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Keep Austin Weird: The Very Best Weird Activities to Do During SXSW

If you've been to SXSW more than once, you've probably done a lot of stalwart Austin things, like left a Waterloo Records in-store lighter by $50, had your picture taken with the Stevie Ray Vaughn statue or bowed down to the brisket at the Salt Lick. This year, why not dig a little deeper? Sure, "Keep Austin Weird" is really just a slogan on a hotel gift shop coffee mug, but that doesn't mean the city isn't truly odd and wonderful. Here are 10 more things to do after the free food runs out at Rachael Ray's day party.
Say Hi to Leslie
Austin's favorite skimpily attired cross-dressing homeless man (and refrigerator magnet model) is still recovering from an October 2009 incident that left him with a head injury and some memory loss. If you see the city's "unofficial mayor" out on 6th Street or South Congress Ave., you'll certainly know it!
Read Leslie's Interview With 'Keep Austin Weird' Examiner
Leslie Cochran
AP
Eat Barbecue at Nine in the Morning
All of the best barbecue requires a bit of driving, so skip that afterparty on Friday and head 50 miles east to Snow's BBQ for brisket, pork steaks, ribs and sausage, cooked up by seventysomething pit mistress Tootsie Tomanetz. Celebrated by both Texas Monthly and The New Yorker's Calvin Trillin, Snow's is open on Saturdays only, "from 8 am till sold out."
Check out Snow's Menu
Ribs
Mark Thomas/Getty Images
Relive the Horror of Charles Whitman
The Texas Tower, where a deranged Charles Whitman opened fire and killed 15 people on the University of Texas campus in 1966, is available for tours, and you can still see a few remaining bullet marks on one of its limestone walls. A brand-new documentary about the killings, 'Sniper '66,' is playing at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum until the end of March.
Visit the Texas Tower Observation Deck
Texas Tower
AP Photo/Harry Cabluck
Support the (Outsider) Arts
In addition to being one of first places to hold SXSW day parties, Yard Dog Gallery shows the work of musician-artists Rico Bell, Daniel Johnston and Jad Fair, as well as countless folk art practitioners from across America. The March exhibit features Jon Langford of Meekons and Waco Brothers, and several of his finest paintings.
Upcoming Yard Dog Parties
Graffiti
Michael Connell / Flickr
Eat a Dirty Sanchez Taco
It's better than it sounds. Torchy's Tacos serves some of the best in Austin, breakfast or otherwise. And if you don't want the Dirty Sanchez (scrambled eggs with guacamole, fried poblano chili, escabeche carrots and shredded cheese served on a flour tortilla with poblano ranch sauce) or one of Torchy's more appealingly named specials, build your own.
Never far from a Torchy's Location
Taco
swanksalot / Flickr
Get Naked and Swim
Barton Springs Pool is the city's main aquatic treasure, and Hamilton Pool is an excellent nearby out-of-town option. But if you really want to revel in nature, Hippie Hollow on Lake Travis is the only choice.
Cool Off at Barton Springs
Swim
Alamy
Play Chicken S--- Bingo
Stick around Austin on Sunday after SXSW and you'll get the best that Ginny's Little Longhorn Saloon offers: the honky-tonk and rockabilly of Dale Watson (notice him on 'Friday Night Lights' as the junkyard owner), and the chance to win some money gambling on the bathroom habits of a chicken.
Good Music, Good Times at Ginny's
Chicken
AP Photo/Seth Perlman, File
Beware the Feral Parakeets!
Amid the many attractions around Zilker Park and Lady Bird Lake (including the hike and bike trail, the aforementioned Stevie Ray Vaughan statue and, in Butler Park, a hill named after Texas music great Doug Sahm and a Bellagio-like water and light fountain), you'll find a colony of monk parakeets, purportedly released into the wild in 1991.
Duck and Cover!
Parakeets
Phil Cole/Getty Images
Go Vinyl Shopping
Beyond Waterloo Records, Austin still supports a bunch of little stores that focus on punk, indie and experimental music, including End of an Ear, Friends of Sound and Trailer Space. The latter is also a live music venue on many nights, and further nurtures an indie-rock clubhouse vibe with arcade games and pinball.
Shop at Waterloo Records
Vinyl
opethpainter / Flickr
See the Bats of Congress Bridge
From mid-March until November, The Congress Avenue Bridge in downtown Austin is home to 1.5 million furry flying Mexican free-tail bats. So head down to the Town Lake waterfront at dusk and watch these beauties head out for their nightly foraging.
Places to View the Bats
Bats
shewhopaints

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Sonja

Ever hear of the Blue Ridge Mountain town, Asheville, NC? It, too, has that saying, but it's "Keep Asheville Weird." We are a town of 83,000 with a smaller university than UT - UNC-Asheville, but, otherwise, bet we have as great a music/restaurant scene as Austin. We were voted the No. 1 microbrewing/beer town in the U.S beating out the likes of Portland, OR. We are pretty much the center of arts/crafts in the U.S. and have been ranked in the top ten of arts destinations in the U.S. countless times - most of the others on the list are large cities. Our climate is much more tolerable than Austin with summers being moderate, not hot, winters mild, and long/beautiful springs and falls. Wouldn't trade Asheville for Austin any day of the week! Yes, I've been to Austin or anyplace in the country, for that matter. We are transplants from WI and have traveled to and lived in many places - Asheville is the place to be!!

March 20 2011 at 4:15 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Lonzo Leno

Does anyone reading this know anything about an old pioneer farm somewhere in North Austin?

March 19 2011 at 11:19 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to Lonzo Leno's comment
Rhonda

Pioneer Farms is in NE Austin, just inside the city limits. It is a living history museum depicting life during the 1800's. Check the website www.pioneerfarms.org for more information

March 21 2011 at 9:33 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
leo

Jeez, I love Austin, but does ANYONE go to school here, or is it all just party till you puke?

Beginning with you, Lilly Leos.
~ Location's is LOCATIONS. (No apostrophe, which is the little mark you stuck between the n and the s).
~ Hater's is HATERS. (Same deal, no apostrophe).
~ Lay-back is LAID-BACK.
~ Loveing is LOVING.


Seriously. Try and become at least a little bit literate while you're laying drunk along the 6th Street curb in this great college town.

March 17 2011 at 5:00 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
leo

Anthony
at 3-16-2011An immaturity you find "tedious"? lol.....while your in Austin "by default" take a few night classes at one of the many colleges Austin has to offer. I would recommend starting with English 101. Bill Jones your right. All those Texas flunk-outs, which is another grammatically challenged statement on your part, like Mike Dell. What a waste he is huh? Left school to build a few computers....what a dummy he is.

UMMM, Anthony... "Tedious" IS actually a word (look it up). AND, while you're suggesting others tak English 101, you might take your own advice. "Your" means, "belonging to you." Did you perhaps mean, "Bill Jones, YOU'RE (meaning YOU ARE)right?"
Classes indeed.

March 17 2011 at 4:51 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Bruce Michael Worth

I was stationed at Bergstrom AFB during the rampage
from the tower in 1966. Was ducking behind an AF van
along with other troops, preparing to give blood to
the injured. So many civilians in the immediate area
were shooting at the tower and I saw some of the
numbers fly off the face of the clock ! A sad day for
Austin for sure. I graduated from UT in 1971 having
lived in Austin for around nine years. Great place !

March 16 2011 at 6:08 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Beegie

As a Texas Alum--- "Dirty Martins" still has the best hamburgers anywhere. !!!!!Go Horns

March 16 2011 at 4:39 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
viking9343

I spent last New Year's in Austin. The locals love their guns and brag about the low taxes almost no crime. Texans love being Texan and I found that refreshing that so many were so proud of their State. Being born and raised in California I am embarrassed that Democrats and liberalism have bankrupt and ruined the once beautiful Golden State.

March 16 2011 at 10:06 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Mongo

Coming in at Number 11 weird thing to do in Austin HANG OUT WITH LIBERAL PROGRESSIVES it cant get much more weird thaan that.RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

March 13 2011 at 10:50 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
laura

I liked Austin a lot better before all the Californians showed up

September 15 2010 at 9:51 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Bluewolf

Cynthia, sorry you don't "get it." I'm 62 years old. I lived in Austin for 5 years in my youth -- last 2 yrs of college and 3 yrs of law school, all at UT. I'll never forget the first time I drove into Austin in September 1968. I felt a sense of well being that I'd never experienced before. Hard to explain, but I list several reasons -- the beauty of the hilly terrain, the smell of hill country juniper, the clean air, the mild climate, the energy, respect for learning and intellect, and , yes, youthful spirit arising from UT and the other colleges, the cool, clear water of swimming holes such as Barton Springs, the limestone outcroppings, the breathtaking views from Mount Bonnell and other hilltops, the Mexican food, the majesty of the capitol building, the accessibility to the seat of power and workings of state government, and the loveliness of Town Lake. loved Austin so much that when I left after law school to another state, I periodically dreamed about it. Now I live in Houston and visit Austin several times every year. It still holds a strong appeal. Yes, the population has doubled and traffic congestion has arrived, but it is still easy to get around compared to Houston and Dallas. Austin, like a fine wine, has aged well. The affluence some lament has brought upscale, foodie restaurants (Wink, Jeffrey's, etc.), the Four Seasons Hotel (one of the most beautiful hotel/settings in the country), Whole Foods flagship store (perhaps the best grocery store in the US), Central Market, attractive, new residential and office construction reflecting a unique Austin style, landscapers and nurseries (Big Red Sun and Gardens, e.g.) specializing in a Mediterranean/southwestern palate of plants -- agave, cactus, yucca, salvias, olive trees, rosemary, sotol, yaupon, lavender, etc. All this, still enlivened by the youthful presence of UT and the vitality of state politics, make Austin a very desirable place to live.

March 20 2010 at 12:03 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply