Is Austin Really Still Weird?

If you make a habit of interacting with the locals here in Austin, you'll probably hear many differing opinions on just how good a job we've collectively been doing Keeping Austin Weird. As Matthew McConaughey himself said about Austin, "The landscape has changed, but I hope [Keeping it Weird] doesn't change. It's a cool spot. Hopefully it stays that way." And here at Twisted Texas Tour, we don't lend a second of our time to any naysayers — Austin is still quite weird, and here's 5 reasons why!

The Live Music Capital of the Weird, er, World! Yes, we still consider ourselves the Live Music Capital of the World, and will continue to do so long after Willie Nelson strums his last chord, which apparently won't be any time soon. Sure, many places all over the US let you go two-steppin' at one place, then jump around like a fool to a DJ. But where else are you gonna go two-steppin' and play chicken-shit bingo all at the same time? Where else are you gonna bounce to a DJ at a convenience store? Pile on a seemingly endless parade of live music festivals large and small, and you've got one weird jammin' place.

Austin's Outsiders: There are some very cool cities not named Austin, but you'd be wrong to think any of those other towns started the kind of scruffy slacker chic that became Austin's weird cultural calling card. Here, you've got a dude who decided to build a whole cathedral out of junk in his backyard! Here, you've got a place where people started eating donuts the size of dinner plates made in Airstream trailers! Austinites are just built different.

Austin's Weird Attractions: Austin is chock-a-block with odd stuff to do. There's the Eureka Room, a place so weird and wonderful that most folks just say, "I don't really know how to explain it." Then there's GOGA — it's yoga, with cute little goats. And who could leave out the Museum of the Weird? We've even infected our neighbors with the weird: quiet little Buda, Texas, just south of A-town, thought having a wiener dog race would be a good use of their time. We're just so proud!

Austin's Weird Culture: Austin's downtown has grown upwards and outwards, and it can feel like we're leaving all the cool places under the shadow of progress. But we're a resilient bunch in Central Texas. We've seen as many tech bubbles and housing bubbles as we have regular ol' bubble bubbles, and through it all we've always found ways to hide weird little gems in the unlikeliest of places — because an old, converted grocery store cold storage facility is the perfect (and not at all creepy) place to create an adult arcade!