The (Texas) Colorado River flows through downtown Austin, and is popular for fishing and paddle boarding. At sunset, tourists and locals gather on boats and Congress Bridge to watch thousands of bats stream into the evening sky. Photo by Christopher Sherman

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Within its sprawling main campus near downtown Austin, the University of Texas houses seven museums and more than a dozen cultural centers, focusing on art, history and technology. Photo courtesy of Texas Historical Association

Austin has an artsy, funky vibe — a personality that spawned the local slogan “Keep Austin Weird.” In the 1960s, this Texas city was a hippie mecca, and in the 1970s, home to country greats like Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings.

Dubbed the “Live Music Capital of the World” for its jazz, country, bluegrass, hip-hop and blues scenes, music seems to emanate from every establishment. There’s so much music in Austin that it made national television. “Austin City Limits,” which first aired in 1975, is the longest-running music show in TV history.

With a walkable downtown and temperate weather until summer’s high 90s, there’s plenty to do for the not-so-hip, too. More than 30 million tourists explore Austin’s gems every year.

Shops like The Hatbox are testaments to Austin’s quirkiness. Here, men and women can get fitted by appointment for just about any type of haberdashery, including Panama straws, pork pies, berets, top hats, fedoras, cloches, Stetsons and whimsical fascinators.

At craft store Parts and Labour, shoppers can pick up original screen-printed posters, a “Willie for President” koozie, or a “Swim across Texas” bandana.

Museums worth visiting

Austin is a college town, which adds even more spirit and spunk. The University of Texas’s 350-acre campus has seven museums, 17 libraries and nearly 52,000 students. (Texas braggart alert! Artist Andy Warhol and “Charlie’s Angels” star Farrah Fawcett are UT graduates.)

The university’s Blanton Museum of Art’s 17,000-piece, eclectic collection includes Mexican artists like Diego Rivera and José Clemente Orozco, objects from Mesoamerica circa 1200 BCE, Greek terra cotta pieces, 16^th-century Italian art, early 20^th-century cubism and American artists Albert Bierstadt and Frederic Remington.

The campus’ Bullock Museum of Texas State History explores the state’s evolution, including Catholic missions and the U.S.-Mexico War, 1836 to 1845.

By the way, when Texans talk about independence, it’s their independence from Mexico, won in the 18-minute Battle of San Jacinto by General Sam Houston, who defeated Santa Anna’s army. Houston then became president of the Republic of Texas.

The museum recounts ranching and oil industry history, the Jim Crow era, and spotlights San Antonio native Shaquille O’Neal’s autographed, size 22 basketball sneaker. (They really do grow ‘em bigger in Texas.)

LBJ museum

At the Lyndon B. Johnson Library and Museum on UT’s campus, everything LBJ is on full display: his youth and perseverance, strengths and foibles, triumphs and disappointments.

After growing up on a farm in Cotulla, Texas, Johnson’s first job was teaching poor Mexican children, an experience that imprinted on him the “crippling legacy of bigotry and injustice,” and the belief that an education leads to a better life.

He set out to outwork everybody. When as president he was hospitalized for a heart attack, Vice President Hubert Humphrey wrote, “LBJ tired was a ball of fire.” Visitors can listen in on classic LBJ arm-twisting conversations with people like Martin Luther King Jr. and J. Edgar Hoover.

Several exhibits reveal his soft side. In one, he’s in a pool on a float with a grandson, reading. After President John F. Kennedy’s assassination, LBJ wrote a note to his widow, Jackie: “Females have a lot of courage we males don’t have.”

Under the dome

This is Texas, so everything’s bigger. Its pink granite state Capitol building reaches 14 feet taller than its model, the U.S. Capitol. On its south side and on the rotunda floor, six seals represent the governments that have ruled the Lone Star state: Spain, France, Mexico, the Republic of Texas, the Confederate States of America and the U.S.

Free self-guided tours of the Capitol are permitted, and free 30-minute guided tours take place every half hour. The visitors center, in a restored 1856-57 building, hosts free guided tours twice a day.

Exhibits describe the Capitol building’s construction. Here you can admire a LEGO replica of the building, with 65,000 bricks, or learn that the state’s official animal is the armadillo; the official pastry, the sopapilla; the state plant, the prickly pear cactus; the state vegetable, the Texas sweet onion; and the state pepper, the jalapeno.

Statues on the Capitol grounds honor Texas cowboys and rangers, pioneer women, Alamo heroes, veterans, Confederate soldiers and the Ten Commandments.

The Tejano Monument’s nine life-size bronze statues pay homage to the Spanish and Mexican pioneers who started settling here in the 1500s.

Free guided tours of the Greek revival Governor’s mansion, built in 1856, require reservations and security checks one week ahead.

Urban wildlife

When you’ve had your fill of museums, the 416-acre, downtown Lady Bird Lake is a prime recreation site, with a 10-mile loop trail and calm waters favored for paddle boarding, kayaking, canoeing and fishing.

Few cities showcase their bats, but Austin does. At the Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge over the lake, people gather at dusk to watch over a million Mexican free-tailed bats fly out of their roost under the bridge to search for food. The Congress Bridge bats delight crowds from mid-February and stay until mid-October. Bat-watching tours from the river are also a good way to watch the daily show.

Austin’s downhome cuisine

Austin is known for Texas chili, Tex-Mex dishes and barbecue. The hole-in-the-wall Texas Chili Parlor champions the official state food, chili, from 11 a.m. to 2 a.m. Diners can order samples of three different kinds, and many top it with crunchy Fritos.

Tex-Mex is the Texas version of Mexican food, and while the authentic ingredients are often debated, it usually features spiced meats, beans, tomatoes, onions, tortillas, salsa picante, guacamole and cheese.

Barbecue is another claim to fame. At Franklin Barbeque, where former President Barack Obama reportedly spent $350, people start lining up at 8 a.m. for the brisket.

Stubbs Bar-B-Q also often has lines outside, aficionados awaiting hickory-smoked sausage, chicken and turkey breasts. Tasty sides include pinto beans, fried okra, collard greens and serrano cheese spinach. Sunday’s gospel brunch is a winner.

Be prepared for a little spice. “Back home,” one Virginia transplant quipped, “the hottest thing we put on our food was ketchup.”

Festivals

The renowned South by Southwest Festival every March (this year March 10 to 19) is a jam-packed, 10-day extravaganza when over 2,300 bands perform in more than 100 venues. In addition to music, the festival includes film screenings, comedy showcases, speakers and other events. Visit austintexas.org/events/sxsw or sxsw.com.

Austin stages many more festivals, like Rodeo Austin (March), the ABC Kite Fest (April), the Reggae Fest (April), the Austin International Poetry Festival (April) and the Pecan Street Festival (May and September). Visit austintexas.org/events.

If you go

Delta and United Airlines have roundtrip flights from Reagan National Airport for $465. Visit Austin (austintexas.org) has an online and printed visitor guide describing lodging, restaurants and attractions.