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All the United States Texas Austin

The Atlas Obscura Guide To Austin

47 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Austin, Texas

Updated April 15, 2025

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Unusual Attractions in Austin

Museum of the Weird, May 2018

Austin, Texas

Museum of the Weird

Continuing the tradition of the dime museum in style.
Cathedral of Junk

Austin, Texas

Cathedral of Junk

This unique structure in suburban Austin is made up entirely of other people's castaways, and constantly changing.
Uncommon Objects sign

Austin, Texas

Uncommon Objects

One part antique store, one part curiosities hodge-podge.
Crowds gather to watch the bats fly out as the sun sets.

Austin, Texas

Congress Bridge Bats

Home to the largest urban bat colony in North America, estimated at 1.5 million bats.
A view of the ‘Skin and Bones’ collection. (Museum of Natural and Artificial Ephemerata)

Austin, Texas

Museum of Natural and Artificial Ephemerata

DIY collection of eclectic holdings.

Austin, Texas

Toy Joy

A store full of vintage and indie toys designed to bring out the kid in even the crustiest of adults.
Peacock at Mayfield

Austin, Texas

Mayfield Park

Free public park and gardens filled with peacocks and peahens.
Curia Arcanum

Austin, Texas

Curia Arcanum

This eclectic Austin curiosity shop is home to all things strange and unusual.
See All 47 Things To Do in Austin

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Austin

Christmas decor fills the interior of Lala’s Little Nugget.

Austin, Texas

Lala’s Little Nugget

At this Austin dive bar, it's been Christmas every day for more than 50 years.
The exterior of Whip In.

Austin, Texas

Whip In

This convenience store-turned-brewpub serves up inventive Indian cuisine and a wide selection of beers.
In partnership with KAYAK

Plan Your Trip

In partnership with GetYourGuide

Unforgettable Experiences Nearby

Atlas Obscura Itineraries

8 Out-There Art Destinations in Texas

Sponsored by Travel Texas

A surplus of space always means a surplus of creative possibility. Texas, with its never-ending skies, wide deserts, and even bigger imaginations, takes this idea to thrilling conclusions. If you’re interested in planning an art-focused road trip, you won’t find a better destination than Texas, where one day you’ll be browsing an obsessive collection of outsider art, and the next day you’ll be walking through a hidden alley covered in umbrellas or beneath a neon skyscape. Here are eight of the most exciting art destinations in the state to inspire your mind and thrill your eyes.

View Itinerary

Explore Austin, Texas

Art 6
Music 6
Outsider Art 5
Parks 4
Animals 4
Sculptures 4
Water 4
Museums 4
Collections 4

Austin Leaderboard

Places Added

  1. ATX Mike
    4
  2. ianwoodshaw
    4
  3. I has a bucket
    2
  4. naturedude
    2
  5. Annetta Black
    2
Join the Ranks!
Add an unusual place to Austin.

Places Edited

  1. knoxium
    19
  2. SemiruralYeti
    10
  3. Scott Terrell
    8
  4. notoriousFIG
    8
  5. Julius Spada
    8
Join the Ranks!
Improve the Atlas with edits and photos.

Places Visited

  1. knoxium
    44
  2. jsmalls
    42
  3. Aty Trocious
    36
  4. pcooper47sxsw
    33
  5. kevbot
    32

Recent Austin Activity

  • Emilie E

    wants to go to Ellsworth Kelly's 'Austin'

  • Emilie E

    wants to go to Museum of the Weird

  • Emilie E

    has been to Austin Moonlight Towers

  • Emilie E

    wants to go to Air Conditioned Village

  • Emilie E

    wants to go to Curia Arcanum

Stories About Austin

Rebecca Bradley (left) was labeled a flapper bandit by the media, and a woman who had lots her mind by her attorney (right).

Meet the Texas Flapper Bandit

A bank robber or a lightning rod for America's growing fear of independent women—who was Rebecca Bradley?
by Laura Niebauer
January 14, 2025
Mexican free-tailed bats emerging from Eckert James River Bat Cave Preserve in Texas.

How to Go Bat-Watching

Once the sun goes down, these furry fliers get active. You can spot them almost anywhere you go, if you know how to look.
by Casey Langton
May 27, 2024
Chef Damian Brockway and his wife, Kornpawee Brockway.

Podcast: Distant Relatives

Tried and true barbecue favorites meet unexpected spices and flavor profiles.
Sponsored by Travel Texas

Video: The Joys of Bat-Watching

Every evening, locals and visitors congregate at Austin’s Congress Avenue Bridge to watch a show made up of 1.5 million performers. Specifically: bats.
Sponsored by Visit Austin

The Famous Fight Over the Turn-of-the-Century Trend of Spirit Photography

In one corner: Harry Houdini. And in the other: Arthur Conan Doyle.
by April White
October 29, 2021

Podcast: Big Bertha Drum

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.
by The Podcast Team
August 31, 2021
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 leaps into the stars.

Austin Just Sent Its Favorite Queso Recipe to the Moon

One small step for cheese, one giant leap for cheese.
by Reina Gattuso
February 26, 2019
HOPE Outdoor Gallery in 2014. The gallery will be demolished next spring, and another will open 10 miles away.

An Ever-Shifting Austin Art Space Makes Its Biggest Move Yet

HOPE Outdoor Gallery is a local landmark. Will its spirit follow it to its new location?
by Cara Giaimo
July 24, 2018

Lists Featuring Austin

A view of the Cushing Center from the entrance
Brain of Helen Hamilton Gardener

The World's Most Fascinating Displays of Preserved Brains

The mind is a terrible thing to waste.

8

Including The Cushing Center, Mammalian Brain Collection, and Brain Museum

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