Cooking Light Best Cities: Austin, Texas

You can't swing a yoga mat in Austin without hitting a cool place to exercise―whether it's inside a gym or outdoors in a natural, spring-fed pool.

EAT SMART
Austin has an abundance of vegetarian restaurants that make creative use of produce from the city's 10 farmers' markets. Five of the best places to sample the bounty: Mr. Natural (512-916-9223), Cosmic Cafe (512-482-0950), Mother's Cafe and Garden (512-451-3994), Casa De Luz (512-476-2535), and Veggie Heaven (512-457-1013).

BE FIT
Barton Creek Greenbelt features nearly eight miles of hiking trails. If you want to do an all-day hike, try the Zilker Park entrance, and on the way back, stop for a dip in Barton Springs Pool.

LIVE WELL
Bookstores are at the heart of the "Keep Austin Weird" movement, a grassroots effort to help the city retain its offbeat charm. BookPeople (512-472-5050) is the largest independent bookstore in Texas.