The best free things to do in Austin, Texas

Head to Austin’s first and coolest food hall, Fareground, for free yoga every Sunday morning provided by Swift Fit Events. Every week they practice out on the outdoor plaza space just off of Congress and Cesar Chavez. You’ll need to register online for a space though a limited number of walk-up slots are available. Yoga mats, towels, and water are provided, and downtown parking is free on Sundays. Who would have thought wellness could cost nada? Fareground also hosts free live music, free dance cardio, and bootcamp, seasonal pop-up events (like summer movies), and there are shops to browse while you’re there.

Watching 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats—the world’s largest urban bat population—swarm out from under Austin’s Anne W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge is pretty dang impressive, but you don’t need to sign up for one of the many available boat tours to enjoy the sight. Instead, do as the Romans (er, Austinites) do and line up along the bridge’s eastern side on any evening from late March to early fall. The grandeur is impossible to miss from this vantage point as the bats fly out over the lake en masse right around dusk.

In the summer, access to this one-of-a-kind spring-fed public pool costs $5 for adults ($9 for non-residents), but you can avoid the fee by opting for an early morning swim between 5–8am or a night swim from 9–10pm on Tuesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Caution, though: there are no lifeguards on duty during free hours, so swim at your own risk. And if you’re aching for a polar plunge, free admission to the pool is available from the end of October to the end of February. Also unguarded, but a fantastic free alternative: the spillway area adjacent to the pool’s southwest (deep) end. It’s a superb shallow swimming area but beware of slippery rocks!

Austinites are proud people, but Texans as a larger group are even prouder. Case-in-point: the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum, where three floors of the Lone Star State’s history—the Story of Texas, as they call it—come to life with continually updated artifacts ranging in scope from the 17th-century French shipwreck La Belle and the Civil War and surrounding eras to the Golden Age of NASA’s mission control operations out of Houston. Come by on the first Sunday of the month from noon to 5pm, when admission is free.

Free Week is a welcome wagon to the new year in Austin, a celebration of music held across the city with dozens of killer acts like Riverboat Gamblers, Whiskey Shivers, Peelander-Z, Lost Coast, and Otis the Destroyer, playing for free. Generally held the first week of January, the seven-day fest sees Austinites bopping from one music venue to the next while catching their favorite ATX bands and discovering new ones. While covers are always free, you'd be wise to still bring cash—in case you get thirsty.

As one of the foremost university art museums in the country with incredible permanent and temporary collections, the Blanton is the spot for museum aficionados. There's something for every type of art lover: dazzling interactive installations; a plethora of European, Latin American, and American/Contemporary paintings; Ellsworth Kelly's new "Austin" structure; and plenty more. On Thursdays, the entrance fee ($12) is waived.

Looking for live entertainment that isn’t music-related? Backyard Story Night, held at various venues across town, is just the (free) ticket. Bring a blanket and some Tacodeli, and enjoy the company of other humans telling personal stories (revolving around a specific theme during each event). Or, better yet, take the stage and tell your own tale.

Summer in ATX is primetime for free live music, thanks to local radio station KGSR. Between May through August, on select dates, everybody can enjoy the massive Blues on the Green shows, which welcomes innumerable picnickers to Zilker Park for public shows, from the likes of Jimmie Vaughan, Hayes Carll, and Sweet Spirit. In addition, From April through September, check out free gigs every week at South Austin’s Shady Grove restaurant during KGSR's Unplugged at the Grove.

Doing free stuff isn’t just about taking, it's also about giving back. Volunteer your time, and you’ll be rewarded with oodles of love from a shelter of furry friends in need, something you need no green to buy at all. Austin Pets Alive! takes care mainly of cats and dogs, ranging from kittens and puppies to fully-trained old-timers. You can visit free and sign up for volunteer programs that encompass dog walking, fundraising events, and thrift store assistance. If you really bond with one of their residents, the good news is that they are all up for adoption.

There are shows happening at music venues across the city every night of the year but paying a cover (or hefty ticket price) is par for the course. Not at Waterloo Records: Throughout the year, touring artists host one-off, abbreviated in-store performances at this beloved record shop. These are first-come-first-served, typically on weekday afternoons, and on some occasions even include free beer for the 21+ crowd. Skip out of work early and you'll be rewarded with an intimate performance from bands about to hit it big.

So you've visited the White Horse and witnessed the regulars sweep each other off their feet to some of the finest honky-tonk jams in town? Still too nervous to join in? Easy solution: Show up early (7–8pm) on Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays for free Texas two-step lessons. You'll be boot-scootin’ with the best of ’em in no time, and for sure want to come back for the $5 cover events.

You know it’s been (or going to be) a wild night when you end up at Barbarella. Conveniently located among countless bars, clubs, and music venues in the Red River District, Barbs hosts different themed dance parties—with no cover—almost every night of the week. Tuesdays’ Tuesgayz is a good launch point, or, if you’re craving a specific music genre, Grits and Gravy (50s, 60s, and 70s) and Passport (Latin and African on the patio) are other themes to get your groove on to.

You’ve got two chances—one weekend in May and one weekend in September—to enjoy this annual Austin festival, located in downtown’s Sixth Street Historic District. Each weekend brings together hundreds of local and national artisans sporting creations made of any medium imaginable, including metal, wood, glass, stone, and recycled materials. And it wouldn’t be true to ATX culture if there wasn’t food and live music—about 50 artists perform across three stages, and there are 30 food vendors on hand to keep you nourished.

Did you know that the correct term for a family of peacocks is peafowl? The term isn’t colloquially common—but neither is witnessing a plethora of brightly colored birds strolling casually among people out in the open. That’s the norm at West Austin’s Mayfield Park and Preserve, where you can picnic or explore the gardens for free while witnessing the full mating and life cycles of this fascinating, totally nonaggressive avian family, whose original descendants were introduced in 1935. Note: no pets, please (let’s let the peafowls strut in peace).

The Barton Creek Greenbelt has hiking, climbing, and natural swimming holes ideal for any age within its 809 acres and 7.9-mile expanse, conveniently nestled just south of downtown Austin. A quick online search will reveal access points to this locally loved oasis. Don’t forget your sunscreen and cooler (no glass or alcohol).

You might eventually spend a few bucks on something at Austin’s many farmers' markets, but browsing and enjoying a few samples won’t cost a thing (try some local honey—good for your allergies!). Saturday and Sunday are the busiest days (we recommend SFC Farmers Market at Republic Square and the Texas Farmers Market at Mueller for those, respectively), but rest assured, there is at least one open within the city limits every day of the week.

Completely free and open to the public, the Elisabet Ney Museum is the former studio and portrait collection of namesake Elisabet Ney, a 19th-century German sculptor who moved to Austin in 1882. Her sculptures span from the 1850s to her death in 1907 and are supplemented by the work of contemporary artists in both the building and on the museum's stunning grounds. 

Both of Contemporary Austin's locations—The Jones Center downtown and the 14-acre Laguna Gloria site just a bit further northwest—waive their admission on Thursdays. Take advantage of both: At the former, you'll find rotating exhibitions and the permanent installation With Liberty and Justice for All (A Work in Progress) by Jim Hodges. The latter houses an art school, French-Cajun restaurant épicerie, the installation-ready Gatehouse Gallery, and the expanded Betty and Marcus Sculpture Park, which has pieces by Paul McCarthy, Elmgreen & Dragset, Ai Weiwei, Juan Munoz, and Monika Sosnowska, among others.

Visitors come to this free museum for the 42 million manuscripts, one million rare books, five million photographs, and more than 100,000 artistic works. Permanent exhibitions include the Gutenberg Bible (one of five complete copies in the U.S!) and original works by Frida Kahlo, including her iconic Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird. In other words, this is one Austin museum you don't want to miss.

Multiple weekends in May and November, hundreds of locations, and countless artists—that is what you'll find at the annual West Austin Studio Tour and East Austin Studio Tour. Anyone is welcome to take self-guided tours (bikes recommended!) through home and pro studios, galleries, temporary exhibitions, one-off events, and other programs—all of which reveal the breadth and impact of Austin's artistic community.

Explore one of the city’s most impressive feats of architecture and get a thorough Texas history lesson from one of the knowledgeable guides—all at no charge! There are free walkthroughs every day, but make sure to check the website for special tours such as Women in Texas History, Heroes of the Texas Revolution, African American Trailblazing Texans Tour, Hispanic Heritage: A Texas-Size Legacy Tour, Rest in Peace: Texas Capitol Halloween Tour, and the Holiday Tour. 

No, not everything at South Austin’s Zilker Park is free—sadly, there aren’t many ways to avoid the $320+ three-day ticket price for the annual Austin City Limits Music Festival. But any day there isn’t a private event, you can enjoy the lush grass of the athletic fields (perfect for playing or picnicking), the challenge of biking and walking trails, the whimsy of the expansive playground, and the kids’ train, plus countless other activities. Our top rec for special events: the annual ABC Zilker Kite Festival, held every March.

Since 1959, Zilker Theatre Productions has produced summer musicals at the Hillside Theatre, adjacent to Barton Springs Pool in Zilker Park. Past shows included well-loved classics: Hairspray, Annie, West Side Story, and Oklahoma!, to name a few. Free and suitable for all ages, the production is best enjoyed with blankets and chairs spread out on a lush green hill, the stars twinkling above.