THE city’s unofficial motto, “Keep Austin Weird,” blares from bumper stickers on BMWs and jalopies alike, on T-shirts worn by joggers along Lady Bird Lake and in the windows of independently owned shops and restaurants. It’s an exhortation for a city that clings to eccentricity, even in the face of rapid development  downtown Austin, for one, is being transformed with a fleet of high-rise condos and a W Hotel, scheduled to open late next year. But this funky college town, known for its liberal leanings and rich music scene, has little to worry about  at least as long as its openhearted citizens, with their colorful bungalows and tattoos, do their part to keep the city endearingly odd. As one local put it: “As long as Austinites keep decorating their bodies and cars, we’re going to be fine.”

Friday

4 p.m.

1) DRESS THE PART

If you forgot to pack your Western wear, make a beeline for Heritage Boot (117 West Eighth Street; 512-326-8577; www.heritageboot.com), where Jerome Ryan and his team of “boot elves” fashion fanciful boots out of exotic leathers like shark and caiman alligator, using vintage 1930s to ’60s patterns. With colorful stitching, hand-tooling and puffy, butterfly-shaped inlays, they’re instant collectors’ items  and priced accordingly, from $295 to $1,800. Next, stop by the new location of Cream Vintage (1714-A South Congress Avenue; 512-462-3000; www.creamvintage.com) for vintage Western shirts and weathered concert tees, customized to your dimensions by an on-site tailor.

6:30 p.m.

2) MEAT MECCA

Barbecue is a local sport and there are a lot of competing choices. For a classic pit experience  meaning you can smell the smoke and sauce as soon as you pull into the state-fair-size parking lot  drive 25 miles southwest to the Salt Lick (18300 Farm to Market Road 1826, Driftwood; 512-858-4959; www.saltlickbbq.com), settle into a communal picnic table and order the $18.95 all-you-can-eat platter, piled high with brisket, ribs and sausage. If you prefer to stay in downtown Austin, check out the newcomer Lambert’s Downtown Barbecue (401 West Second Street; 512-494-1500; www.lambertsaustin.com). Carved out of a brick-walled general store that dates from 1873, it is raising the bar (and provoking outrage among purists) with its newfangled “fancy barbecue”  think brown-sugar-and-coffee-rubbed brisket ($14) and maple-and-coriander-encrusted pork ribs ($16).