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It's a date: 35 date ideas in Austin

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It's a date: 35 date ideas in Austin


Kids, this is the story of how I met your mother, and it was all thanks to ATXtoday.

Ok, so maybe that’s not exactly how the 2000s sitcom went, but if Ted Mosby had consulted us for date night ideas, we could’ve shaved the show down to two seasons (and saved his kids a lot of time).

Regardless, whether you’ve met “the one” or are hoping to impress someone new, we’ve got 35 local date night ideas that are legen — wait for it — dary.

For the ones who want a night out on the town

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Why not fall in love in the glow of Austin’s skyline?

If the way to their heart is through their stomach

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Uchi — which ATXtoday readers suspect will soon earn a Michelin star — is known for its elevated Japanese food from chef Tyson Cole.

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  • Source ingredients (and don’t forget the flowers) at one of Austin’s farmers markets before making dinner together at home.
  • Head to a food truck park and get the first, second, and third courses from different trucks. Play “rock, paper, scissors” to decide who gets to choose each restaurant.
  • Delight your date’s taste buds by introducing them to a new cuisine — you can eat around the globe without leaving Austin.
  • Eat dinner at a restaurant in the 2nd Street District (let its twinkling trees set the mood), then keep the conversation going over chocolate fondue for two at Crú Food & Wine Bar.
  • Impress your date by taking them to one of Austin’s best restaurants — here are the ones that ATXtoday readers think are deserving of a Michelin star.

If you love the great outdoors

A fountain, sculpture, and buildings at laguna gloria

Laguna Gloria isn’t just a great date spot — it’s also a popular wedding venue.

Photo by Melanie Applegate

  • Watch the sunset from a scenic locale like Mount Bonnell or the Pennybacker Bridge Overlook.
  • Wander through the sculpture garden at Laguna Gloria, then grab a grazing board at Spread & Co.’s on-site location to enjoy on the grounds.
  • Take your date to the lake on a paddleboard, kayak, or quirky boat rental.
  • Pack dinner, a deck of cards, and a cooler of beverages, then make your way to a local park.
  • Take your relationship to the next level — aka have your pets meet each other — at one of these dog-friendly locations.
  • Take a Downtown Austin daycation and reserve a poolside cabana at a luxury hotel through ResortPass.

For the ones who like to play games (just not with your heart)

The Round Rock Express sometimes offer themed nights and post-game concerts.

Love is a battlefield baseball field.

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If you’re really hoping that it works out

The view from Mount Bonnell

Pro tip: Pack some tennis shoes for the hike up to Mount Bonnell.

  • Get into the groove and head to a dance class with Ballet Austin.
  • Climb to the top of their “best date” list with an indoor rock climbing session.
  • Find your zen through a heated yoga class at TruFusion Austin. Bonus: your first class is free.
  • Hike to Sculpture Falls on the Barton Creek Greenbelt. Psst — wear a swimsuit and jump into the creek together.
  • Sip coffee together at The Perch ATX before walking or biking the Ann and Roy Hike-and-Bike Trail.
  • Learn to surf together on Lake Austin with ATX Wake Surf.

If you want an “old fashioned”-style date

The ornate interior of the historic Paramount Theatre in Austin. Audience members are filling the seats and the big screen on the stage displays the words "The Paramount Summer Classic Film Series" while filmmaker Robert Rodriguez speaks on stage.

What’s more romantic than a date inside The Paramount Theatre?

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If you wanna show off by knowing all the hottest events in town

  • Shameless plug: Sign up for our daily newsletter, where we call out our top picks of things to do around town. Your date doesn’t have to know we’re behind it, you can take all the credit.
  • Stay up-to-date on the coolest local events around Austin with our events page (and check out this guide for our tips on navigating the page).

What did we miss? If you know a perfect date spot that’s not on the list, guide us in the right direction.





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Austin, TX

Austin, TX venue Emo’s on the move again, AEG to take over the building

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Austin, TX venue Emo’s on the move again, AEG to take over the building


Emo’s in Austin is on the move again. 

After more than a decade at 2015 E. Riverside Drive (following the original Red River-era venue closing in 2011), Emo’s current Riverside space will be taken over by AEG Presents when the lease ends later this year. The Los Angeles, CA-based company will assume operations in January 2027 and plans to reopen the building under a new name in early 2027 following upgrades, renovations and a full rebrand.

AEG are also opening a new 4,000-cap venue nearby next spring as part of the River Park mixed-use development in southeast Austin.

C3 Presents, who reopened Emo’s at the Riverside location, say this isn’t the end of Emo’s — they’re working on a new home and plan to move the venue back to downtown Austin, with more updates to come.

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AEG Presents Vice President Robin Phillips shared the following:

There’s like no weirdness or any bad blood or anything. It just, you know, new lease and they’ll [Emo’s] go do something great. They have been important to the Austin music scene, so I have a lot of respect for them.

But I don’t think the Austin music scene or legacy is limited to one name. I know people will remember the original Emo’s and this Emo’s as, you know, both great venues… And I don’t think Austin’s music scene is just a name, it’s the artists, in my opinion.

 

A C3 spokesperson added:

Emo’s has a long history in Austin and we’ve been working behind the scenes for some time on a new home for this venue. After we wrap up at this venue in December, we will focus our efforts on our new location.

 

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Emo’s gave the following statement to Austin local news KXAN:

We’re grateful for all of the fans and artists who’ve shaped Emo’s to what it is today: a community of like-minded people who love live music. We have a vision for our future and will be moving into a new building downtown that celebrates our punk rock roots with the new amenities that fans are looking for from a venue. We’ll continue to share updates on the next chapter for Emo’s on social media.





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Austin, TX

Highly pathogenic virus found in herd of Texas dairy cows

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Highly pathogenic virus found in herd of Texas dairy cows


State and federal agriculture officials said highly pathogenic avian flu has been found in a herd of dairy cows in Texas.

What we know:

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Officials said the H5N1 virus was confirmed with laboratory tests in late May after cows at an unspecified farm became sick and milk production dropped. The dairy has since been quarantined and an investigation is underway.

This is the first case of avian flu in a Texas dairy herd this year, officials said.

What they’re saying:

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“The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is confident that pasteurization is effective at inactivating H5N1, and that the commercial, pasteurized milk supply is safe,” officials at the Texas Animal Health Commission said in a statement.

A dairy cow is seen at a farm on June 1, 2026.

A dairy cow is seen at a farm on June 1, 2026. (Tim Evans/Bloomberg / Getty Images)

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Dig deeper:

H5N1 has a high rate of severe disease and death in animals that become infected.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the risk to the general public from avian flu is low. Some sporadic human infections have been reported around the world since 1997. There have been no known cases of person-to-person spreading of avian flu.

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The Source: Information in this story came from the Texas Animal Health Commission, the USDA, the FDA and the CDC.

TexasHealthPets and AnimalsFood and Drink



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New Texas law tightens rules for autonomous vehicle companies, including Waymo

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New Texas law tightens rules for autonomous vehicle companies, including Waymo


Self-driving cars have become a common sight on Austin streets, but a new Texas law is adding tougher requirements for the companies behind the wheelless vehicles.

Senate Bill 2807 imposes stricter rules on autonomous vehicle companies operating in the state, including state authorization, emergency response plans for law enforcement, and a public portal where residents can verify operators and file safety complaints.

The changes come as Austin continues to track incidents involving autonomous vehicles. The city’s autonomous vehicle dashboard shows 75 incidents in 2026, including a collision, eight near misses, and seven incidents of ignoring police direction.

Attorney Drew Gibbs, a partner at Slingshot Law, said one crash involved a Waymo vehicle.

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“There was a T-bone collision. A pretty serious T-bone collision where a Waymo just crashed into the side of my client’s vehicle,” Gibbs said.

ALSO| Waymo files voluntary software recall over flooded-lane risks on high-speed roads

KEYE

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One of the incidents of ignoring police direction happened during the mass shooting on West Sixth Street back in March, when three people died, and 15 others were injured.

Austin Police Association President Michael Bullock said autonomous vehicles can struggle in unusual situations.

“It didn’t impede on anything in the moment, but it’s not necessarily uncommon where these vehicles don’t quite know how to deal with these one-off scenarios,” Bullock said.

The new law requires autonomous vehicle companies to be authorized by the state, to provide an emergency response plan for law enforcement, and to participate in a public-facing portal that allows the public to verify operators and submit safety complaints.

Kara Kockelman, a professor of transportation and engineering at the University of Texas at Austin, welcomed the added oversight.

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“I’m glad that the state is taking this a bit more seriously now,” she said. “It’s important not to just let others slip in without kind of meeting those basic minimums.”

Bullock said the emergency planning requirement may not make a major difference in fast-moving situations. Asked how impactful it is to have a fully laid out emergency response plan, Bullock said, “These plans are great, but it takes time to work through all of those versus the immediacy of having someone behind the wheel.”

The four autonomous vehicle companies operating in Austin — Waymo, Zoox, AV-Ride, and Tesla — are all state-authorized.

The Texas DMV said an autonomous vehicle company can lose its authorization to operate in Texas if the agency deems the vehicles are operating in a way that endangers public safety.

Waymo was contacted for comment, but had not responded.

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