Best Austin Souvenirs: What to Bring Home From Austin, Texas
The best souvenirs from Austin: local food, music, Texas-made goods and an Austin skyline sculpture with the Capitol and the Frost Bank Tower. What's worth packing and what to skip.
Best Austin Souvenirs: What to Bring Home From Austin, Texas
Quick answer: The best Austin souvenirs are things the city actually makes or is known for: barbecue rubs and sauces, Austin-made snacks, a record from a local artist, Texas-made goods like YETI, and an Austin skyline sculpture with the Capitol dome at the front. Skip anything that just says "Keep Austin Weird" in a font.
Food you can pack
Barbecue rubs and sauces
Central Texas barbecue is the city's most famous export, and the best-known pitmasters sell their rubs and sauces so you can take some home. Easier to fly with than brisket.
Austin-made snacks
Siete chips and tortillas, Tiff's Treats cookies, and Waterloo Sparkling Water are all Austin brands.
Music
Austin calls itself the Live Music Capital of the World. A record from a band you saw, or from one of the city's long-running venues, is a souvenir with a memory attached.
Texas-made goods
YETI and Kendra Scott are both Austin companies. A YETI tumbler or a piece of Kendra Scott jewelry is a practical souvenir that's actually from here.
The skyline
An Austin skyline sculpture
Our Austin skyline puts the Texas State Capitol at the front of the base, with the Frost Bank Tower and downtown's towers behind. It packs flat in a gift box and fits in a carry-on. Small (6 inches), Medium (7.5 inches) or Large (9 inches).
Souvenirs for the office
If you were in Austin for work, for a conference, a festival or a week at the company's office, the skyline is the souvenir that goes on the desk. Companies bringing teams or guests to Austin can order skylines with their own name on the base; see corporate gifts in Austin.
What to skip
Generic "Texas" shot glasses and anything that could have come from any airport. If it doesn't say something specific about Austin, it won't mean much at home.
FAQ
What is Austin known for?
Live music, barbecue, the Texas State Capitol, the bats under the Congress Avenue Bridge, the University of Texas, and festivals like South by Southwest and Austin City Limits.
What's a good souvenir from Austin under $50?
Barbecue rub, Austin-made snacks, a record from a local artist, or the Small Austin skyline sculpture.
More: Austin souvenirs that aren't tacky · The Austin skyline, building by building.