Escape the city for Dripping Springs to learn about the process of making Deep Eddy Vodka. The Austin Tour Company provides a shuttle to and from the distillery, so you can down shots without worrying about your designated driver.

This open-air gallery was created by a non-profit group called Help Other People Everywhere (HOPE) that organises events in which artists and musicians contribute to society. You’re likely to see some graffiti artists in action at this street-art wonderland.

Austin becomes the stage for hundreds of festivals a year. But by far the most celebrated is South by Southwest (SXSW) in March, an annual spectacle of film, music and conferences spread out across the city. Running since 1987, past keynote speakers include Johnny Cash, Mark Zuckerberg and Bruce Springsteen.

When the temperatures soar, locals pack up a picnic and head over to Hamilton Pool, around 23 miles outside the city. A palette of blues and greens, this glorious natural swimming grotto came to light when the rocky domes over an underground river collapsed thousands of years ago.

South Congress (or SoCo) is a strip of iconic low-rise boutiques, antique shops, bars and food trucks jutting towards downtown Austin. The gleaming red spurs of legendary cowboy boot store Allens Boots sit beside Guero’s, the taqueria featured in the cult movie Chef. This is the site of some of Austin’s earliest food trucks, including the experimental Torchy’s Tacos. Texas National Outfitters is a giant cowboy clothing shop famed for its live music, usually involving a guitarist playing a set while perched on top of a horse. At weekends, the street fills with food vendors, pop-up markets and buskers.