South by Southwest - Austin, Texas

South by Southwest; it is an Austin thing! It all started back in 1987 as "Austin Battle of the Bands, SXSW." Austin has been the home of this festival that showcases musicians, film makers and media from all over the country. SXSW is one of the largest music festivals in the United States. This festival is the highest revenue producing special event in Austin, pumping an estimated $110 million last year.

Beginning on March 13, 2009, Downtown Austin will be flooded with musicians and film makers from all over the world. There will be over eighty stages for performers to show their talents. It is estimated that there will be over 1,800 musical acts from all genres; most of the conferences will take place at the Austin Convention Center.

In 1994 South by Southwest added film and interactive conferences and since then has become one of the world's premier film festivals, focusing on new directing talent.

Although the convention center will be hosting most of the conference, there will be many venues within walking distance.

South by Southwest helps the Austin economy by bringing in such a large amount of revenue. Much of this revenue is from visitors booking hotel rooms, eating in Austin's restaurants and spending money on souvenirs and the convention itself.

For visitors who would rather not stay in hotels, Austin has several neighborhoods around the downtown area that have rental homes available for the SXSW festival.

Travis Heights is a historical neighborhood is tucked between Interstate 35 and South Congress Avenue and is one of the most sought out neighborhoods for professionals who work downtown. Most of the homes were built in the 1920's and many of these older homes have carriage houses and detached garages that have been turned into apartments. It is also ideal for renters who want easy access to the festival.

Hyde Park is a neighborhood that is located in central Austin. The neighborhood was developed in 1974. There approximately 2,000 homes in the neighborhood, which is within 38th Street, 51st Street, Guadeloupe, Duval, and Red River. This neighborhood has many amenities and is a historic neighborhood. Visitors to SXSW may be able to find families renting rooms or homes for the festival.

Austin has many neighborhoods within walking distance of downtown. Many homes are available for rent by the night or by the week. There are charming arts and crafts homes that were built in the mid 1920's that have been completely updated and are fully furnished with modern day style. Many of these homes are pet friendly too.

There are several restaurants within walking distance from these neighborhoods as well, making everything very accessible for the conference.

These neighborhoods are within walking distance from downtown. Whether you decide to take in the night life during SXSW or just decide to sit on the front porch and listen to all the music, Austin has something for everyone.

Visitors for this years South by Southwest conference can enjoy the downtown life, Austin style.

Ki created a website, which allows anyone looking for Austin real estate to search for free. They can investigate homes in the Austin MLS based on self-selected criteria. His site provides updated statistics on Austin Texas real estate and Round Rock Texas real estate.

Big Plans For Austin Real Estate (pt1)

Austin is a city that is undergoing a lot of change and development. There is a constant push to create unique and intelligently designed living spaces while maintaining a solid community base and upgrading and enhancing the community services and amenities that are required by all residents. There are some really exciting things happening in Austin that any home buyer or potential resident should be aware of as they present some great opportunities and changes to the community and services that should be of interest to all.

One such development that is ain the works is the Legacy @ Town Lake. This new high-rise is the newest addition to Austin's beautiful skyline and is offering 187 luxury units in downtown Austin. Ranging in size from a simple 650 square feet to a sprawling 2,900 square feet, units will range in rent from $1,130 to $6,930 with an average rent of approximately $2,298 per month. This development will provide a luxury style of life for residents who want the flexibility of a lease without being tied down to a property.

Another development of interest is the airport gateway that will feature a 58 acre mixed-use complex that will serve as an entry point to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. The land that has been set aside for this project includes areas for a hotel, and speculative retail, industrial and build-to-suit or user projects. This promises to be a dynamic addition to the Austin business and retail community and is being handled and developed by St. Croix Capital Corp.

These developments are all a part of the changing face of Austin. As a one of Texas's major metropolitan centers and a popular housing market, Austin has made the commitment to residents and businesses alike to maintain the excellent quality of public services and business atmosphere that has enabled Austin to develop into one of Texas's major players both residentially and economically. With an eye to the future, Austin continues to develop land with the needs of the residents and future generations in mind. As time progresses cities need to be designed more intuitively and conveniently and Austin is a good example of a city that is planning ahead.

Eric Bramlett is a realtor & broker servicing the Austin TX real estate market. Eric provides elite service and information to clients interested in homes and properties in Texas. For more information contact Eric, or visit online at www.ericbramlett.com

The Best Austin Hotels

The thought of a vacation is sufficient to lift spirits when dealing with work stress and day-to-day anxiety. The most difficult part when deciding upon a vacation is to find a destination that all family members or partners agree upon. Located in Texas, Austin is considered to be a popular choice. This can be related to tourist's fascination about the "Wild West," theme parks and enchanting scenic beauty.

There are a number of top class hotels in Austin. They offer exclusive deals to their customers. The city of Austin has numeral of expensive luxury hotels run by some of the leading hotel chains. What makes them best is not just their carefully selected location but also fresh flowers, champagne bottles, stunning rooms, soaring ceilings, historic buildings and mesmerizing views. These kind of hotels work best for honeymooners.

Businessmen prefer hotels that provide instant bookings. Some hotels also provide facilities for conferences and conventions. These kinds of hotels are considered best from a businessmen's point of view.

For the higher-class people, luxury hotels also have exclusive suites, which are very spacious and elegant. Some of the luxury hotels offer occasional discounts. One can take advantage of that to realize their dream of staying in a luxury hotel.

Their restaurants have a wide variety of cuisine, and many hotels also offer golfing facilities. By and large, these luxury hotels offer free parking and free shuttles to and from the airport.

It is advisable for pet owners to bear in mind that there are some hotels that do not allow pets. However, they can always access websites that provide details about hotels in Austin that are pet friendly.

Many online sites provide detailed information that can help visitors plan their trip to Austin. It is advisable to make reservations well in advance. People can also book through their travel agent, over the telephone or online.

Austin Hotels provides detailed information on Austin Hotels, Downtown Austin Hotels, Discount Austin Hotels, Luxury Austin Hotels and more. Austin Hotels is affiliated with Seattle Airport Hotels.

Low Budget Austin Hotels

Located in Texas is a famous holiday destination. Keeping in mind its popularity and continuous influx of tourists, a number of hoteliers is continuously striving to provide greater than before hospitality. The region offers a wide range of entertainment avenues, recreation and lodging options. Austin offers a wide variety of hotels to choose from. These hotels may be star rated, lodges, inn, studio apartments or suites. Depending upon the size of the accommodation, hotel rates tend to vary.

When considering a vacation people plan out on a budget to move on with their plan. Some people planning a vacation might not want to spend a lot on accommodations and would prefer to enjoy other activities such as sight seeing or recreational activities. For some people who are not familiar with the city they can choose all-inclusive packages that are offered by hotels. This is particularly attractive to families and people with a limited budget. Normally in an all-inclusive vacation package, airfare from the departure destination, transportation between airport and hotel, accommodation charges and all meals and drinks are included. Additionally, all-inclusive packages generally comprise of a couple of extra activities, such as a few free tours and on-sight recreation.

Visitors with limited budgets can also avail of accommodations in hostels. They are reasonably priced and are considered to be very hygienic. If there is a group of tourists visiting the city, they can always seek bargains in their room rent in most of the hotels. However, these discounts are offered only when the figure of rooms booked by the group beyond 10 visitors. Some smaller hotels like lodges can give a group discount even if the number of rooms booked is less than that.

There are a number of online and offline resources, which provide information about the cheap hotels, lodges and inn. It is always advisable to go through them before visitors get a hotel room booked. There are also certain websites, which provide reviews of these low budget hotels. These reviews often include comments from not only the writers, but also from ordinary people who stayed at these hotels. It is advisable for people to verify the kind of services offered by the lodges and inns with low rates.

Austin Hotels provides detailed information on Austin Hotels, Downtown Austin Hotels, Discount Austin Hotels, Luxury Austin Hotels and more. Austin Hotels is affiliated with Seattle Airport Hotels.

Austin - Living Up To Its Moniker Of "Live Music Capital Of The World"

Austin, Texas has a vibrant live music scene, and boasts more music venues per capita than any other city in the United States. Austin's music scene revolves mainly around the many nightclub venues on 6th Street, but the pinnacle is arguably the annual music, film and multimedia festival called South By Southwest (SXSW).

SXSW officially began in 1987, originating as the Austin Battle of the Bands and is centered around the downtown Austin Convention Center. It has become one of the largest music festivals in the United States, with more thousands of performers from all across the globe playing in over seventy venues across Austin over four days in March. Largely an industry-based event, SXSW has garnered a reputation for being the place for new, up-and-coming bands to break into the industry, and particularly British bands looking to break the US market. Acts who have gained mass notoriety after playing sets at SXSW include The White Stripes in 2001, and British emo-punks Gallows who took the festival by storm in 2007.

2007 was SXSW's biggest year yet, and saw more than 2000 bands take over Austin between March 14th and 18th. Highlights included stand-out sets from The Rapture, Cold War Kids and Kings of Leon. David Byrne, formerly of Talking Heads, and The Who's Pete Townshend were among the event's conference speakers (Townshend later made a guest appearance, joining The Fratellis onstage and showcasing his trademark windmill guitar moves). British punk legends The Buzzcocks also played a raucous set, as did US punk icons Iggy & The Stooges. There was also the emergence of a one-night-only supergroup, as Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine and Audioslave was joined on his solo set by a mass of unannounced special guests including Jane's Addiction frontman Perry Farrell, MC5's Wayne Kramer, Primus bass supremo Les Claypool and Slash of Guns 'n Roses and Velvet Revolver fame.

SXSW is the single highest money-making public event for the Austin community, generating more revenue than even home games by Austin's hugely popular college football team, the Texas Longhorns

SXSW is just one of Austin's festivals - the city is also host to the All Tomorrow's Parties-esque Fun Fun Fun Festival, a two day event that last year saw performances across three stages from acts such as Cat Power and Diplo as well as sets from Austin natives Okkervil River, Zykos, I Love You But I've Chosen Darkness and Explosions In The Sky, who headlined.

Also, the Austin City Limits festival has quickly become one of the most popular and well-attended festivals in the entire United States, ranking alongside Coachella and Lollapalooza. The festival brings together over 130 bands across eight stages over three days. The festival works in conjunction with the popular Austin City Limits TV show, which showcases local Austin acts as well as artists playing the festival.

For any fans wishing to experience "the live music capital of the world" for themselves, there are plenty of hotels in Austin available to suit a range of budgets, but with the eye of the America turning to Texas, booking in advance is advised for the more popular acts.

Keeping Austin Weird - What to Expect From Texas' Capital City

Despite being the capital city of Texas, Austin is a city that prides itself on being far from ordinary. Known as the 'Live Music Capital of the World', Austin offers visitors a vacation that is as diverse as it is exciting. After all, as a city with the motto 'Keep Austin Weird', a visit to Austin is sure to be a vacation with a difference.

As you might expect from a city referred to as the 'Live Music Capital of the World', Austin has a vibrant live music scene with more music venues per capita than any other U.S city. Austin's music revolves around the numerous entertainment venues that can be found on its historic 6th Street. Originally known as Pecan Street, East-6th Street is the heart of the Austin entertainment district and plays host to a multitude of bars, clubs and music venues. Located along the length of East-6th Street between Congress Avenue and Interstate 35, you'll find many venues offering live music at one time or another during the week.

Austin is also the venue for an annual film, music and multimedia festival known as South by Southwest, which takes place every spring. Centred around the downtown Austin Convention Centre, each part of the South by Southwest festival is relatively independent of one another with different start and end dates. The musical branch of the festival is one of the largest music festivals in the United States with more than 1,400 performers playing across dozens of venues around the city, while the film branch has quickly become one of the world's premiere film festivals, focussing on new directing talent.

Zilker Park in Austin is the venue for the Austin City Limits Music Festival, an annual three-day music and art festival. Bringing together more than 130 bands over eight stages, the festival combines rock, country, folk, indie, Americana, hip-hop, reggae and bluegrass artists, and attracts a crowd of around 65,000 music-lovers every day. The festival has been such a huge success that it is often compared to other top rock festivals held in the United States, including Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza and Coachella. Other annual events held in Austin include Eeyore's Birthday Party and the Austin Reggae Festival - previously named the Bob Marley Festival.

If Austin's music scene isn't for you, Austin is also the home of a lot of artists. On Guadalupe, you'll find a host of local artistic talent selling their works at the Renaissance Market; while every first Thursday of the month, the eclectic shops on South Congress stay open late, with artists selling their artwork on the sidewalks, accompanied by musicians playing in the streets. For a more contemporary view of Austin's art scene, pay a visit to the Blanton Museum of Art, a 155,000 square foot museum situated on the University's campus, housing some 17,000 works of art from Europe, the United States and Latin America.

Residents in Austin need little cause to celebrate, and 'Austinites', as they are known, take pride in their eccentricities and often celebrate the differences between themselves and other cities in the U.S. The local motto - 'Keep Austin Weird' - features on innumerable bumper stickers, tT-shirts and other memorabilia. Famous Austinites include country singer Willie Nelson, cyclist Lance Armstrong, Aactress Sandra Bullock and tennis player Andy Roddick.

When it comes to eating out in Austin, you would be forgiven for expecting the Texas 'Holy Trinity' of barbecue, Tex-Mex and chicken-fried steak. However, Austin now possesses a much more sophisticated and international flair, with the Wall Street Journal naming the city as one of the country's "up and coming culinary hotspots."

To get the very best experience of this culturally diverse and exciting city, look for a hotel in Austin that is situated in the Central or Downtown areas of the city. Just remember that Austin is a city where it's considered normal to be a little out of the ordinary!

Andrew Regan is a freelance online journalist

Austin Ghost Tours

Austin is steeped in history, from the days of the Republic of Texas, through the establishment of Austin as the Capitol of the State of Texas. Downtown Austin is full of old, historic buildings, many of which are said to be haunted by a multitude of ghosts. Austin Ghost Tours has meticulously researched the history behind each legend, and has created walking tours based on the colorful and sometimes frightening stories of Austin's past.

Originally created as an offshoot of Austin Promenade Tours, a historic walking tour with a less ghoulish focus, Austin Ghost Tours has been giving people goosebumps for well over a decade. Their popularity increases every year, as does their offerings. They have recently begin offering online tours to those who can't join the walking tours - but the spine-tingling feeling of walking with the spirits is best experienced in person.

One of Austin's most "incredibly haunted" spots is the historic Driskill Hotel. Located on the corner of Sixth and Brazos, it has been the crown jewel of downtown Austin since it opened on December 20, 1886. Some say that the spirit of Colonel Driskill remains in the building he was so proud of, evidenced by mysterious puffs of cigar smoke. Staff have reported sensing a child bouncing the ball down the grand staircase leading from the mezzanine down to the lobby and giggling - perhaps the ghost of the four-year-old daughter of a US Senator who was playing unattended with a ball when she slipped and fell to her death on the marble floor at the bottom of the stairs. These and many other ghostly legends are part of the Driskill's vibrant history.

The Driskill figures greatly into two of the tours offered - the Ghosts of the Capitol Tour, which includes the Driskill, as well as the Capitol itself, and the Governor's Mansion. The Ghosts of the Warehouse District Tour features some of the oldest buildings in the city, including the site of series of gruesome murders in 1885. These two tours are 90 minutes each, and both end at the magnificent Driskill.

One of the most popular tours is the Sixth Street Pub Crawl. Sixth Street, although a vibrant and extremely modern entertainment district, is full of ancient building with their fair share of ghosts, murder and mayhem. Enjoy Austin's historic taverns while learning about its haunted past on this unique tour. The Sixth Street Tour has proven to be all the rage for bachelor and bachelorette parties.

Other tours include one dedicated to the chilling story of the "Servant Girl Annihilator," a brutal serial killer who predated Jack the Ripper, and terrorized female servants in 1884. Halloween is a perfect night for ghost stories, and Austin Ghost Tours celebrates with one of their best tours - a jam-packed combination tour that includes the best of each. Tickets go early for this one, so book in advance.

Austin Ghost Tours conducts their spooky events rain or shine, and since they are walking tours, participants should dress accordingly, including wearing appropriate shoes.

Escapeso Real Estate helps buyers and sellers in Austin. Their site provides information about Austin real estate along with a search of for homes in the Austin MLS