The Austin Visitor Center is downtown at 209 E. Sixth St. (tel. 866/GO-AUSTIN; www.austintexas.org), and is open Monday through Friday from 9am to 5pm and Saturday and Sunday from 9am to 6pm (closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter Sunday). You can pick up tourist information pamphlets downtown at the Old Bakery and Emporium, 1006 Congress Ave. (tel. 512/477-5961), open Monday to Friday 9am to 4pm, and the first two Saturdays in December 10am to 3pm. The Capitol Visitors Center, 112 E. 11th St. (tel. 512/305-8400; www.texascapitolvisitorscenter.com), a Texas Department of Transportation travel center, dispenses information on the entire state; it's open Monday through Saturday 9am to 5pm, Sunday noon to 5pm, closed major holidays. Other sources of local information include the Capital City African-American Chamber of Commerce, 5407 N. I-35, Suite 304 (tel. 512/459-1181), and the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Austin/Travis County, 3000 S. I-35 (tel. 512/476-7502; www.hispanicaustin.com).
For entertainment listings, pick up the free alternative newspaper the Austin Chronicle, distributed to stores, hotels, and restaurants around town every Thursday. It's got a close rival in XLent, the free weekend entertainment guide put out by the city daily newspaper, Austin-American Statesman, which also comes out on Thursday.
Inside Line (tel. 512/416-5700) can clue you in about Austin information from the essential to the esoteric -- everything from weather forecasts and restaurant reviews to financial news and bat facts. Dial extension 4636 for instructions on how to use the system.
