My First Summer in Austin After Moving From Chicago

Moving from Chicago to Austin comes with plenty of adjustments. The food is different. The pace is different. Winter is definitely different.

And then there’s summer.

This year is my first summer living in Austin, and I’m quickly discovering that summer here isn’t something you simply endure. You learn how to work with it. You get outside earlier, find some water, appreciate air conditioning on an entirely new level, and discover that some of the best parts of Austin seem specifically designed for a hot Texas day.

For anyone wondering what I’ve been up to since making the move from Chicago, summer has given me a great excuse to start exploring my new home.

Here are some of the Austin experiences at the top of my list.

1. Cooling Off at Barton Springs

It’s difficult to talk about summer in Austin without starting with Barton Springs.

Located inside Zilker Park, Barton Springs Pool is a three-acre, spring-fed swimming pool and one of those places that immediately makes you understand why people love living here.

Coming from Chicago, my idea of escaping the summer heat usually involved Lake Michigan. Austin has a very different answer.

The cold spring water at Barton Springs feels especially good when the temperature outside starts climbing. I’m also learning that timing matters in Austin: getting outside early in the morning or later in the evening can completely change the experience.

Barton Springs feels like one of those places you could visit dozens of times and still consider it part of the Austin experience rather than a tourist attraction.

2. Getting Out on Lady Bird Lake

One of my favorite things about Austin so far is how much nature sits right in the middle of the city.

Lady Bird Lake is probably the best example.

You can kayak or paddleboard with the Austin skyline in the background, and there are multiple places around the lake where you can rent equipment or get onto the water. Visit Austin continues to list paddling Lady Bird Lake as one of the city's signature outdoor experiences.

For summer, though, I’m learning one very important Austin rule:

Go early.

An early-morning paddle followed by breakfast or coffee sounds much better than discovering the full strength of the Texas sun at 2 p.m.

The Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail around Lady Bird Lake is another place I’m spending more time exploring. The full trail stretches about 10 miles, although there’s obviously no requirement that you tackle all of it at once—especially in August.

3. Watching the Congress Avenue Bridge Bats

This may be the most uniquely Austin summer activity on the list.

During bat season, huge numbers of Mexican free-tailed bats emerge from underneath the Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge around dusk. The primary viewing season runs roughly from spring through fall, making summer a prime time to see it.

It’s the kind of thing that sounds slightly strange until you remember where you are.

Then it seems perfectly Austin.

You can watch from around the bridge or even see the emergence from the water. It’s also an ideal summer activity because it happens around sunset, when the heat finally starts backing off.

As someone new to Austin, I like experiences like this because they give the city a personality. Chicago has plenty of traditions that make it unmistakably Chicago. I’m starting to discover Austin’s equivalents.

Thousands of bats flying out from underneath a downtown bridge certainly qualifies.

4. Learning to Plan Around the Heat

This probably isn’t going to appear on many “Best Things to Do in Austin” lists, but it might be the most useful lesson from my first Austin summer.

You have to respect the heat.

In Chicago, a great summer Saturday might mean being outside from breakfast until dinner. In Austin, I’m becoming much more strategic.

Morning: outside.

Afternoon: somewhere with air conditioning.

Evening: outside again.

Once you accept that rhythm, summer becomes a lot more enjoyable.

Fortunately, Austin gives you plenty of options. Spend the morning swimming or walking. Find a restaurant, coffee shop, museum, movie theater, bookstore or brewery during the hottest part of the afternoon. Then head back out when the sun starts dropping.

It’s not hiding from summer.

It’s learning how Austin does summer.

5. Finding Live Music After the Sun Goes Down

I knew Austin had a major music scene before moving here. Actually living here makes you realize just how deeply music is built into the city.

Summer nights are an especially good excuse to find a show.

Austin has outdoor stages and venues hosting music across a huge range of genres, and the city's official tourism organization maintains current guides to outdoor concerts and live music venues.

There’s something very Austin about spending the day near the water, grabbing dinner and then ending the night listening to live music.

Chicago summers have an incredible outdoor energy of their own. Austin’s version feels more casual and spread throughout the city. Instead of waiting for a major festival, you can simply decide that tonight sounds like a good night to hear some music.

That spontaneity is something I’ve come to appreciate.

6. Spending a Summer Evening on South Congress

South Congress is obviously one of Austin’s better-known areas, but I think summer evenings are a particularly good time to explore it.

Walk around. Browse the shops. Grab tacos, dinner or something cold. Watch the city change as the sun goes down.

This is another place where moving from Chicago has changed my perspective.

When you relocate, ordinary neighborhood exploration becomes interesting again. You start noticing which streets you want to revisit, which restaurants always seem busy and which places might eventually become your places.

That process has been one of my favorite parts of moving to Austin.

There’s a difference between visiting a city and slowly becoming part of one.

7. Watching an Austin Sunset

After spending a summer day trying to avoid direct sunlight, it’s funny how quickly you start chasing the sun when evening arrives.

Austin has plenty of places to catch a sunset, but Mount Bonnell is one of the classics. The overlook provides views toward Lake Austin and is open early enough for sunrise and late enough for sunset visits.

Lady Bird Lake, Zilker Park and other parts of the city can be just as enjoyable.

I’ve found that evening is when Austin really comes back to life during summer. The temperature drops, patios start filling up and everyone seems ready to be outside again.

A Texas sunset followed by dinner is a pretty good way to close out the day.

8. Eating My Way Around Austin

This one applies during every season, but summer gives you a good excuse.

After moving from Chicago, one of my goals has been to explore Austin through food.

That means barbecue, obviously.

It also means tacos, food trucks, Tex-Mex, burgers, breakfast spots and plenty of places I probably haven't discovered yet.

One of the most enjoyable parts of moving to a new city is not having established favorites. Every recommendation can turn into a new restaurant. Every neighborhood has places you haven’t tried.

Chicago set an extremely high bar for food.

Austin isn't trying to be Chicago, though—and I don't want it to be.

Part of the fun is figuring out what Austin does differently.

Chicago Summer vs. Austin Summer

People have asked me how living in Austin compares with Chicago.

Summer might highlight the contrast better than anything else.

In Chicago, summer feels almost urgent. After making it through winter, everybody wants to squeeze as much as possible into those precious warm months.

Austin has a different relationship with warm weather.

Here, summer requires a little more strategy. Water becomes important. Shade becomes valuable. Early mornings suddenly make sense. Evenings feel like the beginning of the day rather than the end of it.

And I've learned that 90 degrees means something completely different after you've experienced Austin in August.

But both cities share something I appreciate: people want to be out experiencing where they live.

They just dress for very different temperatures.

My First Austin Summer Is Really About Getting to Know the City

The biggest takeaway from my first summer isn't any individual attraction.

It's that moving somewhere new gives you permission to explore again.

You take different roads just to see where they go. You try restaurants because somebody mentioned them in passing. You notice parks, neighborhoods and venues you've driven by three times and make a mental note to come back.

That's where I am with Austin right now.

There are still plenty of places I haven't visited and plenty of things about Texas I don't understand yet. That's part of what makes this stage enjoyable.

I moved from Chicago to Austin this year, survived the move, and I'm now getting my introduction to a Texas summer.

Preferably one Barton Springs visit, early-morning paddle, taco and air-conditioned afternoon at a time.

John Kim is a Chicago transplant now calling Austin, Texas home, sharing his experiences exploring the city, discovering Texas culture, and adjusting to life in the Lone Star State.