Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau 209 E. 6th Street Austin, TX 78701 (512) 474-5171 Population 465622 Time Zone Central Latitude/Longitude 30.27° /-97.73° Today's Forecast HIGH: 47 LOW: 31

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Attractions

Start your explorations of the city with a tour of the monumental Texas State Capitol. The building's massive dome is said to rival that of the U.S. Capitol in size and magnificence. A few blocks away, the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum, which opened in 2001, uses exciting multimedia presentations to tell the history of the state. Among its three floors of interactive exhibits, visitors can experience special effects that recreate earth-shattering events such as the Galveston Hurricane of 1900 and the discovery of an oil gusher.

The city's other major influence, the University of Texas, offers more than a few interesting stops as well. An extraordinary collection of manuscripts, rare books, photography, art, costumes, music, films, and other artifacts is housed at the Harry Ranson Humanities Research Center; gallery displays change about once every six months. The permanent collection at the Blanton Museum of Art includes over 17,000 paintings, drawings and prints with strong representation by the Old Masters, American painters, and Latin American artists. Exhibits on geology, paleontology, anthropology, and archaeology may be seen at the Texas Memorial Museum in the Texas Natural Science Center. Documents from the presidency of L.B. Johnson are stored on campus at the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum.

Austin has its share of famous citizens and historical figures. Visit the Victorian cottage of William Sydney Porter, the celebrated master of the short story who published as O. Henry, at the O. Henry Home and Museum. The restored home and studio of noted 19th-century sculptor Elisabet Ney, who emigrated from Germany in the 1870s, houses the largest collection of the artist's work. The lovely Umlauf Sculpture Garden & Museum displays abstract and realistic works by sculptor Charles Umlauf. To see modern art, go to the downtown location of the Austin Museum of Art. The museum's first home, Laguna Gloria, a 1916 Mediterranean-style villa on the shores of Lake Austin, is also open for tours.

The George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center has rotating art exhibitions as well as a collection of photos, folk crafts, and oral histories related to Austin's African-American history. Through interactive exhibits at the Austin Children's Museum, youngsters can explore everyday science and technology, learn how people live around the world, and discover how the human body works through the museum's hands-on approach to fun and learning.

When they're not rooting on the Longhorns of the University of Texas, local sports fans can take their pick among several professional sports teams. The Wranglers of the Arena Football League play at the Frank Erwin Center, the Ice Bats of the Central Hockey League play at Chaparral Ice Center, the Round Rock Express (AAA minor league affiliate of the Houston Astros) play baseball in the Pacific Coast League at the Dell Diamond, and the Toros of the NBA Development League play basketball at the Austin Convention Center.

One of the city's great natural attractions is Zilker Park and its Barton Springs pool. A swimmer's delight, the spring-fed pool is the length of a football field and a constant 68 degrees Fahrenheit. The Zilker Botanical Gardens and Austin Nature and Science Center are also in the park. Outside the city, wildflowers bloom in profusion at Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, while hiking trails and historic sites can be found at Jourdan-Bachman Pioneer Farms and McKinney Falls State Park. If you prefer to see nature from the windows of an historic passenger train, the Austin Steam Train Association offers excursions on several rail routes through the Texas Hill Country.

For an experience that is unique to Austin, position yourself at the Congress Avenue Bridge just after sunset to witness the flight of the Austin urban bat colony. From April through November, some one million Mexican free-tail bats swoop out from below the bridge, looking absolutely stunning as they go off in search of their evening meal.

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