Posted: Wed, 8 Apr 2015 07:20 PM - 36,712 Readers

By: Nina Kokotas Hahn

Music fans who missed South By Southwest in March can head to Austin, Texas, for a new local music experience, this one geared toward the fitness set. Beginning this month, the 40-room Lake Austin Spa Resort, a luxury wellness retreat on the shores of Lake Austin in Texas Hill Country, will kick off its new music-focused wellness programming, “Rhythm and Moves.” What makes this program unique isn’t music alone, but the fact that it will be played and sung live by local artists, some of whom have graced the stages at SXSW.

Rhythm and Moves will be offered during select weeks once a month through 2015, starting April 20 to 26. Guests who visit will be treated to the resort’s high-quality activities and classes, always included as part of a stay and now backed by live music.

What exactly do the classes look like? “Strum” yoga with classical guitarist Tony Morris, who hits the public radio airwaves every week; “Fit Beat Cycle” with live percussion by Jason Traweek; cooking demos with chef Michael Fracasso, a guitarist and singer who has recorded with Lucinda Williams; dance parties with DJ Gatsby, who has performed in NYC and Tokyo; and even “Sounds by the Shore,” a concert with 19-year-old fiddle prodigy Ruby Jane, who recently performed with Lady Gaga at SXSW.

Beyond the resort’s new program, April is one of the best times of the year to visit Austin. Wildflowers are in bloom and perfect temps range from 60 to 80 degrees—nothing like the heat of summer.

If you go, take advantage of new direct flights via Frontier. For more on what to do and see, look to Chicago’s guide to Austin.

Rates at Lake Austin Spa Resort for a three-night stay, which includes all meals and fitness classes, start at $1,720 a person. A minimum three-night stay is required.

*  Story Contributed by: Nina Kokotas Hahn