Janis Glass

Enjoy your evening at Austin’s original swanky joint, the Speakeasy, featuring three levels of unique entertainment. The Music Lounge, with its roaring 20s vibe, is ready for you to listen to local Austin musicians live on a nightly basis. The Bowling Mezzanine offers a unique lounge setting with antique couches, a personalized bar, and two vintage bowling lanes overlooking the main music stage. The Ballroom has a 700-person capacity for events and a concert room for private parties. The Kabaret Room has a prohibition-era vibe with a pool table, stage, bar, and 1920s-inspired lounge furniture.

Explore the "jewel in the heart of Austin," also known as the Zilker Botanical Garden. The garden was established in 1995 and sprawls through 31 acres of downtown Austin, offering a sweet escape from city streets and greeting more than 400,000 visitors annually. Themes among the gardens are as varied as nature itself. There's a Japanese garden and koi pond, a rose garden, an herb garden, a butterfly trail and garden, and a cactus garden among the selections to tour. Another unique feature is the Hartman Prehistoric Garden, which recreates the habitat of local dinosaurs. Visitors can tour the gardens for free and take home a Texas succulent or majestic orchid among the many offerings.

Explore the elegant side of Austin at the Neill-Cochran House, considered one of the city's three most important historic residences, where you'll discover several rooms decorated with 1780-1925 furniture. Tour the historic home and hear several stories about the many occupants over the years, including the Texas School for the Blind and its occupation by federal troops during Reconstruction. The home is open for daily tours and is a living history lesson on how Austin went from a sleepy outpost to the state capital to the home of one of the largest universities in the country.