Austin is the soul of Texas politics, music and arts. The city offers both the pulse of a significant metro area and some of the state’s most beautiful scenery and outdoor attractions. Locals have labelled it many things—Athens on the Colorado, The Third Coast, The River City, the Live Music Capital of the World—and turned a defiant cry of cultural independence, “Keep Austin Weird,” into a burgeoning T-shirt campaign. Whether you are enjoying the bubbling nightlife along its celebrated Sixth Street venues, kayaking along the scenic, recently renamed Lady Bird Lake just out the back door of Four Seasons Hotel Austin (most locals still refer to it as Town Lake), swimming in one of its many nearby springs, or eating at one of its famous Hill Country–inspired restaurants, Austin will fill your days with adventure. The city has long been a melting pot of students, musicians, artists, and those who govern and build commerce—with spectacular results.