Cityscape of Downtown Austin and Colorado river (Photo: Allan Baxter, Getty Images)
Cloudy skies and wet weather send most Austinites running for cover. What can we say? We're an outdoorsy, sunshine-loving bunch.
Most of the Capital City's attractions involve swimming holes and food truck patios -- but when guests come to town during rare, dreary weather, we still want to show them the best of our city.
So whether you're entertaining family or just need to get out of the house, we've rounded up some things to do in Austin when it's raining.
Alamo Drafthouse
Going
to the movies may be one of the more obvious, dry activities, but Alamo
Drafthouse takes it to a whole different level. Sip on adult shakes,
munch on restaurant-quality food, and enjoy a cellphone-free theater.
Museum hop
While
Austin isn't necessarily known for its museum scene, there are some
gems that are worth checking out. The Blanton Museum of Art on the edge
of the University of Texas at Austin campus features a variety of
contemporary art. For a dose of state pride, there's the Bullock Texas
State History Museum across the street (did we mention it has an IMAX
theater?). Also conveniently located on the UT campus are the LBJ
Presidential Library and the Harry Ransom Center.
Chicken Shit Bingo
Ginny's
Little Longhorn Saloon has been keeping Austin weird for over a decade.
Every Sunday night, patrons test their luck on a makeshift bingo board
by buying a square and waiting for a chicken to deposit the goods on it.
Even though CNN named it 2015's must-see quirky destination, locals have been placing bets for years.
Laugh it off
Sometimes
the best remedy for the rainy day blues is to just laugh it off. Spots
like Coldtowne Theater, Cap City Comedy Club and Esther's Follies offer
drinks, bites and plenty of laughs.
Bowling at the Union Underground
If
you're in the campus area, the Texas Union has underground,
glow-in-the-dark bowling -- you won't even notice the gloomy weather.
While there are plenty of fun bowling alleys around town, we hear this
may be the cheapest.
Shop local
Support
keeping Austin local by getting lost in one of our many book and record
stores. Cratediggers will love places like Waterloo Records, End of an
Ear and Breakaway Records. Book lovers can head to BookPeople, South
Congress Books or Farewell Books.
Pinballz
Let your inner child loose at Pinballz arcade with vintage pinball machines and arcade games galore.
And if you're looking for some events happening this Memorial Day weekend, check out this list from CultureMap Austin.
