Things to Do in Austin on a Rainy Day
May 12, 2023
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Austin is lucky to enjoy 300 sunny days per year (in fact, we locals usually celebrate when it rains)! But while Austin’s weather is typically pretty full of sunshine, the city still gets a few rainy days.
If you’re in Austin during a rare spring shower, don’t fret! There are still plenty of fun indoor activities to partake in around town. Here are our top recommendations for the best things to do in Austin on a rainy day.
Visit a Museum or Gallery
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, such as Ellsworth Kelly’s “Austin.” In May 2023, the museum unveiled its redesigned grounds, featuring the new Moody Patio, with indoor and outdoor exhibits, along with the Butler Sound Gallery, dedicated to sound art. Pro tip: Visit on Tuesdays when admission to the museum is free.
Also located on campus is the LBJ Library and Museum. The museum itself is on the smaller side and features LBJ’s papers as well as several excellent exhibits from that era.
If you’re looking for art in the downtown area, you’ll find the Jones Center on Congress Avenue, one of two museum locations from The Contemporary Austin, as well as the Mexic-Arte Museum.
In the Heywood Hotel’s neighborhood, be sure to stop in at the excellent Women & Their Work Gallery, located just a couple of blocks east.
Go Bowling
There are a handful of bowling alleys in Austin to sneak away to when the weather is dreary, a couple of which are located just a few miles away from the Heywood. The closest place to bowl is Punch Bowl Social. The entertainment space and restaurant recently opened a downtown location (their other Austin location is at the Domain) and offers an intimate bowling alley (there are only seven lanes!) among other activities like karaoke and arcade games.
Two bowling alleys located a little further away are Highland Lanes in North Austin and Westgate Lanes in South Austin.
Tour the Capitol
They say everything’s bigger in Texas, and the state capitol building is strong evidence of that. Located downtown, the Texas Capitol is one of the largest and most distinguished capitol buildings in the nation. There’s a lot of rich history and stunning architecture to take in–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 take place every 30 to 45 minutes, or go at your own pace with a self-guided tour.
Go Indoor Rock Climbing
Just because it’s raining doesn’t mean you can’t be active! A good way to get your blood pumping on a rainy day 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 Austin Bouldering Project. Here you can challenge yourself to do bouldering, which is rock climbing without using ropes or harnesses. The gym also offers yoga and fitness classes.
Another indoor climbing gym is Crux Climbing Center, located off of South Congress. The facility offers climbing and bouldering, as well as fitness and yoga classes.
Go to a Grown Up Arcade
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 $10 admission for unlimited play on 150+ arcade games. As the name suggest, Cidercade is a cidery, with dozens of hard ciders on tap. Pizza and wings are also served. Best of all, the arcade is 21 and up after 8:00pm.
Another arcade option is Pinballz, which now features two locations, but the original on Burnet Rd. is still BYOB. Pinballz features a variety of arcade games from the 1980s onward, with each play costing $1 to $2.
Visit a Brewery
There’s no shortage of local breweries to sneak away to when the weather is dreary. A few are just a short walk from the Heywood Hotel, including Blue Owl Brewing and Zilker Brewing Company.Other great East Austin options include Lazarus Brewing, Hi Sign Brewing, Friends and Allies and our favorite cidery, Austin Eastciders.
Many of these breweries also offer food or have food trucks onsite, so it’s easy to kill a few hours on a rainy day. For more tour and brewery Best Breweries in Austin story or just ask our expert concierge team at the front desk. We’re happy to help you navigate Austin’s craft beer scene.
Shop the West End
An iconic Austin neighborhood, the West End–which is 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 flagship store. Austin is the birthplace of Whole Foods. This location, their headquarters and flagship store, spans 80,000 square feet and features in-store eateries and bars, a “beer alley,” and great peoplewatching– it’s probably the best locaton to spot a celebrity in Austin.
On the surrounding blocks around Whole Foods there are several local shops worth a visit, including Waterloo Records, BookPeople–where you can easily spend a couple hours perusing the stacks of records and books respectively–Amy’s Ice Cream, and outdoors store Whole Earth Provision. For homegoods, check out Wildflower Organics, and for men’s and women’s fashion, By George.
Nearby national stores include West Elm, Lush, Anthropologie and REI.
Check Out 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 features several reading rooms and porches, fantastic mid-century modern furniture, the literary-themed Cookbook Bar & Café, and a stunning rooftop patio overlooking the city.
Feature image features artwork © Eamon Ore-Giron. Courtesy the artist and James Cohan, New York. Image courtesy The Contemporary Austin. Photograph by Alex Boeschenstein.