You can visit Austin in the spring or the fall when the weather is reliably great. But really, you should visit Austin in autumn. The city comes alive at this time. A simmering cauldron of music festival attendees, Europeans clad in cowboy costumes and football tourists brimming with Arch Manning hype pour into Austin. The energy is palpable as soon as your wheels touchdown at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on a Friday afternoon of your choosing.

Friday 4:00pm -- Deplane and embark on your journey

Austin’s modest airport, which sounds like a Star Wars planet if you say it out the side of your mouth, is ambitious with cultural integration. There is a stage with live music, reminders to Keep Austin Weird and a roster of local restaurants licensing their likeness. If you are hungry after a long flight, grab a Puerco Verde from Tacodeli where it’s been sitting under the heat lamp all day marinating to perfection.

Friday 6:00pm -- Cool off in Barton Springs

Drop your bags and your jet lag first. Head to Barton Springs pool and get acclimated to the city’s weather and culture. Every day, Barton Springs receives 26 million gallons of water from the Edward’s Aquifier, keeping it at a perfectly cool 68° all year ‘round. Jump in fearless, wade out to the middle and revel in the city’s impending skyline. With a view of all that’s new in front of it, Barton Springs stays miraculously pristine. Untouched by encroaching modernity. You can also take your top off, if you please

Friday 7:00pm -- Grab Dinner at an Austin Institution

For dinner, Odd Duck on South Lamar symbolizes everything Austin. Once a plucky upstart, head chef Bryce Gilmore is the patron saint of the city’s food scene whose menu carousels every night. Stop in for your first meal in the city, and read more about the restaurant here.

Friday 9:00pm -- Catch a Show or Three

Austin recently branded itself the “live music capitol of the world,” a dubious claim you have to investigate for yourself. Clues are littered across the city at venues like Hole in The Wall. On Fridays, this weathered, well, hole in the wall, assembles a three to four card lineup of local bands all bringing their own distinct flavors. You might catch a group of tweens frying their vocal chords on hardcore, an octuplet of camo clad men harmonizing about white trash women or a trio of indie rockers doing their best Sonic Youth impression. If one band doesn’t scratch your itch, there’s pool, karaoke and drinks for you in the back while you ride out the storm waiting for the next batch of dreamers.

Friday 11:00pm -- Get Wasted

By this point in the night you’re either looking for a nightcap (in which case Tweedy’s down the block will satisfy you) or a reason to keep the good times going. A good rule of thumb is that you need six beers to properly enjoy Sixth Street, Austin’s main artery of bars, clubs and debauchery. After the sixth cerveza, infamous haunts like Aquarium, Midnight Cowboy and Friends Bar await you. The main strip of Sixth Street between Brazos Street and Red River is for tourists, Texas State kids and Bachelor/ette parties. If you are properly lubricated, it’s a blast. For a more patently cool going out experience, East Sixth Street delivers. The hottest, most desperate twenty-somethings in the city flock here in hopes to find love. Bars like Latchkey, Shangri-La & Lucky Duck are crawling with good-time-havers. But the only real place to truly shake off your sins is Hotel Vegas. The tortured and shameless come here to forget the work week. Either on the patio where there is freedom to express oneself or inside where sweaty bodies bounce off one another expelling baggage as they ricochet. Sweet East Austin release.

Saturday 10:00am -- Shake off the hangover with an egg burger

Good morning, you dirty dog, I hope you didn't go to 6th last night but if you did, the breakfast at P Terry’s Burger Stand is going to rock your world. Extra hard. There is a P Terry’s in every direction but I recommend the original on the corner of South Lamar and Barton Springs Road. If you’re coming from downtown, take a nice stroll across the Pfluger Pedestrian Bridge with your coffee and egg burger in hand. Walk across the street to Butler Pitch and Putt and watch golfers tee off on the 9th hole for entertainment as you eat. The entire breakfast menu can be yours for just $11.35, power washing away any morning regrets from one too many Shiner Bocks the night before.

Saturday 11:00am -- Explore the city on two wheels

Jump on a bike anywhere along Town Lake. Rental places litter the banks. Then head east towards the new Wishbone Bridge at Longhorn Dam. The trail oscillates between dusty coastline and man made boardwalks. Free from traffic, the Ann & Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail, as it is officially known, is the best way to experience Austin’s “coastline.” Once you cross the river, the second half of your ride takes you down the 3rd street “bike highway,” a two-way protected bike lane slicing through East Austin and Downtown. East brings plenty of potential for pit stops and a well deserved beer or matcha, Zilker Brewing for the former and Cosmic Saltillo for the latter.

Saturday 3:00pm -- Shop O’ Clock

Use the helpful attached flow chart to pick your afternoon shopping destination. Each one perfectly caters to a specific type of Austin visitor from the most indie to the most influenced.

Saturday 6:00pm -- Fish in Texas?!?!

After getting acquainted with East Austin on your bike ride, grab dinner at Esté, this south of the border inspired seafood restaurant is upscale and homey. Esté is the second hugely successful restaurant by legendary Austin chef Fermín Nuñez. Reservations are basically required here. When the seafood tower arrives at your table, you will understand why every local and tourist alike is fiending for a table.

Saturday 8:00pm -- Try mezcal in an intimate attic

After dinner, head next door (and upstairs) to Techo Mezcaleria & Agave Bar. I’m sure you’ve been cornered at a party and asked the thrilling question “have you ever tried mezcal?” If you haven't, it is time to take the plunge. In an ordinary environment, mezcal is just smoky tequila. But in a a cozy atmosphere like Techo’s, the mezcal rises like hot air into the upper crust of base spirits.

Saturday 10:00pm -- Party like you’re in the Sahara

With smoke billowing in your veins, hit Sahara Lounge for a sweaty evening of dancing during the world locally famous “Africa Night.” Sahara lounge is host to the most diverse and welcoming crowd of any Austin nightlife. The regulars will make you feel welcome and the shared sweat will leave you feeling like family. Read more about it here.

Sunday 10:00am -- Feast on a Tex-Mex Classic

Migas, a dish of fried tortilla strips, eggs, onions and peppers, is a staple on any brunch menu in Austin. Find the best iteration at Phoebe’s Diner. Fluffy, gravity defying eggs lathered in a chipotle hollandaise share the plate with fried masa balls and breakfast potatoes. If you’re a caffeine addict, as we are at Glyptodon, try the Vietnamese coffee but ask for half cold brew instead.

Sunday 12:00pm -- Admire Great Sculptures and better Views

Northwest Austin is where the flat central Texas plains give way to the nascent hill country. Here, on the still shores of Lake Austin is the city’s finest museum going experience The Contemporary Austin - Laguna Gloria. One part sculpture garden and one part historic villa, Laguna Gloria is a look inside the most glamorous vision of Austin. The vast grounds disperse crowds and encourage exploration at every turn. The gift shop is Austin’s version of the MoMA store and next door you will find Spread & Co. A Glyptodon approved sandwich shop in miniature form. Grab your second coffee of the day and scour the grounds.

Sunday 2:00pm -- Lib Out with LBJ

Looming over UT Austin’s campus, the Lyondon B. Johnson’s presidential library is a hulking beast of Gordon Bunshaft crafted concrete. When doors opened in 1971, this towering mecca marked the first presidential library inside a major city. Sparking a trend continuing through the Obama years. The LBJ library still pushes the envelope to this day with its programming. Replicas of the Oval Office, Lady Bird Johnson’s office and gifts from the heads of state entertain the history snobs. But the ground floor, rotating exhibit is always worth the cost of admission alone.

Sunday 4:00pm -- Wheels Up

Finish your trip the way it started— at the airport. Only this time, instead of a taco try an Austin craft beer scene mainstay like Pinthouse’s Electric Jellyfish. The bitter ends of this extra strength IPA hang out on the tongue for days, conjuring weekend nostalgia and whetting your appetite for another visit to the Live Music Capitol of the World.