Excursions

Tastes, Sights & Sounds of Austin!

This year's Excursions are designed to give you time to just relax being a good ol' tourist in Austin! Roam within the city limits taking in the charm, creative energy and weirdness that makes Austin so great. There will be Excursion Leads hangin' out in each area should you need help; but we're providing you with maps and tips to create your own, self-lead tour of 4 classic Austin areas. These areas are all in the heart of the city; combined they make up an area that's only 2.5 miles wide by 3 miles long, so you can even combine Excursions if you like!
TIME: 12:30pm - 5:30pm

Downtown Austin Shuffle

Explore downtown Austin, full of restaurants, shops & history. From gazing up into the Capitol rotunda, to taking in museums and art spaces, to absorbing the sights and live music sounds offered on Austin's classic Sixth Street, you won't run out of things to enjoy in the heart of the city!
Excursion Leads: Sam Chang & Dylan Preas
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  • Merchandise, munchies and entertainment all along 20 blocks of 6th Street
  • Live music at many locations, including Friends Bar, Saturday afternoons.
  • Mexic-Arte Museum, Austin Museum of Art, Texas State History Museum, Arthouse at the Jones Center
  • Plenty of BBQ at Lamberts, Stubbs or Iron Works!

East Side Hop

Come experience the rich culture of Austin's east side. Unearth gems like local art galleries and unique and exotic foods made possible by the area's diverse past.
Excursion Leads: Warren Smith & Cisco Gamez
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  • Try an avocado milkshake from a solar powered food trailer
  • Explore Texas history at the French Legation Museum
  • Austin's annual "East Austin Studio Tour!"

South Congress Stoll

Come see the "Weird" in Austin. Funky food trailer parks, wacky costumes shops, historic music venues, vintage clothing, vinyl, cowboy boots, street musicians... you name it, this main drag is sanctuary for anything different!
Excursion Leads: Bryn Cain & Ben West
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  • N.Y. Style Pizza, classic greasy burgers, fish tacos and cupcakes
  • Be a kid again in the historic Big Top Candy Shop and soda fountain!
  • Get your swingin' Two-Step on at the classic Continental Club

Barton Springs Gad-About

Whether biking around Lake Austin, searching for the Austin Blind Salamanders in Barton Springs pool or roaming Zilker Park, go and be captivated by the sights! Enjoy city vistas, stroll the Umlauf Sculpture Gardens, toss a Frisbee or snooze on the park's big lawn. (Don't worry even though it's November, Austin sunshine will warm your bones. :)
Excursion Leads: Caroline & Johnathan Bell
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  • Bicycle & boat rentals, golf, mini-golf, outdoor swimming, Zilker Park!
  • BBQ at Uncle Billy's and The Green Mesquite
  • Brewery, juice bar, coffee houses and restaurants

Photography Workshop
Join Igor Roshchin for his 2nd ALX Photography Workshop. Did you attend last year? Well come back because Igor has new material to teach!  Learn how to take spectacular shots of dancers and look beautiful in photos when YOU dance!

Igor Roshchin's 15+ years of experience in several genres of photography has his work enjoyed in private collections in Europe, Asia, and North America. Artists, musicians, and dancers use Igor's work for various CD/DVD-art, posters & promotional materials. Igor is also deeply involved in the partner dancing community. He's a musician as well; his photographic & musical skills enhance his dancing experience and vice versa. When not dancing, grooving to music or taking photographs, Igor enjoys working with students and cutting-edge research as a professor of physics in nanoscience and magnetism.