Quirky star of the Lone Star State

AUSTIN, Texas -- As the Colorado River stair-steps through the splendid green hills of Central Texas, it makes wide bends through downtown, catching the sparkling reflection of the vibrant city. Lady Bird Lake, as the river is called by locals, gives this place its definitive aura of openness and freedom.

Life in Austin moves at an intensely human pace, even after years of phenomenal growth. The metro area has a population of 1.5 million, but in many ways, it retains a tranquil, small-town foundation. Austinites gather at Barton Springs for a cool dip in artesian water. They eat meat-and-three meals at Threadgill's and scarf down barbecue ribs at Iron Works. Locals consider grocery shopping at Whole Foods a social event, almost as much fun as dancing at The Broken Spoke.

This urbane high-tech boomtown holds onto its quirky "against the grain" lifestyle, often extolled in the unofficial motto "Keep Austin Weird." An outdoor urban dweller holds up a sign, "Why sleep in a $200,000 home when you can sleep under a $2 million bridge?"

The Texas State Capitol and the 26-story University Tower dominate the Austin skyline. They represent two institutions central to the city and the whole state of Texas. Politicians of national importance have exerted great power in the corridors of the domed granite building. The University of Texas covers 350 acres adjacent to the Capitol. Its 50,000 students keep Austin's blood rushing with new ways of doing things.

The rambunctious music scene plays out in 200 clubs, giving Austin the distinctive claim as "Live Music Capital of the World." Cool jazz blares through the Warehouse District. Country-and-western tunes move people to the floor at The Broken Spoke, an authentic Texas dance hall. Mega-decible music reverberates from the West Sixth Street entertainment district. Streams of indefatigable partygoers clog the sidewalk. Willie Nelson, Jerry Jeff Walker, the Dixie Chicks, Spoon, Ray Benson and Asleep at the Wheel call Austin their home. The Long Center for the Performing Arts opened in March as the new permanent base for the symphony, opera and ballet.

During the riotous festival, South by Southwest, an absurd amount of music fills every performance space. Big-name acts and unknown bands come from all points of the compass. The Austin City Limits Music Festival, held in Zilker Park in September, features nearly 150 musical acts from every genre. It draws energy from the loyal fan base of "Austin City Limits," the PBS program that first broadcast in 1976 from KLRU studios on the University of Texas campus. More than 400 artists have performed on the stage backed by the signature skyline. With seats for only 320 people, tickets are difficult to come by.

South Congress Avenue, called SoCo by residents, is a hip strip of funky shops, art galleries, trendy bistros and live music venues, including The Continental Club. Opened as a supper club in 1957, the nightspot features local and touring acts performing roadhouse rock, blues and swing. The six-block district emits a retrofitted shabbiness, brought on by the restored 19th- and early-20th-century buildings. Vintage and antiques shops display wares in shop windows. Parts and Labour sells clothing by Texas-based designers. Allens Boots has flashy footwear and western shirts. Yard Dog carries folk art at reasonable prices. People enjoy happy hour at Hotel San Jose and sip margaritas at Guero's.

Culinary brio overwhelms patrons as they enter the sprawling flagship store of Whole Foods, the world's largest retailer of natural and organic foods. Ultimate foodie fantasies come true as they stroll down aisles of produce, seafood, free-range meats and condiments for all tastes.

The Texas State Capitol is the largest of the 50 statehouses and is 14 feet taller than the U.S. Capitol. Tour guides love to shout out this fact. Shout they must, because the building is crowded with visitors eager to peek into legislative chambers. The House Chamber's most precious artifact is the flag from the Battle of San Jacinto, the decisive victory in the Texas Revolution. The Senate Chamber contains the original walnut desks, brass chandeliers and historical oil portraits. Texans love their history and this building is a shrine to those who established the republic and later the state.

The massive Renaissance Revival building made of Texas sunset-red granite took seven years to construct. A statue of the goddess of liberty tops the dome. The state's symbol, the Lone Star, appears 8,000 times on doorknobs, iron fences and elsewhere.

A supersize Lone Star sculpture greets visitors at the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum. A prodigious collection of artifacts blankets three floors. It tells the story of Texas, beginning with the legacy of American Indians to the present. The Blanton Museum of Art, the largest university-owned art collection in the country, displays works of contemporary, Latin American, Western and Renaissance art. The Harry Ransom Center on the University of Texas campus is a cultural archive with a wide range of treasures including a rare Gutenberg Bible, the world's first photograph, literary manuscripts and original costumes from the movie "Gone with the Wind."

The Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum, the nation's most-visited presidential library, chronicles the life of one of the 20th century's most important politicians through photographs, dioramas, personal objects and recorded commentary. The black-and-white photograph of Johnson's swearing-in ceremony after the assassination of John F. Kennedy prompts a flood of memories for visitors. They hear a tape recording made by Lady Bird Johnson, wife of the president, recalling that fateful day in Dallas. Artifacts marinated in the past include the presidential limousine, ten-gallon hats, family picture albums and White House china. A replica of the Oval Office conveys the power and influence of the 36th president.

Awash in burnt orange and white, the University of Texas campus generates a creative force in Austin, a synergy that makes it one of the most desirable and beloved spots in Texas. Massive oak trees shade historic buildings constructed in the Spanish Renaissance Revival style. Surrounding neighborhoods and a business district present an interesting mix of casual restaurants, eclectic shops, nightclubs and artisan studios.

From our accommodation at the Intercontinental Stephen F. Austin Hotel, we are within walking distance of the Texas Capitol and several other important landmarks. Known to locals as the "Stephen F.", the hotel was Austin's first high-rise when it was constructed in 1924. Recently renovated, the hotel has 189 guest rooms and suites all with marble baths and well-tailored elegance. It is around the corner from the Driskill, a historic property best known for its la-de-da cafe. This was the frontier palace of cattle baron Jesse Driskill, hence the western decor and stained-glass-domed ceiling. We have dinner at Ranch 616, a cross between an old icehouse and a modern bistro. On our way back to the hotel, we enter a residential enclave of pin-neat homes and well-barbered grounds. The Bremond Block National Historic Register District dates to the 19th and early 20th century.

People here concoct all sorts of reasons to be outside. That fact is clear when we join the dozens -- no, hundreds -- of walkers, joggers, roller bladers and cyclists on the banks of Lady Bird Lake. Ten miles of trail border the blue waterway. Zilker Park, one of 220 parks in Austin, offers a nostalgic attraction not found elsewhere. In the shelter of century-old pecan trees, swimmers lounge at the spring-fed pool at Barton Springs. Spanish friars chose this site in 1730 for their missions and founded a settlement to be known as Waterloo, later renamed Austin. We rent a canoe and paddle down Barton Creek to Lady Bird Lake in the company of kayakers, waterfowl and turtles.

The 351-acre Zilker Park also features playgrounds, picnic areas, volleyball courts, disc golf course and soccer and rugby fields in addition to the Austin Nature and Science Center. Tranquil pools, rose-scented shade, explosions of color and the ever-present sound of flowing water draw people to the 22-acre Zilker Botanical Gardens. Formal, native, Oriental and prehistoric gardens are designed to create a diversity of visual experiences.

More than 130 statues and sculptures of animals, families, saints and mythological characters populate Umlauf Sculpture Garden and Museum. The pieces are the creative work of internationally known sculptor and University of Texas professor Charles Umlauf. Set in a glade amid exuberant flowers, the sculptures evoke the play of sunshine. Visitors pick their favorite spot for relaxation and reflection.

Lake Austin and Lake Travis rival the popularity of Lady Bird Lake. We take time to visit Emma Long Park for hiking on the Turkey Creek Trail and then make our way to Ski Shores Waterfront Cafe on Lake Austin. This walk-up hamburger stand was established in 1954 and remains a fixture among the weekend cottages lining the lakeshore. We laze away the afternoon, listening to a three-piece band performing by the dock. White clouds cast enormous shadows on the surrounding forested hillsides.

The Oasis, a watering hole perched high above Lake Travis, is the place to be at the close of day. People sit on multilevel decks, pound down a few beers or margaritas, and watch as the sun sinks to the horizon. Applause erupts the moment the gold orb disappears in the pinkish glow.

Clued-in visitors realize that an equally powerful drama happens from March through October at downtown's Congress Avenue Bridge. At about 6 p.m., as the light leaches from the sky, spectators gather on a tree-laced knoll. The largest colony of bats in North America emerges from the bridge's understructure. The 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats soar over the river and begin their nightly food hunt. It's a quintessentially Austin experience, not to be missed.

(For more information, contact the Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau: 866-GO-AUSTIN, 800-926-2282, www.austintexas.org.)

(Linda Lange is the travel editor of The News Sentinel in Knoxville, Tenn.)

(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, http://www.scrippsnews.com)