Austin

• Hotel Viata | Best hotel, big market
• Kingsbury Commons at Pease Park | Best park

Cedar Park (~25 minutes away)

• Black Sugar Caffé | Best restaurant, mid market

San Marcos (~35 minutes away)

• Glow Kayak Tours | Best outdoor activity, mid market

New Braunfels (~45 minutes away)

• Gruene Hall | Best live music venue, big market; Best place to dance
• Dry Comal Creek Vineyards | Best agritourism
• Guadalupe Brewing Co. | Best brewery
• Landa Park Golf Course | Best golf course
• Panther Canyon Trail | Best hiking trail
• Camp Fimfo Texas Hill Country | Best resort
• Landa Park | Best swimming spot
• Sidecar at Prince Solms Inn | Best bar, big market
• New Braunfels Conservation Society | Best museum, big market
• Natural Bridge Caverns | Best outdoor activity, big market
• New Braunfels Visitor Center | Best visitor center, big market

Hye (~1 hr 15 minutes away)

• William Chris Vineyards | Best winery

Boerne (~1 hr 45 minutes away)

• The Kendall | Best hotel, small market
• Wild Bill Hickok Sculpture | Best Instagrammable spot, small market
• Boerne City Lake Park | Best lake

• Invincible: Stories of Resilience | Thursday, May 18-Sunday, May 21 | Times vary | ZACH Theatre, 202 S. Lamar Blvd., Austin | $25 | This moving revue highlights stories of resilience.
• Font | Thursday, May 18 | 10:30 p.m. | Stubb’s BBQ Indoors, 801 Red River St., Austin | $10 | This band draws inspiration from rock, dance, disco, and electronic music.

• Steve Martin & Martin Short | Friday, May 19-Saturday, May 20 | 8 p.m. | Bass Concert Hall, 2350 Robert Dedman Dr., Austin | $90-$500 | Two of the most well-known comedians in the country will join together onstage for two nights in Austin.
• Hippo Campus | Friday, May 19 | 8 p.m. | Moody Amphitheater, 1401 Trinity St., Austin | $28-$88 | Tune in to the indie rock band and a performance by Gus Dapperton.

• Austin Bonsai Society Show and Sale | Saturday, May 20-Sunday, May 21 | 10 a.m.-5 p.m. | Zilker Botanical Garden, 2220 Barton Springs Rd., Austin | Free | Peruse dozens of bonsai specimens at Austin Bonsai Society’s 52nd annual sale.
• Vive Chihuahua Fest 2023 | Saturday, May 20 | 8:30 p.m. | H-E-B Center at Cedar Park, 2100 Ave. of the Stars, Cedar Park | $86-$206 | Tune in for La Maquinaria Norteña, La Fiera de Ojinaga, and more.

• Mimosa Fest 2023 | Sunday, May 21 | 12-4 p.m. | Wanderlust Wine Collective, 702 Shady Lane, Austin | $60-$150 | Ticket holders will receive an hour of bottomless mimosas and snacks, a swag bag, and drink tickets.

• The Tesla Gigafactory can now produce 5,000 cars in a week, more than twice what the 10 million-sqft production space could last year. The company plans to expand staff to 12,000+ employees, which would make its local presence larger than that of Dell Technologies. (Austin Business Journal)

• Austin is one of roughly 20 cities that may be home to a new WBNA team, the basketball league’s commissioner said earlier this month. No timeline has yet been set, but the Capital City is being considered alongside Toronto, Portland, and Nashville. (Austin Business Journal)

• The algae is back. City officials said they found toxic blue-green algae, which blooms in nutrient-rich warm water, in Lady Bird Lake and Lake Austin. The plant can be dangerous for pets, so watch Fido near lake water. (Austin American-Statesman)

• Daiboku, a new restaurant from the team behind Sazan Ramen, officially opened yesterday at 609 W. 29th St. The West Campus space offers omakase and counter service orders, with dishes including ramen and other Japanese food. (Eater Austin)

• Kyle — any Kyle — this one’s for you. The city of Kyle will attempt to beat the Guiness World Record for the largest gathering of people with the same name this weekend. If your name is Kyle, head to Kyle Lake Park at 4 p.m. on Sunday, May 21. Yes, spelling counts.

• The entries for this year’s Great Blanton Bake-Off have been revealed, and they look delicious. Check out the finalists for this year’s competition, which awards amateur bakers recreating artworks from the museum’s collection. The winners will be announced tomorrow, May 19.

• Willie Nelson’s 90th birthday concerts — which were filmed in Hollywood last month — will be screened in select theaters from Sunday, June 11 to Thursday, June 15. Find tickets near you. (Austin American-Statesman)

• Life finds a way. The Jurassic World Live Tour will stop in the Moody Center from Friday, August 18-Sunday, August 20. The arena event, based on the movie series, features 24 life-sized dinosaurs and a pre-show experience with vehicles and photo ops. Get tickets starting on Tuesday, May 23.

• Life hack: Order your paper towels online and avoid trekking home a giant pack from the store. This Bounty eight-pack is a best seller, or try the Amazon Basics twelve-pack.*

• A tour of Austin FC’s locker rooms
• Running through drills with trainers and players
• Appearances by midfielder Daniel Pereira and defender Nick Lima
• C4 Energy drinks and a swag bag