basketball) provide thrilling spectator sports. Heritage and Historic Tours Austin boasts 16 nationally registered historic districts and a variety of other significant sites. Guided and self-guided tours of these areas — including Congress Avenue and Sixth Street, Bremond Block, Texas State Cemetery, Hyde Park, West Austin, Oakwood Cemetery and the O. Henry Trail — can be experienced on foot or by car (see page 72 for more information). AUSTIN’S LIVE MUSIC SCENE Austin’s nearly 200 live music venues cater to numerous musical styles — country, blues, Latino, folk, rock, alternative and jazz. The dean of the country music scene, The Broken Spoke on South Lamar, is a honky tonk original hosting country western legends for decades. Antone’s is “Austin’s Home of the Blues,” boasting an international reputation as “the” place in Texas to hear the finest blues performers. Stubb’s hosts bands ranging from rock/alternative to blues and a Sunday gospel brunch. The Continental Club offers Tuesday “Hippie Hour” shows — an Austin tradition. Threadgill's World Headquarters offers live music regularly in the beer garden. TC’s Lounge is a hotspot for live blues and R&B music. The historic Victory Grill offers some of the best jazz music in town. Copa Bar & Grill offers a diverse lineup of live music along with salsa dancing. ©Richard Cummins W W W. A U S T I N T E X A S . O R G 67 http://WWW.AUSTINTEXAS.ORG

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Austin Meeting Planner & Destination Guide 2008

Austin Meeting Planner & Destination Guide 2008 Contents Austin At Your Service Convention Facilities Convention Hotels & Local Accommodations Convention Services Group Tour Planning Banquet & Special Event Facilities Dining & Nightlife Attractions & Activities Transportation

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.