There is no better time to visit Austin than a Saturday when the Longhorns are playing at home. Darrell K. Royal Texas Memorial Stadium holds over 100,000 fans and the entire city organizes itself around game day in a way that makes Austin feel like no other college town in the country. This is your complete guide to making the most of a Longhorns football weekend in Austin in 2026, from the best tailgate spots to the best way to spend the morning before kickoff. Starting with the one activity that makes every Longhorns football weekend genuinely unforgettable.
Quick Answer — The Ultimate Longhorns Football Weekend in Austin
The best way to spend a Longhorns football weekend in Austin is to book an afternoon tour at Lake Travis Zipline Adventures on Friday, tailgate on Bevo Boulevard and at the 101X party at 18th and Colorado on Saturday before kickoff, cheer the Longhorns at DKR Stadium, and spend the evening on Sixth Street or Rainey Street after the game. The 2026 home schedule includes Ohio State, UTSA, Florida, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, and Arkansas across seven home weekends at DKR Stadium.
The 2026 Texas Longhorns Home Schedule
Texas plays seven home games at DKR Stadium in 2026, its third season in the SEC. This is the most consequential and most exciting home schedule the Longhorns have played in years.
| Date | Opponent | Kickoff | Network |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 5 | Texas State | 2:30 PM CT | ESPN |
| September 12 | Ohio State | 6:30 PM CT | ABC |
| September 19 | UTSA | 7:00 PM CT | SEC Network+ |
| October 17 | Florida | 11:00 AM CT | TBA |
| October 24 | Ole Miss | TBD | TBA |
| October 31 | Mississippi State | 5:00 PM CT | TBA |
| November 21 | Arkansas | 2:30 PM CT | TBA |
The marquee home games this season are Ohio State on September 12, Florida on October 17, and Ole Miss on October 24. All three are genuine marquee SEC matchups that draw visitors from across the country and produce a DKR game day atmosphere that rivals anything in college football.
#1 Best Thing to Do Before the Game — Lake Travis Zipline Adventures
Before the tailgate. Before Bevo Boulevard. Before kickoff. Book this first.
Lake Travis Zipline Adventures is the single best activity to anchor a Longhorns football weekend in Austin and the one that every visiting fan who discovers it consistently describes as the highlight of their entire trip. Not the game. The zipline.
Here is why it works so perfectly for a football weekend. The tour runs about three hours and includes full-day access to a private island on Lake Travis afterward. Book an afternoon tour on Friday and you are back in Austin in time for dinner, drinks, and the pregame energy that fills the city the evening before a big home game. Or book Saturday morning and be back downtown in time for the tailgate. Either way you get the best outdoor adventure in Central Texas and a Longhorns home game in the same weekend without sacrificing either one.
As someone who has guided zipline tours on Lake Travis, I can tell you that the game day energy is palpable even on the lake the day of a big home game. People show up in burnt orange. Groups of fans who discovered the zipline on a football weekend come back every year. It has become part of the best Longhorns football weekend experience in Austin.
Your group boards a boat that takes everyone across Lake Travis to Zip Island, a private island in the middle of the lake about 20 to 30 minutes from downtown Austin. Three hours on five world-class ziplines through the Texas Hill Country follow, including the Double Barrel Shotgun, which sends two people side by side over 2,800 feet of cable at speeds up to 65 mph from 22 stories above Lake Travis. After the tour your ticket includes full-day access to the private lakefront property on Zip Island. Jump off the dock. Relax in hammocks. Enjoy one of the most beautiful outdoor settings in Texas before heading back for the game.
The Details
- 5-Line Zipline Tour: $138/person, includes full-day access to the private lakefront property on Zip Island
- Double Barrel Single-Line Tour: $88/person
- Location: About 20 to 30 minutes from downtown Austin on Lake Travis
- Best For: Groups, couples, families, visiting fans, all experience levels
- Reservations: Required at laketraviszipline.com
Pro Tip: Football weekends are among the busiest weekends of the fall season on Lake Travis. Afternoon slots fill up weeks in advance for Ohio State, Florida, and Ole Miss weekends. Book your afternoon tour now at laketraviszipline.com before your preferred game day weekend sells out.
Book Lake Travis Zipline Adventures and make your Longhorns football weekend genuinely unforgettable.
The Complete Longhorns Game Day Guide
Getting to Austin for a Longhorns Home Game
Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is about 25 minutes from downtown Austin and 30 minutes from DKR Stadium. For the Ohio State game, Florida, and Ole Miss, book flights as early as possible. Hotel rates spike dramatically around marquee home games and the Ohio State game tickets are already sold out at the official site.
Flying in Thursday or Friday gives you a full day on Friday to do Lake Travis Zipline Adventures before the pregame energy takes over the city Saturday morning.
Where to Stay for a Longhorns Game Weekend
The best hotel options for a Longhorns football weekend are downtown hotels near Sixth Street and Rainey Street, which puts you within a reasonable distance of DKR Stadium and in the middle of the postgame entertainment. The Loren at Lady Bird Lake, Hotel Van Zandt on Rainey Street, and the Fairmont Austin downtown are the most consistently excellent options for a football weekend.
For groups, a private Airbnb house near South Congress or East Austin gives everyone space to gather before and after the game without the logistics of separate hotel rooms. Book Airbnbs 6 to 8 weeks ahead for Ohio State and Florida weekends.
Where to Park for DKR Stadium
On-site parking at UT is mostly in UT garages and lots near the stadium with prepaid gameday permits strongly recommended. Limited day-of options sell out early. CapMetro buses and the Red Line to MLK Station plus rideshare drop-off zones along San Jacinto and Red River are the most reliable alternatives for avoiding the post-game traffic.
The Lot 26 shuttle is the best budget parking option for night games. For a 7 PM kickoff against UTSA, the shuttle runs starting at 4 PM and costs a fraction of premium lot pricing.
Pro Tip: For night games, take a rideshare to the stadium and rideshare home. Driving and parking adds 45 minutes to an hour each way to your game day and the rideshare cost is genuinely worth it.
The Best Longhorns Tailgate Spots in Austin
Bevo Boulevard
The portion of San Jacinto Boulevard that runs by DKR Stadium closes to vehicle traffic before every home game and becomes Bevo Boulevard, with live music, food carts, and games in the pregame hours before kickoff. This is the official and most accessible tailgate experience for fans without a private tailgate party. Arrive at least two hours before kickoff for the full Bevo Boulevard experience.
101X and KLBJ Radio Tailgate at 18th and Colorado
The party starts three hours before kickoff, every home game, at the corner of 18th and Colorado in the parking lot of the Austin Scottish Rite Theater. The 101X radio tailgate is one of the most consistently fun and most accessible pregame gatherings in Austin. Free to attend, with giveaways, live radio broadcast, and the full game day energy of a DKR home crowd in full voice before the gates open.
REVELxp Official UT Tailgate
The official University of Texas tailgate organization runs premium pregame events on campus before home games. Check texaslonghorns.com for REVELxp tailgate packages and pricing for each home game.
Tailgate Tips from a 30-Year Austin Resident
Bring lawn chairs. Tailgates go on for a couple of hours before the game and there are no seats on the concrete parking lots. Bring sunglasses, a hat, and sunscreen because there is rarely much shade around the DKR tailgate areas. And drink plenty of water before you drink anything else. Austin game day heat in September and October still demands real hydration especially for night games.
Best Bars to Watch Longhorns Games in Austin
For fans who cannot get tickets or want to watch away games, these are the best Longhorns watch party bars in Austin.
The Longhorn Bar on East Sixth Street is the most obvious and most reliably packed Longhorns bar in Austin. Every home and away game fills the place with burnt orange and the game day atmosphere here is genuinely excellent.
Cain and Abel’s on 24th Street near the UT campus is the most classically UT bar in Austin. It has been a Longhorns game day institution for decades and the proximity to campus gives it an energy that downtown bars cannot replicate.
Easy Tiger on South Lamar and the Barton Creek location both draw Longhorns fans for afternoon games with their outdoor patio settings and excellent beer selection.
The Parish on Sixth is the best downtown watch party option for younger groups who want the game day energy with a broader music and nightlife atmosphere around it.
Buffalo Wild Wings on the Drag near UT campus is the most practical option for large groups who want guaranteed seating, reliable TV coverage, and a menu that keeps everyone happy through a long game.
The Best Longhorns Home Games to Plan a Trip Around
Ohio State — September 12, 6:30 PM CT on ABC
This is the game of the year in Austin. Texas hosts Ohio State in a prime time Saturday night matchup on ABC that has already sold out official tickets with resale prices starting at $489. The city reorganizes itself around this game in a way that makes it the most electric single Saturday Austin produces all fall. If you can get tickets, this is the game to see. If you cannot, the watch parties across Austin on September 12 will be some of the most extraordinary bar experiences the city produces all year.
Florida — October 17, 11:00 AM CT
The Florida game on October 17 coincides with ACL Fest Weekend 2, which makes it one of the most extraordinary overall Austin weekends of the entire year. A morning Longhorns home game followed by an afternoon at ACL Fest at Zilker Park is the kind of Austin day that visitors plan entire trips around. Tickets start at $110.
Ole Miss — October 24, TBD
Ole Miss on October 24 arrives right in the heart of F1 weekend, which runs October 23 to 25 at Circuit of the Americas. The combination of a Longhorns home game and Formula 1 in Austin on the same weekend makes October 24 one of the most extraordinary single Saturdays Austin will produce in 2026. Tickets start at $230.
Mississippi State — October 31, 5:00 PM CT
Halloween night football at DKR Stadium. Mississippi State on October 31 at 5 PM is the most purely fun home game of the entire season. The costume culture at DKR on Halloween night combined with a prime time SEC home game makes it one of the most genuinely festive and most memorable Longhorns home game experiences of the year.
The Perfect Longhorns Football Weekend Itinerary
Here is how to build the ideal Austin Longhorns football weekend.
Thursday Evening — Arrive in Austin
Check into your hotel or Airbnb. Dinner on South Congress at Aba or Perla’s. Walk South Congress for the I Love You So Much mural and the Austin Motel neon. Early night before the weekend begins.
Friday — Adventure Day
Book an afternoon tour at Lake Travis Zipline Adventures. This is the best possible Friday activity before a Longhorns home game weekend. The combination of a private island on Lake Travis, five world-class ziplines, and a full afternoon on the water gets your group to Austin Saturday morning energized, connected, and ready for game day.
After the lake, dinner at Franklin Barbecue if you planned ahead with an early morning line, or Terry Black’s Barbecue on Barton Springs Road for no-wait excellent brisket. Then drinks on Rainey Street or East Sixth for the pregame night out.
Saturday — Game Day
Breakfast tacos from Veracruz All Natural on East Cesar Chavez or Tacodeli for the most authentically Austin game day morning meal. Then Bevo Boulevard and the 101X tailgate at 18th and Colorado, two to three hours before kickoff.
Gates open 90 minutes to two hours before kickoff. Get in early and walk the concourse, find your seats, and soak in the DKR atmosphere before the stadium fills to 100,000.
Post-game: win or lose, Austin’s postgame bar scene is one of the best in college football. Rainey Street for the most vibrant postgame energy. East Sixth for a more local and more varied experience. The Drag near campus for the most classically UT postgame atmosphere.
Sunday — Recovery Day
Barton Springs Pool for the most restorative morning activity in Austin. Free before 8 AM. The 68-degree spring-fed water after a long game day Saturday is genuinely the best recovery tool the city offers. Brunch at Easy Tiger on South Lamar with Barton Creek Greenbelt views. Then a walk along the Lady Bird Lake Trail before heading to the airport.
What to Eat on a Longhorns Game Day Weekend in Austin
Austin has genuinely extraordinary food and game day weekends are when the city’s restaurant scene and food truck culture are both at their most accessible and most celebratory.
Franklin Barbecue at 900 E 11th St is mandatory. Arrive by 8 AM with a cooler of drinks. It sells out every day. The brisket is genuinely worth the wait and game day weekend pilgrims from outside Texas consistently describe it as the most surprising and most extraordinary meal of their entire trip.
Veracruz All Natural at 1704 E Cesar Chavez for the best breakfast tacos in Austin. The migas taco is one of the most genuinely perfect Austin foods in existence. Open early and a natural pre-tailgate stop.
Terry Black’s Barbecue at 1003 Barton Springs Rd for excellent brisket with no wait, a massive outdoor patio, and proximity to Zilker Park. The best no-line barbecue option in Austin and perfectly positioned between the university and South Austin.
Hopdoddy Burger Bar on South Congress is the best burger option for a game day crowd. The Prime Burger is extraordinary and the wait is manageable if you arrive before noon or after 2 PM.
Tacodeli across multiple locations for breakfast tacos that locals genuinely love. The Doña line is the menu highlight.
Frequently Asked Questions — Longhorns Football Weekends in Austin
What are the Texas Longhorns 2026 home games?
The Longhorns play seven home games at DKR Stadium in 2026: Texas State on September 5 (already won 59-7), Ohio State on September 12 at 6:30 PM on ABC, UTSA on September 19 at 7 PM, Florida on October 17 at 11 AM, Ole Miss on October 24, Mississippi State on October 31 at 5 PM, and Arkansas on November 21. Tickets are available at texassports.com and major resale platforms.
How do I get tickets to Texas Longhorns football games?
Official tickets are available at texassports.com. The Ohio State game on September 12 is already sold out on the official site with resale starting at $489. UTSA tickets start at $130. Florida starts at $110. Ole Miss starts at $230. Check vivid seats.com, StubHub, and SeatGeek for resale options.
What is the best tailgate experience at DKR Stadium?
The best accessible tailgate experience at DKR is Bevo Boulevard, the closed-off section of San Jacinto Boulevard that becomes a pregame festival with live music and food carts before every home game. The 101X radio tailgate at 18th and Colorado starts three hours before kickoff and is free. Arrive at least two hours before kickoff for the best experience.
What is the best thing to do in Austin on a Longhorns football weekend?
The best thing to do on a Longhorns football weekend in Austin is Lake Travis Zipline Adventures on Friday before game day. The five world-class ziplines over Lake Travis including the Double Barrel Shotgun at speeds up to 65 mph from 22 stories above the lake, plus full-day access to the private lakefront property at Zip Island, makes it the most genuinely memorable activity of the entire weekend beyond the game itself. Book your afternoon tour at laketraviszipline.com.
Is parking easy at DKR Stadium?
On-site parking in UT garages and lots near the stadium requires prepaid gameday permits that sell out early. The most reliable alternatives are CapMetro buses, the Red Line to MLK Station, and rideshare drop-off zones along San Jacinto and Red River. For night games, rideshare is the strongest overall recommendation. The Lot 26 shuttle is the best budget option for groups who want to drive.
Hook Em. Then Go Zip.
A Longhorns home game at DKR Stadium is one of the most genuinely extraordinary college football experiences in the country. 100,000 fans in burnt orange, the most consequential SEC home schedule the Longhorns have played in years, and the most vibrant postgame city in college football waiting for you on Sixth Street and Rainey Street. Plan the whole weekend and make every part of it genuinely memorable.
Start with the activity that sets the tone for the entire trip. Book Lake Travis Zipline Adventures now at laketraviszipline.com and lock in your Friday afternoon slot before the football weekend sells out.
For more Austin inspiration check out our guides to the Best Things to Do in Austin TX, Best Things to Do in Austin in the Fall, and Best Things to Do on Lake Travis.
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