Explore Austin, Texas for Free (and Cheap)

1. The Blanton Museum of Art

The Blanton Museum of Art is Austin's premiere art museum and one of the United States' largest university art museums, located on the University of Texas campus. The museum was originally founded in 1963 and moved to its current location at the Mari and James A. Michener Gallery Building in 2006. Today, it houses a collection of 18,000 artworks from the ancient era to the present day, with a focus on European paintings prior to 1900, ancient Greek and Roman vases, and more than 4,000 pieces of contemporary and modern art from the Americas. Art is showcased in permanent and temporary rotating exhibitions, which may be viewed for free as part of the museum's third Thursday program. Enjoy a full slate of free programming to visitors, including gallery talks, pop-up exhibitions, and a Community Conversations series. Free parking is available at university garages for stays under 30 minutes, with several Cap Metro bus lines servicing the university campus.

200 E Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Austin, TX 78712, Phone: 512-471-5482

2. Austin Nature and Science Center

Austin Nature and Science Center is one of Austin's premiere family-friendly science centers, open to the public for free seven days a week during the morning and afternoon hours. The center was opened to the public in 1960 to provide supplemental environmental education for Austin's youth and increase public awareness and appreciation of nature. It is located along the western end of Zilker Park within the Zilker Nature Preserve, offering a number of indoor and outdoor exhibits for visitors and school groups. Exhibits at ANSC's Visitor Center include a Naturalist Workshop, which lets young visitors examine natural specimens, and a walkthrough cave model. Outside, orphaned and injured animals are cared for in natural habitats, while an Eco-Detective Trail offers informational nature displays and a Dino Pit lets children dig for fossils with child-sized paleontology equipment.

2389 Stratford Dr, Austin, TX 78746, Phone: 512-974-3888, Map

3. The Bullock Texas State History Museum

The Bullock Texas State History Museum details the social and cultural history of the state of Texas, opened to the public in April of 2001. The non-collecting museum showcases a variety of rotating exhibits and artifacts on loan from other museums, with three floors of exhibits arranged around the concepts of "land," "identity," and "opportunity" and how they relate to the story of Texas' development. Notable artifacts on display include recovered artifacts from the 17th-century La Belle shipwreck, the original Goddess of Liberty statue from the state capitol building, and an authentic NASA console loaned from the Manned Flight Center. The museum offers free admission for visitors of all ages on the first Sunday of each month between 12:00pm and 5:00pm. For an additional ticket charge, film presentations are offered at the museum's Spirit Theatre, which presents the interactive documentary films Star of Destiny and Wild Texas Weather, and at the museum's 3D IMAX theater.

The Bullock Texas State History Museum, 1800 Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78701, Phone: 512-936-8746

4. The Austin Aqua-Dome

The Austin Aqua-Dome is a unique marine animal and supply store that offers central Texas' largest selection of marine corals and fish species. The store is open to the public Tuesdays through Sundays during the afternoon and early evening hours, originally constructed in 1986 as a branch of the Pier One Imports Tropical Fish Stores franchise. Since 1997, it has been operated as an independent marine supply store, showcasing rare and exotic fish species imported directly from the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Bali, and other South Asian and Polynesian areas. Corals are also imported from Jakarta, Kupong, and other island areas, with a wide selection of pond plants, koi, feeder fish, shrimp, and other marine supplies available. The Aqua-Dome is a great place for families to visit, with a structure similar to an aquarium and koi and goldfish feeding opportunities available for children during the spring and summer months.

The Austin Aqua-Dome, 1604 Fortview Rd, Austin, TX 78704, Phone: 512-442-1400

5. The Texas Governor's Mansion

The Texas Governor's Mansion has been the official residence of every Texas state governor since 1856, making it the state's oldest continually-inhabited residence and the nation's fourth-oldest governor's residence. The 8,920-square-foot Greek Revival-style mansion was originally constructed in 1854 by architect Abner Cook and was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1974. Free tours of the mansion are offered on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday mornings, lasting approximately 20 minutes and exploring the mansion's public rooms and grounds. Docents elaborate on the mansion's history and architecture, detailing the careers and legacies of past gubernatorial residents. Visitors should note that tours must be scheduled at least one week in advance due to necessary security clearances for touring the building. Several nearby parking garages offer free parking for limited spans of time, with metered street parking also available in the area.

The Texas Governor's Mansion, 1010 Colorado St, Austin, TX 78701, Phone: 512-305-8524

6. Mount Bonnell

Mount Bonnell is a popular natural viewpoint overlooking Lake Austin and the Colorado River, providing spectacular panoramic views of the Austin skyline and the city's surrounding hills and valleys. At a height of 775 feet above sea level, the mount is commonly thought of as the highest point within Austin city limits, though nearby Mount Barker surpasses its height at 840 feet. The mount is believed to have been named for newspaper magnate George W. Bonnell, though some historians believe it may have instead been named for Texas Army Captain Joseph Bonnell, a key figure in the state's fight for independence. In 1969, the mount was listed as a Texas Historic Landmark, and in 2015, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. A series of 102 stairs provide easy visitor access to the top of the mount, with a view deck and pavilion offered at the top for picnics and relaxation. Map

7. The Harry Ransom Center

The Harry Ransom Center is a major library archive and museum located at the University of Texas at Austin, holding world-renowned collections of literary artifacts and volumes from Europe and the United States. The collections that would eventually comprise the Center's holdings were originally acquired by Harry Ransom, the founder of the university's Humanities Research Center, in 1957. Today, the Center is home to more than 36 million significant literary manuscripts, along with major collections of rare books, photographs, and classic and contemporary works of art. Prominent works held within the collection include a rare Gutenberg Bible and Nicéphore Niépce's View from the Window at Le Gras, known as the world's oldest photograph. Students and visitors may access the library for free after a brief informational training and registration process, though visitors should note that some collections are not accessible by the public due to their fragile nature.

The Harry Ransom Center, 300 W 21st St, Austin, TX 78712

8. Zilker Metropolitan Park

Zilker Metropolitan Park is a 350-acre public park that is located at the intersection of the Colorado River and Barton Creek, named in honor of ice industry entrepreneur Andrew Jackson Zilker, who donated the land to the City of Austin in several sales throughout the early 20th century. The park's land was transformed into a public recreational space in the 1930s through the work of the Civil Works Administration and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1997. Today, it offers ample opportunities for seasonal outdoor recreation, including a public hiking and biking trail circling the park's Lady Bird Lake. Public attractions within the park include the Austin Nature and Science Center and the Zilker Botanical Garden, which may be explored for free. The park hosts a wide variety of public special events throughout the year, including the internationally-acclaimed Austin City Limits Music Festival, held over two weekends each October.

Zilker Metropolitan Park, 2100 Barton Springs Rd, Austin, TX 78704, Phone: 512-974-6700

9. Historic Oakwood Cemetery

Historic Oakwood Cemetery is Austin's oldest public cemetery, located near the city's Swedish Hill Historic District along a stretch of land overlooking downtown Austin near Interstate 35. The cemetery has been in operation since at least the 1850s, with many historians believing that its establishment may date back several decades prior. Today, it spans 40 acres and is a National Register of Historic Places-listed landmark, interring some of Texas' most famous figures, including Alamo survivor Susanna Dickinson, Civil War general Thomas Green, and many of the state's past governors and legislators. Historical sections of the cemetery inter the city's Jewish, Latino, and African-American populations, with a "Babyland" section dedicated to infant burials. Memorial services are held at the 1914 Oakwood Cemetery Mortuary Chapel, which was extensively renovated in 1944.

Historic Oakwood Cemetery, 1600 Comal St, Austin, TX 78702, Phone: 512-978-2320