Things to do in Austin Texas – October-November 2022
October 20, 2022/
It’s October in Austin Texas and even though the weather is cooling down at night, temperatures are still warm during the day and it’s a great time of year to get out and explore the Austin area.
If you’re planning a visit to Austin, here’s a list of things to do that you should add to your list of places to visit before winter.
1. Check out the World Famous Congress Bridge Bats
View the Congress Bridge Bats is Austin’s most popular tourist attraction for a reason. It’s simply a marvel. Watch as 1.5 million bats pepper the sky in their nightly departure from Congress Bridge in their relentless and appreciated pursuit to rid us of mosquitoes. There are a lot of ways to view the bats. Use the button below to learn about 4 fun ways to check them out.
2. Ride in Style on a Hearse Limo Tour with Haunted ATX
Locals and visitors alike will enjoy the dark, spooky style of Haunted ATX hearse limo and van tours. One of the more unique experiences in Austin that is seriously keeping Austin weird, this tour lets you pack your friends in a hearse that’s been converted into a limo or a passenger van wrapped in spooky art to visit historic locations and hear the tales of ghosts that haunt these landmarks. Tours start at $49 per person, but lasts 3 hours so you get a lot of entertainment bang for your buck. The tour itself is a blend of scary stories, Austin history, and a deep dive into some intriguing tales behind some of Austin’s most iconic buildings.
One of the first tours to show visitors around town and the only land and water tour available, Austin Duck Adventures is one of the most popular tours in town. The tour starts at the Austin Visitor Center at the corner of 4th and Red River in downtown Austin. It drives along 6th street, up Congress where you get great views of the Texas Capitol and then on to Lake Austin where you drive straight into the water and float around before heading back. Tours run 7 days a week.
Arriving in Austin during covid, Wonderspaces offers 28,000 square feet of art installations to dazzle every corner of your mind. An exquisite fun house of varied installations of light, mirror, technology, and pure imagination, Wonderspaces features a sensually diverse experience that everyone will love. Tickets sell out, so check online to find a day and time to go spend a few hours blowing your mind with this indoor activity that features plenty of space for socially distanced fun alone or with your crew.
Located downtown next to the Austin Visitor Center, this is the #1 escape room in Austin. You and your friends will work together to find clues and overcome challenges to ultimately complete a mission and ESCAPE! The Escape Game has 5 different adventures to choose from including The Heist, Gold Rush, Playground, Classified, and our favorite – Prison Break.
6. Snap Some Selfies When You Tour the Texas State Capitol
A uniquely Austin activity that usually takes about an hour, visiting the Texas State Capitol is both enjoyable and educational. Who knows, you might get lucky and bump into Alex Jones protesting against masks, science, or some idea of civic responsibility. While a lot of people will stroll the grounds, take some selfies, and head out, you can go inside on a tour with Texas Capitol City Tours that feature 1 hour tours for $20 a person
One of the most exotic Austin things to do, Unchartered Adventures features a variety of high octane activities. Originally they featured a Rage Room full of breakables, suited up guests in protective clothing and let them go wild with a baseball bat. Since releasing the rage room they’ve added more activities with Smash Car, Escape Rooms, Splatter Paint, and something called Zombie Airsoft. If you’re looking to log some off the charts memories, definitely check out the scene at Unchartered Adventures.
Everybody has a friend that claims their city has the most restaurants per capita. You hear that from Austin locals all the time. While it may not offer the most restaurants per capita, it’s definitely a hot market for culinary talent looking to escape the high prices of running a boutique restaurant along the nation’s coasts. Austin City Guide recently released our Best Austin Restaurants Guide that is organized like this things to do list. We figured we’d give it a quick plug here since everybody loves to eat!
9. Crush Devil’s Cove with Lake Travis Yacht Rentals
Often catering to Austin’s elite, the boat scene at Devil’s Cove has earned its nickname with boats tying together creating a dance floor that rival’s Austin’s best night clubs. With 4 yachts and 12 different pontoon boats, the captains that work for Lake Travis Yacht Rentals often organize their boats to form the core of party island in the center of Devil’s Cove. Yachts are 40 foot in length and have plenty of space + a fresh water bathroom. Pontoon boats come in single or double decker units. All boats have captains, large floating pads shown in the image above, plenty of pool noodles, and big coolers. If you want to seize the day in Austin, there’s no better experience than Lake Travis and Devil’s Cove!
With the craft brew trend hitting overdrive in Austin, there are quite a few fantastic breweries to choose from for a private tour. A favorite among the bachelor and bachelorette activities, a guided brewery tours offer a responsible means to hit the top spots. The team at Texas Twisted Tours covers all the details from designated driver to steering you towards the best IPAs and ales from a local’s point of view. The first round is on the house at each location and you’re welcome to seconds just as long as you keep your act together.
Located in Southwest Austin, Magic’s Theater offers a full auditorium sized Magic show on Saturday nights and a close up magic show on Friday nights. It also doubles as a magic museum with pieces from Harry Houdini’s collection, and offers a snack bar. One worthwhile feature is that you can bring your own wine with a small corkage fee.
Nothing cures a hangover from a night out on Rainey Street like Austin’s favorite meal of the day! Rallying your squad for a boozy brunch is an Austin tradition. Consider a “brunch crawl” for some elevated day drinking and the perfect pre-party for another big night out. The team at Twisted Texas Tour offers several brunch experiences with private and public options available. From a bus with a live band to walking tours around our city’s favorite neighborhoods, they’ve got you covered.
13. Fire a Fully Automatic Uzi at The Range at Austin
What better way to bond with friends and family than showcasing your Uzi skills? The Range features a state of the art facility and immersive experience that begins the moment you step inside. Pick from shooting packages featuring, pistols, revolvers, shotguns, modern rifles, and/or automatic firearms! Packages start at $49. We suggest you go big and get the AR15 + Uzi Two-Gun package for $199. Your party’s Safety Officer will run you through the protocol and demonstrate proper usage of your gun(s). The Range Safety Officer is there to assist your party from start to finish and make sure you’re prepared for the next invasion.
14. Power Your Own Pub Crawl with Pub Crawler of Austin
Pedal power is all the rage in the new green America! Help do your part to save the environment by saddling up on a PubCrawler and hitting the town. If you’re worried about stamina, these rides come with electric pedal assist as a backup for your quads. Your tour can include stops at bars, murals, and food trucks in the downtown area. Private tours are a clear favorite of bachelor and bachelorette parties, but public tours are also offered and are a great way to meet new people for locals and visitors alike. Wigs are encouraged but not required;)
15. Zip Over Land and Lake with Lake Travis Zip Lines
Climb up above the tree lines and then zip across the forest and water like a modern Tarzan with (hopefully) more than a loin cloth. Lake Travis Zip lines offers a chance to suspend your pedestrian life with something more airborne as you zip through, across, and over some of Austin’s best scenery. Zip lines offers one of the most highlighted photographic opportunities available to declare to your social media pals that you’re bravery is not grounded to bikes and scooters.
16. Taste and Tour Texas Hill Country Distilleries
Get to know Austin’s Hill Country with a distillery tour in Dripping Springs. You and your crew can take a private ride from your location in Austin to three celebrated distilleries: Dripping Springs Distilling, Treaty Oaks Distillery, and the Desert Door Distillery. Maybe take some notes on how to make your own hooch in case prohibition circles back to the new America. Or just enjoy drinks at each location and soak in the views. The guys at Austin Tour Company make it fun, safe, and legal to let go a little. It’s a great idea for birthdays, bachelor/bachelorette parties, or just a group get away.
17. Get the Gang Back Together with YourBikerGang.com
Ready to join a biker gang? This doesn’t quite qualify as an automatic entry into the Sons of Anarchy gang but it’s as close as you’re likely to get and a lot more fun! YourBikerGang.com offers ridiculously fun guided adventures on electric powered bikes. It’s one of our favorite ways to see Austin! They have a variety of different experiences to choose from and tours depart every day of the week.
We absolutely love Live Love Paddle’s bat watching tours during bat season. But they also rent kayaks, paddleboard, and canoes for those looking to get a little exercise in with their sightseeing. The views of downtown from Lady Bird Lake are amazing. Also, check out their full moon music paddle that features kayaking to an island, watching a band play, eating smores, and kayaking back at night under the stars.
19. Communicate with the Dead on a Paranormal Investigation
Brought to you by our friends at Haunted ATX, their Paranormal Investigation tour is managed by the team behind the hit YouTube series the Unearthly Paranormal Investigation Experience. They’ll meet you at one of three locations where they’ve communicated with spirits before and show you how to use the Spirit Box (communicates through white noise in radio signal scans), a Paranormal Puck (enables ghosts to speak through energy signals), an EMF reader (measures electromagnetic force changes), and a SLS camera (measures 3D infrared Structured Light). You might want to shave the hair on the back of your neck before this experience as things can go way off the charts quick.
Do you believe in furry tails? Indulge your kitty fix or adopt your new family member with a visit to the newest, coolest, chic lounge in Austin…Purrfecto. This is the only cat lounge in Austin and a one of a kind activity that will warm your heart.
21. Ride Around Austin with Mike’s Bikes Tours and Rentals
We love biking in Austin and nobody knows the trails and sites better than Mike. His crew offers a variety of tours to choose from including a couple on Austin’s premiere mountain bike trails and a few that explore the city itself. You might think summer is the only time for a bike tour in Austin, but due to our warm weather these tours run all year round
