Fun Things to Do Indoors in Austin, Texas
June 23, 2026
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Most days in Austin are made for patios, swimming holes, and wandering the neighborhood. But there are some days when you’d prefer to just stay indoors. Summer temps can soar, making air conditioning a must. And although we average 300 sunny days per year, yes, it does sometimes rain here!
Whether you’re looking to beat the heat or avoid the rain, here are a few indoor spots our concierge team regularly recommends.
In this post:
Visit a Museum or Gallery
Blanton Museum of Art
A tried and true indoor activity is visiting a museum to soak in art and culture. First on your list should be the Blanton Museum of Art. The museum is located on the University of Texas campus and is home to temporary exhibitions and permanent installations, including Ellsworth Kelly’s “Austin.”
The museum has indoor and outdoor exhibits, along with the Butler Sound Gallery, dedicated to sound art, and the Moody Patio. Pro tip: Visit Blanton on Tuesdays when admission to the museum is free.
Here are a few more Austin museums and galleries worth visiting:
- LBJ Presidential Library and Museum: Located on the UT campus, this museum holds LBJ’s papers alongside several excellent exhibits from that era.
- Harry Ransom Center: Also on the UT campus, this world-class humanities museum and research library is free and open to the public. It houses one of only 20 complete Gutenberg Bibles in the world, the oldest known photograph, and a collection spanning nearly 1 million books, 42 million manuscripts, and the personal papers of Nobel laureates.
- French Legation Museum: Located just a mile from the Heywood in one of the oldest houses in Austin, French Legation Museum is dedicated to telling the story of Texas’ settlement and growth.
- The Contemporary Austin – Jones Center: If you’re looking for art in the downtown area, stop in at the Jones Center on Congress Avenue for two floors of contemporary exhibition space and a stunning rooftop deck.
- Mexic-Arte Museum: Also located downtown, this museum is dedicated to traditional and contemporary Mexican and Latin American art and culture.
- Women & Their Work Gallery: Located just a couple blocks east of the Heywood Hotel, this gallery space showcases contemporary art created by women living and working in Texas and beyond. Admission is free or donation-based.
- Something Cool Studios: An artist collective 1717 East Cesar Chavez St., about a five-minute walk from the Heywood. They host rotating exhibitions, community workshops, and pop-up art shows, with open hours daily from 2pm to 8pm.
- Almost Real Things Studios & Gallery: At 2324 East Cesar Chavez St., this arts organization has 18 working artist studios, a gallery, and a mural-filled courtyard. They now produce the Austin Studio Tour, which runs over two weekends each November and opens artist studios across the city to the public.
Go Bowling or Mini Golfing
Pins Mechanical
Pins Mechanical brought its duckpin bowling concept to Austin’s St. Elmo District in spring 2025, and the 43,000-square-foot space has been busy ever since. In addition to 20 duckpin lanes, you’ll find dozens of classic pinball machines, foosball, ping pong, and arcade games, along with three bars and outdoor patio space. It’s located about six miles from the Heywood Hotel.
Holey Moley
Few things are as nostalgic and fun as mini golf, and Holey Moley Indoor Mini Golf leans fully into that energy. Play 9, 18, or 27 holes of pop-culture-themed mini golf at 807 E 4th Street, with private karaoke rooms, a full bar, and an outdoor stage all in the mix. Want free passes to Holey Moley? Book a Summer Fun package with the Heywood Hotel!
Punch Bowl Social
Located nearby in downtown Austin, Punch Bowl Social offers an intimate bowling alley (there are only seven lanes!), among other activities like karaoke and arcade games.
If you’re looking for classic bowling alleys, there are a couple a little further away from the hotel including Highland Lanes in North Austin and Westgate Lanes in South Austin.
Stay in the Heart of East AustinA MICHELIN Key boutique property at 1609 E. Cesar Chavez Street, the Heywood Hotel offers free parking, a concierge team that has been building Austin recommendation lists for years, and seven rooms that are hard to leave once you’ve settled in. Everything on this list is just minutes away. |
Try an Escape Room
The Escape Game
If you’ve got 60 minutes and a group that performs well under pressure (or one that needs to find out), The Escape Game is worth booking. Located at 405 Red River Street in downtown Austin, it carries a 5-star Google rating from more than 17,000 reviews, and the rooms live up to it. Multi-room sets are built around themes like an 1800s gold rush, a Cold War classified mission, a time-traveling train, and an undersea laboratory, and each one gives your team 60 minutes to find clues, decode ciphers, and escape. The staff offers unlimited hints along the way, so it’s not punishing if you get turned around.
Parking is in the Austin Convention Center garage directly above the venue, with an entrance off 5th Street. Pro tip: The Escape Game is one of the free activity options available with the Heywood Hotel’s Summer Fun Package.
Tour the City
Austin Detours
Led by local musicians, comedians, and longtime Austinites, Austin Detours runs the kind of city tour that earns repeat visitors. Their flagship “Real Austin Tour” covers a lot of ground over two hours in air-conditioned comfort: the Capitol dome, the UT campus, Lady Bird Lake, Rainey Street, East 11th Street, 6th Street, the SOCO District, the bat bridge, local murals, and a stop for a food truck snack. Beyond the city tour, they also run a Live Music Crawl (three live venues in one evening), a Hill Country wine shuttle, and a Hill Country road trip. Tours depart from the Austin Visitor Center at 103 E. 5th Street. Pro tip: Austin Detours is one of the free activity options available with the Heywood Hotel’s Summer Fun Package.
Texas Capitol Building
Located downtown, the Texas Capitol is one of the largest and most distinguished capitol buildings in the nation. The history runs deep here and the architecture is some of the finest you’ll find in a public building in Texas. You may even get a glimpse into a legislative session depending on when you visit. Consider going on a free 30-minute guided tour, which takes place every 30 to 45 minutes, or go at your own pace with a self-guided tour.
Go Indoor Rock Climbing
Just because the weather isn’t ideal doesn’t mean you can’t be active. A good way to get your blood pumping, rain or shine, is through exercise, and indoor rock climbing is an opportunity to make working out fun.
Located on the Eastside, just a little over two miles from the Heywood Hotel, is the Bouldering Project. Here, you can challenge yourself with bouldering, which is rock climbing without using ropes or harnesses. The gym also offers yoga and fitness classes. There is a second location on Westgate Boulevard in South Austin.
Another great climbing gym is Crux Climbing Center, with locations in Central Austin, Pflugerville, and a South Austin location that opened in May 2026 at 220 Ralph Ablanedo Drive. The facility offers climbing and bouldering, as well as fitness and yoga classes.
Get Crafty Indoors
That’s Sew Austin
You won’t have to go far for this one! That’s Sew Austin, Austin’s first co-sewing studio, sits at 1601 E. Cesar Chavez, only about a minute’s walk from the hotel. One-on-one lessons and small group classes cover everything from a first seam to advanced garment construction. The Pick & Choose menu adds options like crochet, Cricut, and rhinestone work, so there’s something here for most skill levels. The studio is appointment-only, open Tuesday through Saturday noon to 9pm and Sunday noon to 7pm. Book a free consultation on their website before you head over.
Craft
Also here in East Austin, stop by Craft, Austin’s very own walk-in craft studio. Starting at $10 per person, you get access to all of the supplies, tools, and materials in the craft room, and the freedom to create anything you like. If you prefer more structure, Craft also hosts workshops for crafts like tie-dye, calligraphy, soapmaking, and embroidery. You can find the workshop calendar here. Craft is adults-only and is delightfully BYOB.
Upstairs Circus
Another adult craft space is Upstairs Circus. Located downtown on 2nd Street, Upstairs Circus is both a DIY workshop experience and a bar. Simply reserve a spot during their “Project Social Hour” and choose from a menu of over 25 craft projects that you can work on at your own pace, and everyone in your party can choose a different project, adding to the fun. You can also order a drink from the full bar to help get your creative juices flowing.
Plant Party
Looking for an indoor activity that’s a bit more relaxed? We recommend a visit to Plant Party. You can book a private workshop to build your own terrarium, or attend one of their scheduled workshops. All supplies are included and the event is BYOB. Plant Party’s East Austin studio is located just a couple of miles from the Heywood Hotel and features a large selection of houseplants and cute containers.
Go to a Grown-Up Arcade
Cidercade
Pinball and a pint? Sure, why not! Austin has several great arcade options oriented toward adults. The nearest to the Heywood is Cidercade on East Riverside Dr. Cidercade charges just $12 admission for unlimited play on 150+ arcade games ranging from retro classics like pinball and Pac-Man to linked multiplayer consoles that let you challenge friends from your own immersive cockpit. As the name suggests, Cidercade is a cidery, with dozens of hard ciders on tap. Pizza and wings are also served. The arcade is 18 and up after 9:00pm.
Pinballz
Another arcade option is Pinballz. The BYOB establishment offers three locations, with the original on Burnet Rd. Pinballz has a variety of arcade games from the 1980s onward, with each play costing $1 to $2.
One Line Racing Center
If you’re looking for a different type of gaming experience, check out One Line Racing Center. The video simulator racing center offers the chance to experience being in the cockpit of the world’s fastest cars, with 11 bespoke simulators and a full bar on site.
Visit a Brewery
There’s no shortage of local breweries to sneak away to when you’re looking for things to do indoors in Austin. Lazarus is one of our regular recommendations for tacos and a beer, while Zilker is an easy stop before a night out on East 6th.
Here are a few that are just a short walk or drive from the Heywood Hotel:
- Zilker Brewing Company: Our official craft beer partner, a 10-minute walk from the hotel. Dark, cozy taproom with beer brewed on site and a food truck most nights.
- Lazarus Brewing: Opens at 7:30am for coffee, tacos, and beer on E. 6th. We like the Belgian ales, particularly Amandus and Queen Lucy.
- Blue Owl Brewing: East Austin sour specialists at the corner of E. Cesar Chavez and Pedernales, just a few blocks from the Heywood.
- Central Machine Works: Industrial-chic microbrewery about 2 miles east on E. Cesar Chavez with expansive patio. We love the pizza and warm German potato salad.
- Hi Sign Brewing: A 13,000-square-foot taproom and beer garden on Shady Lane with local artwork and a Burro Cheese Kitchen food truck on site.
- Oddwood Brewing: Neighborhood pub on Manor Road with hoppy beers, lagers, and sours. Trivia Tuesdays and a comedy show the last Thursday of the month.
Many of these breweries also offer food or have food trucks onsite, so it’s easy to kill a few hours when you want to stay indoors. For example, Oddwood Brewing has its own pizza kitchen and is home to the MICHELIN-recommended KG BBQ.
For more tour and brewery ideas, check out our guide to the Best Breweries in Austin or just ask our expert concierge team at the front desk. We’re happy to help you navigate Austin’s impressive craft beer scene.
Go Shopping
East 11th Street District
One of the best shopping districts in town is located less than a mile away from the Heywood Hotel on East 11th Street. There are several shops to visit, including Charm School Vintage for eclectic vintage clothing, take heart or Apartment F for gifts and home goods, and Kindred Spirits or Lovecraft for women’s clothing and accessories. If you’re in the market for a new book and in the mood for a glass of wine, pop over to Vintage Bookstore and Wine Bar where you can enjoy both.
West End Shopping District
If you want to drive a few miles further into town, make your way to the West End. An iconic Austin neighborhood, the West End (the area around West Sixth Street and North Lamar) offers plenty of opportunities to shop when the weather isn’t ideal.
Start your day by strolling through the aisles of the spacious Whole Foods Market at 525 North Lamar. Austin is the birthplace of Whole Foods, and this 80,000-square-foot location now serves as the company’s headquarters and flagship store. With in-store eateries and bars, a “beer alley,” and great people watching, it’s probably the best location to spot a celebrity in Austin.
On the surrounding blocks, there are several local shops worth a visit, including BookPeople (where you can easily spend a couple of hours perusing the stacks of records and books respectively), Amy’s Ice Cream, Waterloo Records (now at 1105 N. Lamar), and outdoors store Whole Earth Provision Co. For home goods, check out Wildflower Organics, and for fashion, By George.
Nearby national stores include West Elm, Lush, Anthropologie, and REI.
Check Out the Central Library
One of the best indoor activities Austin offers, rain or shine, is a visit to the Central Library. Named “One of the World’s Greatest Places” by TIME Magazine in 2018, Austin’s Central Library is much more than a place to check out books. The beautifully designed six-floor building has several reading rooms and porches, fantastic mid-century modern furniture, and a rooftop patio overlooking the city that alone justifies the trip downtown.
Be sure to also visit Café Crème while you’re there! The locally-owned coffee shop and bakery serves coffee, tea, pastries, and a full menu that includes breakfast tacos and sandwiches.
Or, Take a Nap
Sometimes the best indoor treat is a bed you don’t have to make.
A stay at the Heywood Hotel can feel like its own kind of escape. Our rooms have ridiculously comfy beds, air conditioning that earns its keep, and soaking tubs or showers that are alone worth the price of admission. Free locally roasted coffee is ready whenever you want it, and the concierge team can help with whatever you need: a dinner reservation, a neighborhood recommendation, or just an extra pillow for a good, long nap.
Some of our favorite days are those spent inside our doors. If that sounds like your style, we’d love to have you.
Ready to Plan Your Austin Trip?A MICHELIN Key boutique property in the heart of East Austin, the Heywood Hotel is steps from the neighborhood spots on this list and a short drive from everything else (with free parking!). Our concierge team has been building Austin recommendations for years, and we’re happy to help you plan the perfect day indoors or out. |