25 Reasons We Love Austin

13. Dogs rule
Nobody has it as good as a pooch in Austin: With all of its grassy preserves, this city is an off-leash paradise. Dogs have the run of 13-acre Red Bud Isle between Lake Austin and Lady Bird Lake, but there's plenty for their owners to do, too, including fishing, swimming, and walking the wooded trails. redbudisle.org.

14. Cowboys know how to dance
The Broken Spoke has been serving chicken-fried steaks and showcasing country acts since 1964. While owner James White holds court in a pearl-snap shirt, his daughter Terri teaches country dancing. "Ladies, let him lead!" she hollers. "Now fellas, dance her, dance her." After you learn to two-step, stay for singer Dale Watson's set to show off your moves. 3201 S. Lamar Blvd., 512/442-6189, brokenspokeaustintx.com, cover from $5, lessons $8.

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15. The big house awaits
Built in the late 1800s, the 48-room Mansion at Judges' Hill, with its wraparound porch, four-poster beds, and granite-topped desks, is one of the city's most elegant hotels. But snooty it isn't. The snickerdoodles at the front desk are there to be devoured. 1900 Rio Grande St., 800/311-1619, mansionatjudgeshill.com, from $169.

16. Underdogs prevail
When Borders tried to open a mega store across the street from BookPeople (603 N. Lamar Blvd., 512/472-5050, bookpeople.com) and Waterloo Records & Video (600A N. Lamar Blvd., 512/474-2500, waterloorecords.com), the community raised a ruckus. Borders retreated with its tail between its legs, and both indie shops are going strong, championing the works of local talents, such as satirist Sarah Bird and fiddler-singer Carrie Rodriguez.

17. It's blooming wild
At the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, cofounded by the former first lady to preserve North America's native flora, some 650 indigenous Texas species are spread across more than 20 gardens and meadows. Visit in spring when the bluebonnets are at their peak. 4801 La Crosse Ave., 512/232-0100, wildflower.org, $7.

18. The Austin diet
Barbecue and tacos may be the city's staples, but for a big meal out, there's Wink Restaurant & Wine Bar. Stewart Scruggs and Mark Paul, the chefs and co-owners, gather their ingredients from area farms and tinker with the menu daily. You might find antelope with white Siberian kale, or Gulf of Mexico triggerfish and littleneck clams over homemade pasta. 1014 N. Lamar Blvd., 512/482-8868, winkrestaurant.com, entrées from $18.

19. Art without pretension
Walking into Yard Dog, one of Texas's premier folk and outsider art galleries, is like entering a Eudora Welty story: The room is crowded with curious paintings, furniture, and constructions that celebrate Southern life. Owner Randy Franklin's collection spans from well-known figures like Mose Tolliver to his own discoveries, such as Ms. Wild, a transgendered painter he met at a homeless artists' show. 1510 S. Congress Ave., 512/912-1613, yarddog.com.

20. Tough Texans
The TXRD Lonestar Rollergirls leave it all on the track: After every match in the women's five-team Roller Derby league, the combatants are bloodied, bruised—and pumped up. "The hits you see are real," says Audrey Butera-Young, who skates under the name Ali Mony for the Rhinestone Cowgirls. "I've broken a rib, dislocated my kneecap, and ripped a muscle. But I've always been back on the track as soon as possible!" The Roller Derby season runs from February to October at the Austin Convention Center. 500 E. Cesar Chavez St., txrd.com, $15.

21. There's a party going on right now
Austin is serious about its festivals. Thousands of indie rock, country, and bluegrass fans converge on the city each year for South by Southwest (sxsw.com, Mar. 19–21) and Austin City Limits (aclfestival.com, Oct. 2–4). For the literary crowd, Austin hosts the annual Texas Book Festival, which draws more than 200 international authors (texasbookfestival.org, Oct. 31–Nov. 1).

22. You can run a bar tab at the theater
Once you watch a movie at an Alamo Drafthouse Cinema with a Texas-brewed Shiner Bock in one hand and a basket of fried pickles in the other, you'll never go back to the multiplex again. Drafthouse has four outlets in town, each of which hosts special events like Kung Fu Sundays. drafthouse.com, movie from $6.50.

23. No gym membership required
Runners eschew the treadmill for the Greenbelt, a park along the dry bed of Barton Creek that has eight miles of trails, plus a few cliff faces for rock climbers. Another favorite workout spot is the Lady Bird Lake Hike and Bike Trail, 10 miles of paths on the waterfront. www.ci.austin.tx.us/parks/trails.htm.

24. Tequila sunsets
The perfect place to end an Austin stay is the terrace bar of the InterContinental Stephen F. Austin hotel, overlooking downtown. Order a Stephen F. Top Shelf, the house margarita, tip your cap to the mounted longhorn on the wall, then watch the Texas Capitol turn pink as the last rays of the sun hit it. 701 Congress Ave., 888/424-6835, austin.intercontinental.com, margaritas from $12.

25. The Livestrong lifestyle
As is fitting for Lance Armstrong's hometown, Austin has a dazzling network of well-maintained bike paths. Rent your wheels at his new store, Mellow Johnny's—a play on the Tour de France's maillot jaune, or "yellow jersey"—and grab a peach-tea smoothie to go from the shop's Juan Pelota Café. 400 Nueces St., 512/473-0222, mellowjohnnys.com, two-hour rental $15.