For many UT students, spring break has been a time when they can relax, sleep in and explore the enormous spectacle that is South by Southwest. 

However, with this year being the first in many when spring break comes a week after SXSW, students are left scratching their heads over what to do over break. 

So, when one of our readers asked us “What are some things to do in Austin over spring break?” we looked into it as part of Curious Campus, our series where we answer reader-submitted questions every week. 

Now that spring break doesn’t align with SXSW, students can take time to experience Austin essentials they didn’t have time for during school. Carly Williams, English and health and society senior, suggested looking into cinemas such as Alamo Drafthouse and Violet Crown. 

“If people haven’t ever gone, (I’d recommend) someplace like Alamo Drafthouse just because I think that’s always a fun experience,” Williams said. “It’s more of an experience than just seeing a movie, especially with streaming now where it’s just (watching) a movie on your phone. There, it becomes a lot more immersive.”

Williams also emphasized Austin’s title as the “Live Music Capital of the World”, recommending students check out concert venues such as Stubb’s Bar-B-Q, Mohawk Austin and Barracuda. 

“If you want more of a night out, I would definitely check out a venue like Stubbs or Mohawk to see what’s going on because they usually have a good assortment of people,” Williams said.

For more active folks, civil engineering freshman Thinh Dinh said there are a lot of activities such as ice skating and trampoline parks in the Austin area.

“There’s a lot of things to do in Austin over spring break,” Dinh said. “You can go to Barton Springs, go kayaking (or) paddle boarding. There’s also Zilker Park, where you can hang out with your friends … because the park is really big.”

Radio-television-film senior Brittany Braun also recommends the Austin Bouldering Project and Austin Eastciders, which are located near each other. 

“Austin Bouldering Project is a really cool space,” Braun said. “They have a study coffee lounge on the second floor. They have a gym, a sauna, a spa area and they have this really cool huge bouldering section. It’s really cool and pretty cheap … and then you can just walk next door and get cider.”

Braun also mentioned outdoor sites such as the Barton Creek Greenbelt and Mount Bonnell, as well as some restaurants on South Congress. For her, these are all just a part of Austin culture. 

“Austin culture is just a huge, very casual, foodie city, but also a very outdoorsy city,” Braun said.