10 Unique Things to Do During Your Trip to the MotoGP in Austin, Texas
Race fans worldwide are preparing to gather at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas for the MotoGP motorcycle race event from April 8-10, 2022. Bags are being packed, and we’re all enthusiastically preparing for a great MotoGP race.
Red Bull has put together a great list of
which turns you want to plan to spend time at on the track and what restaurants to plan for, and we want to make sure you can have a unique trip while everyone else hits up the same handful of locations.
As an attendee or visitor, you probably already know that you can tour the capitol grounds, hit up parties on 6th street, see bats come out at dusk at Congress Avenue bridge, or head down to Barton Springs. But those activities are just the tip of the iceberg.
We Have 10 Unique Activities You Can Do Around MotoGP for the Days Before or After the World Championship
1. Get your buns on the water
Austin will be warm on the weekend of the event, getting into the 80s which is warm enough to hit the Lake.
We’re biased (we operate Lone Star Party Boats, and we invite you to reserve one of our ultra clean, fully captained boats), but Lake Travis is one of the most stunning experiences in central Texas with limestone cliffs, cedar trees, and endless wildlife (you might even see deer or cattle depending on where we go).
2. Take the kids to the Dino Park
Okay look, this one is a little dinky and you won’t see it on most lists, but if you have little kiddos, the Dino Park is so much fun for them and it’s not far from the COTA track.
You’ll see giant dinosaurs and tracks that all look almost like the real thing. To you, it’ll feel like a little park with a few dinosaurs, but to them, they’ll have lifelong memories of how close they got to come to real dinos! It’s worth a post-lunch swing by, we promise.
3. Road trip to the nearby Sausage Capital
If you’re looking for a good road trip, Elgin is a town nearby that is home to a handful of the most incredible sausage makers anywhere. It’s known as the Sausage Capital of Texas, and it’s a carnivorous delight.
Us locals enjoy some good fried okra and sweet tea with the sausage, but there are tons of other great options, even some kale salads, so rent a car and take the mildly interesting drive to the tastiest town in Texas.
4. Take a mural tour of Austin for the selfies
Whether you’re 20 or 90, you probably enjoy a good selfie, or at least taking shots of your loved ones on any trip with you.
What better way than to have a local pedicab driver roll you around town to all of the amazing murals you’ve seen on social media for some high quality smartphone photography moments? They know the best ones, so you don’t even have to do any research. Nice.
5. Get into nature and peep some birds
Also near the COTA track is the often overlooked HBBO, the Hornsby Bend Bird Observatory.
Before you roll your eyes at the nerdiness, it’s a great nature getaway for anyone, even those that can’t tell a barn swallow from a cliff swallow (trust us, that’s a decent aviary reference you can use while walking around HBBO, using a snobby voice to feel superior). It’s part of local environmental research, and everything here is starting to come back to life, so you’ll see all of the green emerging, it’s beautiful!
6. Get to two steppin’
Broken Spoke is an internationally famous honky tonk, and they’ve been an Austin staple for decades. You can enjoy live music and try your best to keep up with the dancing or just sit on the sidelines and soak it all up with a beer.
Austin isn’t very country, but this place definitely has maintained that beloved side of our state’s culture! You don’t have to wear boots, but it sure is a fun excuse to go splurge at nearby Allen’s boots (pro tip: If you do that, put a mile or two on ‘em first or they’ll hurt to high hell if you two step in new boots).
7. Shooter video games IRL (really)
One of the coolest things near the COTA track is Battleground Ranch. If you’ve ever enjoyed a single video game, this brilliant concept has taken that to an offline environment.
They call it a “tactical combat simulation” which features firearms (that shoot lasers, calm down), and several game modes, even battle royale. There are even frickin’ loot boxes on the ranch for you to find (which as expected, offer health upgrades, armor, ammo, and more). It’s one hell of a ride, and you should take it!
[ Update: sadly, this place has closed :( ]
8. Visit the mochi donut shop from Queer Eye!
If you’re a fan of Queer Eye, you already watched Season 6, where they made over Sarah Lim, owner of OMG Squee, a mochi donut shop with the most creative and adorable sweet treats around town.
Even if you’re not a fan of the show, it’s a unique spot with flavors you’ve probably never had before and everything is gluten free. Mexican vanilla mochi donut? A sweet soy or rose + pistachio mochi donut? Nah, we didn't think so. Their flavors chang every few weeks, so go try something new!
9. The secret spot by Zilker Park
Anyone who has visited Austin has been told to hit up the beautiful Zilker Park or swim in Barton Springs, but what you haven’t done yet is the nearby Umlauf Sculpture Garden. April 10th is family day and is free to the public - score!
It once featured the works of Charles Umlauf, but over the years has grown to become the center of visual arts in town, and no one there is snooty since it’s an outdoor garden setting, just go take a peek!
10. Elon Musk fans know about the Gigafactory
It was announced that Tesla chose Austin for their historically massive Gigafactory, and although it’s not fully open yet, it’s pretty close to COTA and they’ve built an “Observation Point” where you can physically see the progress of the plant since it is under construction.
So whether you’re a Tesla fan or an Elongated Muskrat fan, take a peek at the plant so you can tell everyone back home that you’ve already seen it. And bonus: If you come by April 7th, you can catch the grand opening party.
No matter which direction you choose, add a few extras to spice up your visit to Austin, and enjoy MotoGP!
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