How to Spend 8 Hours in Austin: Greenbelt Hike, Tex-Mex and Two-Step
Updated October 3, 2026
Eight hours is enough for a full Austin day from limestone creek to honky-tonk. Hike the Barton Creek Greenbelt, eat enchiladas at a Tex-Mex institution from 1952, then learn the two-step at the Broken Spoke.
South Lamar Boulevard has changed fast, but it still holds two Austin institutions that have barely changed in decades. Behind the neighborhoods to the west, Barton Creek cuts a wooded canyon that the city has kept as a greenbelt. This plan starts with an afternoon on the trail, moves to an early dinner and finishes on a dance floor. Matt's closes on Tuesdays and the Broken Spoke teaches its dance lessons Wednesday through Saturday, so this plan works on those four days. Wear shoes you can hike and dance in.
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The 8 hour plan, stop by stop
Stops and travel: 5 hr 2 min to 7 hr 12 min of 8 hours
This city greenbelt follows Barton Creek through a wooded canyon for about seven and a half miles on its main trail, with limestone cliffs and swimming holes along the way. Endangered species, including the golden-cheeked warbler and two salamanders, live along the creek. The Spyglass trailhead off Barton Skyway is a short ride from South Lamar. Creek flow depends on recent rain, so in dry spells think of this as a canyon hike rather than a swim.
Tip: The trails are rocky and slick in places, so wear real shoes rather than sandals, carry water and save the city's trailhead map to your phone before you set out.
- Time here
- 1 hr 30 min to 2 hr 20 min
- Website
- austintexas.gov
NaviTime to head out from Barton Creek Greenbelt, Spyglass Trailhead for Matt's El Rancho, South Lamar. It's a 50 minute transit ride if you leave now. Here's the link
Matt's started as a forty seat café on East First Street in 1952 and has been a South Lamar landmark for decades, run by the same family the whole time. It is closed on Tuesdays and open for lunch and dinner the rest of the week. It calls itself Austin's original Tex-Mex, and it now welcomes more than 500 guests a day. The big rooms serve sizzling fajitas, cheese enchiladas and the queso known as Bob Armstrong Dip.
Tip: Join the online waitlist from the trailhead before you head over, so your table is closer to ready when you arrive.
- Time here
- 1 hr to 1 hr 30 min
- Website
- mattselrancho.com
NaviTime to head out from Matt's El Rancho, South Lamar for Broken Spoke, South Lamar. It's a 12 minute walk if you leave now. Here's the link
James White opened this dance hall on South Lamar in 1964, and it still uses his description of it as the last of the true Texas dancehalls. It opens Tuesday through Saturday in the late afternoon and is closed on Sundays and Mondays. Dolly Parton is among the famous guests in its photo gallery. The front room serves chicken fried steak and barbecue with a free show most evenings, while the dance hall in back fills with couples.
Tip: Arrive in time for the two-step and swing lesson, held Wednesday through Saturday before the main band, and remember that the hall jokingly bans line dancing and asks you to tip the band.
- Time here
- 1 hr 30 min to 2 hr 20 min
- Website
- brokenspokeaustintx.net
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