Austin, Texas
Austin for Grown-Ups: Fun Things to Do for Adults
Sixth Street on a Saturday night is a student party. The Austin that grown-ups fall for is elsewhere: a basement jazz bar on Congress Avenue, a blues club that has been going since 1975, a 1964 dance hall with two-step lessons, a spring-fed pool and barbecue worth queuing for.
- Best base
- Downtown near Congress Avenue, or South Congress
- Ideal stay
- 3 nights
- Book ahead
- Uchi, Jeffrey's, Antone's and ACL Live tickets, Hill Country tours
- Heads-up
- The Paramount Theatre is closed for restoration from June 2026
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Itineraries and guides
Start with the 3-day Austin itinerary or, for a short break, the weekend in Austin. Music is the reason most people come, so read Austin live music for grown-ups and, if you like a band with dinner, where to eat with live music in Austin.
Grown-up essentials
Elephant Room
315 Congress Ave (basement)
An old-school basement jazz bar under the 19th-century Swift Building, with live jazz seven nights a week since 1991 and a small cover ($5 to $10).
The Continental Club (and the Gallery upstairs)
1315 S Congress Ave
South Congress's legendary roots-music club, open since 1955. Upstairs, the 40-person Gallery is a speakeasy-ish room for jazz, soul and songwriters, with regulars like James McMurtry.
Broken Spoke
3201 S Lamar Blvd
A honky-tonk dance hall and restaurant open since 1964. Two-step lessons run Wednesday to Saturday, 8 to 9 p.m., then the band takes over. All ages, all abilities.
Tip: Lessons are cash only; arrive half an hour early to park.
Antone's Nightclub
305 E 5th St
Austin's home of the blues since 1975, where the Vaughan brothers came up. Touring blues legends, anniversary bills and Blue Monday jams.
Franklin Barbecue
900 E 11th St
Aaron Franklin's brisket, served Tuesday to Sunday from 11 a.m. until it sells out. The queue is part of the ritual: three to four hours, longer on festival weekends.
Tip: Pre-orders of 5 lb or more open six weeks ahead and skip the line.
Barton Springs Pool
Zilker Park, 2201 Barton Springs Rd
A spring-fed pool three acres long, around 68 to 70 degrees all year, in Zilker Park. Open 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.; $9 for non-resident adults.
Tip: Closed Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. for cleaning.
Worth knowing
- Most of the best music rooms are on South Congress, South Lamar and downtown's side streets, not on Sixth.
- The bats fly from the Congress Avenue bridge around sunset, roughly mid-March to early November.
- The historic Paramount Theatre on Congress closed in June 2026 for a restoration expected to take eight to nine months.
Everything here was checked in September 2026. Line-ups, covers and hours change, so check the calendars before you go.
Questions people ask
What are fun things to do in Austin for adults?
Hear jazz at the Elephant Room, blues at Antone's and roots music at the Continental Club, take a two-step lesson at the Broken Spoke, swim at Barton Springs, watch the bats at sunset, queue for Franklin Barbecue and take a Hill Country wine day in Fredericksburg.
Is Austin fun for people over 40?
Yes, if you skip the Sixth Street and Rainey Street party blocks late at night. Austin's listening rooms, dance halls, jazz bars and restaurants have a mixed-age crowd that's there for the music.
What should you avoid in Austin?
Sixth Street late on weekend nights if you don't want a college crowd, and driving during festivals like ACL and SXSW, when traffic and prices spike.