If March is the month when Austin gets completely taken over by SXSW, April is when the city finally gets back to being itself.

The crowds from SXSW have disappeared. The barricades are coming down. The temporary stages are gone. Downtown starts feeling a little more normal again, and Austinites can finally get back to the things they actually do all year long: finding new restaurants, checking out new bars, listening to live music, drinking on patios and figuring out what is happening around town that weekend.

And April might be one of the best months to do it.

The weather is warm enough to spend hours outside without the brutal heat that will arrive later in the summer. Restaurants are opening patios, breweries are filling their outdoor spaces, music venues are booking spring shows, and Austin’s festival calendar is getting crowded again.

For Baller ATX, this is the part of the year when the question isn’t really “What’s happening in Austin?”

It’s:

“How are we going to fit everything in?”

APRIL IS THE START OF PATIO SEASON

The biggest change you’ll notice around Austin in April isn’t necessarily one particular event.

It’s the patios.

After months of unpredictable winter weather, restaurants and bars start moving people outside whenever the temperature cooperates.

This is the time of year when a casual lunch can turn into an afternoon of drinks.

A happy hour can turn into dinner.

Dinner can turn into live music.

And suddenly it’s 11 p.m. and you’re wondering how a quick drink turned into an entire night.

That’s Austin in April.

The city is built for outdoor drinking and dining, and April is one of the months when you can actually enjoy it without immediately feeling like you’re sitting inside an oven.

East Austin is especially good for this.

The area around East Sixth and the surrounding neighborhoods has enough restaurants, cocktail bars, breweries and patios that you can spend an entire afternoon moving from one place to another without needing to drive across town.

EAST AUSTIN CONTINUES TO BE ONE OF THE CITY’S HOTTEST FOOD AREAS

If you haven’t spent much time exploring East Austin’s food scene lately, April is a good excuse to start.

The neighborhood continues to be one of the most interesting places in the city for restaurants, bars and food trucks.

And what’s particularly fun is the variety.

You can find tacos.

You can find barbecue.

You can find burgers.

You can find upscale dining.

You can find casual neighborhood spots.

And you can find places where the restaurant is barely distinguishable from the bar next door.

That combination is what makes East Austin so much fun for a Saturday afternoon.

Start with lunch.

Find a patio.

Get a drink.

Walk around.

Grab another drink.

Then figure out where you’re eating dinner.

No reservation required.

THE BAR SCENE IS MOVING OUTSIDE

April is also when Austin’s bar scene starts changing.

The rooftop bars become more attractive.

Outdoor cocktail patios fill up.

Breweries start hosting more events.

Bars begin booking more outdoor entertainment.

And people start treating drinking outside like a legitimate afternoon activity again.

Austin has always had a strong patio culture, but there’s something different about the first few weeks of spring when everyone realizes they can finally sit outside for hours.

You start seeing groups meeting for happy hour.

People bringing dogs to patios.

Friends gathering for Sunday afternoon drinks.

And people who normally never go out on weeknights suddenly deciding they need to meet for “just one.”

It rarely stays at one.

LIVE MUSIC DOESN’T STOP AFTER SXSW

One mistake people make is assuming that SXSW is the beginning and end of Austin’s music calendar.

It isn’t.

SXSW is simply the biggest concentrated burst of music.

Once it’s over, the city’s normal music scene takes over again.

April is packed with concerts at Austin’s established venues, smaller clubs, neighborhood bars and outdoor spaces.

The Red River district remains one of the easiest places to build a music night because you can move between venues without spending half the evening in traffic.

You can see one band at Mohawk, walk to another venue, grab food and then finish the night somewhere else.

That’s one of the reasons the Red River area remains important even as Austin’s nightlife continues expanding into other parts of the city.

DON’T FORGET ABOUT THE SMALL VENUES

If you only pay attention to the biggest concerts, you’re missing a huge part of Austin.

April is a great month to find smaller shows.

Check the schedules at local clubs.

Look at neighborhood bars.

Pay attention to bands playing early sets.

And if you don’t recognize the name, give them a chance.

That’s one of the best things about Austin’s music scene.

You don’t need to know the artist before you walk through the door.

Sometimes the best night is the one you didn’t plan.

THE FOOD TRUCK SCENE IS STILL AUSTIN’S SECRET WEAPON

Restaurants get a lot of attention, but April is also a great month for food trucks.

The weather is perfect for eating outside, and food trucks give you the freedom to build your own evening.

Grab tacos.

Get a burger.

Try something you’ve never had.

Find a food truck park.

Order a drink nearby.

And keep moving.

One of the best things about Austin’s food scene is that you don’t always have to commit to a traditional restaurant.

Some of the city’s most interesting food comes from small operators working out of trailers.

And because April is comfortable enough to eat outside, there’s no reason to stay indoors.

SPRING IS BRINGING NEW RESTAURANT EXCITEMENT

April is also a good time to start paying attention to restaurant openings.

Austin’s food scene doesn’t stay still for very long.

One restaurant closes.

Another opens.

A chef moves into a new space.

A food truck becomes a brick-and-mortar.

An established restaurant opens a second location.

And suddenly everybody is trying to figure out whether the newest place is actually worth the hype.

That’s part of the fun.

Don’t automatically assume the newest restaurant is the best restaurant.

Give it a chance.

But also keep an eye on places that have been quietly building a following.

Sometimes the restaurant that’s been open for six months is better than the place that opened yesterday.

BARBECUE SEASON NEVER REALLY ENDS IN AUSTIN

April is also a great month to revisit Austin barbecue.

The weather makes standing outside in line considerably more pleasant than it will be in July.

If you’ve been putting off trying a barbecue spot because you didn’t want to deal with the wait, spring is a much better time.

And don’t limit yourself to the famous names.

Austin’s barbecue scene stretches well beyond the restaurants tourists know.

Explore.

Try different places.

Compare brisket.

Argue about which one is better.

That’s basically an Austin tradition itself.

TACOS ARE STILL KING

And while we’re talking about food, April wouldn’t be April in Austin without tacos.

Breakfast tacos.

Street tacos.

Food-truck tacos.

Upscale tacos.

Late-night tacos.

There is no shortage.

The best way to approach Austin’s taco scene is to stop trying to find one definitive answer.

There isn’t one.

Everybody has a favorite.

And everybody thinks your favorite is wrong.

That’s how it works.

Instead, build your own list.

Try places in different parts of town.

Compare them.

Then argue about them with your friends.

KITE FEST IS BACK

One of the more recognizable April traditions is the ABC Kite Fest, which returns to Zilker Park.

It’s been an Austin tradition for generations and is a great excuse to spend a spring afternoon outside.

But it doesn’t have to consume your entire weekend.

Go see the kites.

Walk around.

Take some pictures.

Then leave Zilker and find lunch, drinks or live music.

That’s the Austin way to do it.

Make the event part of your day instead of making it your entire day.

EEYORE’S BIRTHDAY IS ANOTHER APRIL TRADITION

April also brings Eeyore’s Birthday Party, one of the city’s longest-running and strangest annual traditions.

If you’ve never been, expect costumes, drums, dancing, food and plenty of people embracing Austin’s weird side.

It’s a completely different experience from Kite Fest, but that’s exactly what makes April interesting.

One weekend you’re watching kites over Zilker.

Another weekend you’re watching costumed Austinites celebrate a fictional donkey.

And somehow neither seems unusual here.

TAKE ADVANTAGE OF LADY BIRD LAKE

If you haven’t walked the Lady Bird Lake trail in a while, April is the month to do it.

The weather is usually good enough to make the walk enjoyable without feeling like you’re training for survival.

Go in the morning.

Go after work.

Walk with friends.

Run.

Rent a kayak.

Or simply sit somewhere near the water.

You don’t need to spend money every time you go out in Austin.

Sometimes the best plan is free.

SPRING IS ALSO A GOOD TIME FOR BREWERIES

Austin’s brewery scene becomes especially attractive in April.

Outdoor seating.

Food trucks.

Live music.

Games.

Dogs.

Friends.

And cold beer.

The brewery doesn’t necessarily have to be the final destination.

Use it as a starting point.

Meet friends.

Have a beer.

Get something to eat.

Then decide where you’re going next.

That’s much more fun than sitting at home trying to figure out what everybody wants to do.

EAST SIXTH IS GETTING BUSY AGAIN

East Sixth is another neighborhood worth watching as the weather improves.

The bar scene becomes more active.

Patios fill up.

Restaurants stay busy later.

And the streets start feeling like they did before the summer heat arrives.

If you’re looking for a casual Saturday night, East Sixth is still one of the easiest places to start.

You don’t need to know exactly where you’re going.

Just walk.

Look around.

Find a place that looks interesting.

Go inside.

RED RIVER IS STILL THE BETTER CHOICE FOR MUSIC

If your priority is music rather than bar hopping, head toward Red River.

The concentration of venues makes it much easier to see multiple artists in one night.

And unlike SXSW, you’re not trying to squeeze 20 shows into one evening.

Pick two or three.

Enjoy them.

Grab some food.

Have a drink.

That’s enough.

SOUTH CONGRESS IS PERFECT FOR A SPRING SATURDAY

South Congress also benefits from the April weather.

Start with coffee.

Walk the avenue.

Shop.

Get lunch.

Have a cocktail.

Take pictures.

Then stay for dinner.

The neighborhood can get crowded, especially on weekends, but that’s part of the atmosphere.

If you’re bringing someone to Austin for the first time, South Congress is still an easy recommendation because it gives you food, shopping, drinks and people-watching all within a relatively small area.

THE BEST PART OF APRIL: YOU DON’T NEED A BIG EVENT

This might be the biggest difference between April and March.

During SXSW, you feel like you have to be somewhere.

There’s always another event.

Another party.

Another show.

Another RSVP.

April is different.

You can wake up Saturday morning and decide what you want to do that day.

Want brunch?

Go.

Want tacos?

Find tacos.

Want a brewery?

Pick one.

Want live music?

Check the schedule.

Want to sit on a patio for four hours?

That’s perfectly acceptable.

Austin doesn’t need a giant festival every weekend.

THE BALLER ATX APRIL GAME PLAN

If we were putting together the perfect April Saturday, we’d keep it simple.

Start with breakfast tacos.

Find a good coffee.

Head outside.

Walk around Zilker or Lady Bird Lake.

Grab lunch somewhere with a patio.

Find a brewery or cocktail bar.

Take a break.

Then head toward East Sixth or Red River.

See some live music.

Grab late-night food.

And don’t make plans for the next morning.

You’re going to need it.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR THIS MONTH

April is also the time to keep an eye on what’s coming next.

Restaurants announcing new locations.

Bars opening.

New food trucks.

Spring concert announcements.

Outdoor events.

Pool season approaching.

And summer festival schedules beginning to take shape.

Austin changes quickly, and some of the biggest news isn’t always the event happening that weekend.

It’s what’s about to open.

What’s about to close.

And what’s about to become the next place everybody is talking about.

APRIL IS THE MONTH TO GET OUT

There’s something about April that makes Austin feel like itself again.

SXSW is behind us.

The summer heat hasn’t arrived.

The patios are open.

The parks are busy.

The restaurants are experimenting.

The bars are getting crowded.

The music venues are working.

And people are outside.

You don’t need a huge budget.

You don’t need a reservation.

You don’t need a festival wristband.

Pick a neighborhood.

Find some food.

Get a drink.

Listen to music.

Walk around.

Try something new.

And if you happen to run into a giant kite flying over Zilker Park or a group of people celebrating Eeyore’s birthday along the way, even better.

That’s April in Austin.

The city is outside again.