10 p.m.

4. THE LATE SHOW

Head west on Sixth to the Ritz theater, circa 1929. It’s now one of five Alamo Drafthouses (320 East Sixth Street; 512-476-1320; drafthouse.com/austin; $10, $15 for a reserved seat) in the city where you can order drinks, bar food and dessert while watching your favorite cult classic. Talking will have you kicked out of “Escape From New York” long before the car chase across the Brooklyn Bridge.

Saturday

8 a.m.

5. PIONEERING ARTISTS

Ease into the morning at Jo’s Good Food, Hot Coffee (1300 South Congress; 512-444-3800; joscoffee.com). An Iced Turbo ($4), migas taco ($3) and rock ’n’ roll on the groovy shaded porch will set you right for a morning of arty exploration. At the University of Texas’ Harry Ransom Center (300 West 21st Street; 512-47 1-8944; hrc.utexas.edu; free), swing by the Gutenberg Bible in the main gallery on your way to the center’s viewing rooms, where you can dig through its cultural archives. A short walk across campus is the Blanton Museum of Art (200 East Martin Luther King Boulevard; 512-471-5482; blantonmuseum.org), where the exhibition “Go West!,” on view through Sept. 23, is a magnificent portrayal of the early frontier, with paintings by William Robinson Leigh and Charles Russell.

11:30 a.m.

6. NO FRILLS, NO FORK

The “barbecue capital of Texas” is only a 30-mile drive southeast in Lockhart, where you can sample barbecue from several family-run pits, each with its own attitude. Try Kreuz Market (619 North Colorado Street, Lockhart; 512-398-2361; kreuzmarket.com), a no-frills operation that serves smoked brisket, shoulder clod and prime rib by the pound (starting at $11.40) and sausages by the link ($2.15). Buy some digestion time with a peek at the regal sandstone courthouse in the center of town on your way to Black’s (215 North Main Street, Lockhart; 512-398-2712; blacksbbq.com). Pictures of Edgar and Norma Black, the restaurant’s owners since 1932, adorn the walls leading to a buffet of “fixins” ($1.49 for sides; meats from $10.98 a pound). Feel free to douse your meat with Norma’s house-made sauce and come back on Sunday night for live music and swing dancing.

2 p.m.

7. THE GREAT OUTDOORS

Back in Austin, work off your brunch by biking the Town Lake Trail (townlaketrail.org) along Lady Bird Lake, which cuts like a river through the center of town. It offers routes both north, to downtown Austin, and south, to Zilker Park, where you can stop for a swim in the Barton Springs pool (2101 Barton Springs Road; 512-867-3080; austintexas.gov/department/barton-springs-pool). Barton Springs Bike Rental (1707 Barton Springs Road; 512-480-0200; bartonspringsbikerental.com) is a convenient spot to pick up your ride. Hourly rentals start at $7.50.