It's compact nature gives it a real sense of community; a pocket metropolis that never gets overbearing.
Austin is dubbed ‘America's music capital' with good reason, and keeps the flame alive with two major international festivals. When the students head off for spring break, the world's music business descends on the city's bars, venues and hotels for the South By Southwest festival, a sprawling, urban Glastonbury that must be seen to be believed.
In fact, the city is one of few in the world that could accommodate an event like SXSW (as it's more commonly known), thanks to the sheer volume of bars and clubs, thanks to the 500,000-strong student body at the University of Texas. This square mile is dubbed the ‘entertainment district', even on a normal weekend you'll be spoilt for musical choice by simply strolling down 6th Street. At other times of the year the Pecan Street Festival and Halloween night are just as colourful.
Then, in autumn it's time for the more traditional Austin City Limits at Zilker Park, an outdoor rock event in the blistering heat, where Arctic Monkeys, Muse and Bjork all performed last year.
A little further out of town is the South Congress shopping district, a treasure trove of vintage clothes, trinkets, curios and exceptional Mexican food. It's a more sober ambience than 6th Street, but still in keeping with Austin's unique personality.
The city's unofficial slogan is ‘Keep Austin Weird', and the sheer range of independent businesses and free spirits all help to ensure that the motto remains true.
Flights from London to Austin take approximately 13 hours
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