6 non-SXSW things to check out in Austin

Each March, tens of thousands of music lovers, tech geeks, and cinephiles descend upon Austin for the annual SXSW festival. This year, the event takes place March 9th through 18th.

If you’ll be coming to Austin for SXSW this year, here are 6 things you can do whenever you need a break from the festivities:

Arial view of a Festival at dawn.

1. For the ultimate tourist: Go on a walking tour of our city

From “Dirty 6th” to “SoCo,” our eclectic street districts have a lot to offer. Make sure you’re Instagram-ready. You’ll want to take plenty of photos of our famous street art, funky restaurants, and effortlessly weird people.

2. For the outdoors person: Take a dip in Barton Springs

Our underground-fed natural swimming pool attracts hipsters, families, and topless sunbathers alike. Cool down from the concerts with a dip in the 68 degree water. It’s closed Thursdays for cleaning.

3. For the academic: Learn about Texas history

President Lyndon B. Johnson hails from Texas. Learn all about his presidency at his presidential library located on the UT Campus. For more about Texas history, check out the Bob Bullock State History Museum located behind the state capitol (which is also worth checking out!).

4. For the aesthete: Visit our many art museums

If art’s your thing, you’ll have no shortage of it in Austin. Street art abounds in this city, especially at HOPE Outdoor Gallery. But we also have many art museums, including the Blanton Museum of Art at UT, the Contemporary Austin Jones Center, and Laguna Gloria.

5. For the wine or beer lover: Explore the Hill Country

Many wineries and distilleries are based in Austin, including Deep Eddy Distillery, Real Ale Brewing, Jester King Brewery, Thirsty Planet Brewery, and, of course, our partner vineyard Becker Vineyards! Why not schedule a tour? You can sip your beverage and enjoy the scenery out in beautiful Texas Hill Country.

6. For the gourmand: Taste local flavors for free

At Delysia Chocolatier, many of our chocolates are made with local ingredients. Our Taste of Austin chocolate truffle collection is a city tour for your taste buds! Enjoy pepperoni mushroom from Home Slice Pizza, a Kerbey Lane Cafe pancake, or Austin Eastciders blood orange cider – all wrapped up in chocolate. Join us for one of our complimentary chocolate tastings at our Culinary Center to try it for yourself.

 

Nicole Patel

Nicole Patel is the proprietor of and chocolatier for Delysia Chocolatier. In 2006 while pregnant with her first son, Nicole made a batch of chocolate truffles as holiday gifts. To the delight of friends and family, she continued to create chocolates as a way to relieve stress from her corporate engineering job. In 2008, a chance trip to Becker Vineyards led to Nicole being the first in Texas to make truffles using local wines. Within five years, what started as a hobby turned Delysia into one of the Top Ten Chocolatiers in the Americas, as selected by the International Chocolate Salon.