41 Things to Do Indoors in Austin
May 30, 2024
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Whether you’re looking to beat the heat or come in out of the rain, the Heywood Hotel concierge team has ideas for fun indoor activities in Austin, Texas.
While the weather in Austin is often fantastic, even there are some days that you’d prefer to just stay indoors. Summer temps can soar, making air conditioning a must. And yes, it does sometimes rain here! While Austin is lucky to enjoy 300 sunny days per year (in fact, we locals usually celebrate when it rains), the city still gets a few rainy days.
There are plenty of fun indoor activities to partake in around town. Here are our top recommendations for how to have fun indoors in Austin, Texas.
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.
The LBJ Library and Museum is also located on campus. 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. Also nearby is Gray Duck Gallery, located down the street in a modernized 100-year-old house. If you want to check out downtown Austin’s oldest building, head over to the French Legation Museum, just a mile from the hotel.
Go Bowling
There are a handful of bowling alleys in Austin to sneak away to when the weather is dreary or scorching, 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 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 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 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, with locations off of South Congress and Highland. The facility offers climbing and bouldering, as well as fitness and yoga classes.
Get Crafty
Want to spend the day flexing your creative muscles? There are a couple of places around town where you can get crafty (and messy!). Here in East Austin, stop by Craft, Austin’s very own walk-in craft studio. For just $5, 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 BYOB.
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—plus, 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.
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 $12 admission for unlimited play on 150+ arcade games. As the name suggests, 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 9:00pm.
Another arcade option is Pinballz, which now features two locations, but the original on Burnet Rd. is 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 you’re looking for things to do indoors in Austin. 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, Central Machine Works, Hi Sign Brewing, 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 when you want to stay indoors. For more tour and brewery ideas, check out our 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.
Go Shopping
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 for men and women, 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.
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–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 people watching– it’s probably the best location 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 of hours perusing the stacks of records and books respectively–Amy’s Ice Cream, and outdoors store Whole Earth Provision. For home goods, 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
One of the best indoor things to do in Austin, rain or shine, is to visit the stunning 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, 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.