The Perfect Day In Austin, SUMMER Edition!

By Kelsey Kennedy | June 5, 2025

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When I get asked what it’s like to live in Austin, I always start with the truth: it’s HOT.

And not like, hot sauce and BBQ and spicy tacos hot…I mean sweaty, sunny, I-need-to-jump-in-a-pool hot.

So if you’re visiting Austin this summer and you need a full day of fun stuff to do, this guide is perfect for you.

As someone who’s lived in Austin for over a decade (and Texas for her entire life!) I can share exactly how to survive these hot summer days while still experiencing the best of Austin.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kelsey Kennedy is a native Texan and a local Austin author, photographer, and blogger with a serious obsession for all things Austin. As the creator of four Texas-focused travel websites, her work has reached over 12 million readers in 38 countries, all searching for the coolest things to do in the hottest cities in Texas. For more insider tips on the capital city, check out her bestselling travel book, Austin Food Crawls: Touring the Neighborhoods One Bite and Libation at a Time.

QUICK PICS:

BEST TIME TO VISIT: spring and autumn, but if you’re set on visiting in the summer just read through this guide and you can still have a blast in the heat!

GETTING AROUND: You only need to rent a car if you’re planning to leave the downtown/South Congress area! If so, Kayak has the best prices for car rentals.

WHERE TO STAY: Try to find a VRBO near the South Congress area. If you love hotels, book a room at the South Congress Hotel (rooftop pool overlooking SOCO, speakeasy bar tucked inside the hotel, walking distance to everything)

TOP 3 HIGHLIGHTS FROM A LOCAL: jump in Barton Springs pool, eat some barbecue, and check out some live music at the ACL Live Moody Theater.

WHAT TO BRING: a cute hat like this one. 😉

Related: ultimate summer bucket list with kids in Austin

Perfect Day-In-The-Life In Austin, Summer Edition

8:00 am: the days get hot, so it’s best to get started early! The perfect morning starts with some movement (a walk or jog by Lady Bird Lake) to enjoy those cool(ish) early morning hours.

9:00 am: breakfast on the patio! Grab a table at Café No Se on South Congress, which has a pretty little covered patio area and a wide menu of both healthy stuff (quinoa bowls) and indulgences (the best dang pancakes.)

11:00 am: head to Barton Springs Pool. The pool get pretty crowded after 11 am, so I love going on the early side to avoid lines. This spring-fed 3-acre pool is nearly 1,000 feet long and remains 68-degrees year round. It’s one of the crown jewels of Austin, Texas and 100% a can't-miss!

(>>Insert break here to head back home, freshen up!!<<<)

2:00 pm: you HAVE to eat some BBQ while you’re in Austin. Here’s my guide to the best barbecue in Austin, but if you want something a) centrally located and b) that doesn’t sell out by 3 pm, head to Terry Black’s BBQ on Barton Springs. Indulge in the best smoked meat of your life…and don’t skimp on the sides and dessert!

4:00 pm: at this hour of the day, STAY INSIDE. It’s so dang hot in the late afternoon, so if you try to stroll down South Congress or head to a swimming pool, you might literally melt. Instead, I recommend heading to Pins Mechanical Co. for some old school fun like bowling or pinball. It’s located in the St Elmo district where you can check out St Elmo Brewing for a pint (indoors in the air conditioning!) or Still Austin Distillery, the first whiskey distillery inside Austin City Limits since prohibition.

7:00 pm: dinner + live music! Book a dinner reservation downtown at Red Ash (insanely good Italian - they book out a month in advance!) or Comedor (modern Mexican restaurant that looks exactly like you’re in Mexico City) and then go see a show at ACL Live or the Continental Club.

One more idea: If you don’t want to go see live music, the other thing I recommend in the evening is to go see the Austin bats emerge from the downtown bat bridge! You can book a boat tour to watch them from the water (which is the coolest thing!) or just stand near the bridge to see millions of Mexican free-tailed bats come out for their nightly insect feeding.