Crunch Time

Longhorn legend to kick off preview of Austin's new Crunch Fitness gym

Vince Young scoring the winning touchdown in the 2006 National Championship Game

Vince Young will attend the opening event at Crunch Fitness.

Photo courtesy of 973espn.com

A new Crunch Fitness gym is debuting September 16 in South Austin — and Longhorn football legend Vince Young will be on hand the day before to sign autographs at a public preview of the facility.

Undefeated Tribe, a Crunch Fitness franchisee, is taking the wraps off its $6 million, 45,000-square-foot gym at the Southpark Meadows Shopping Center a day before it opens to members on September 17. According to a release, the sneak peek will feature an autograph session with former University of Texas quarterback Vince Young, who led the Longhorns to the NCAA football championship in 2005 and played six seasons in the NFL. The autograph session will be 5-8 pm.

The gym, housed in a former Conn’s furniture, electronics, and appliance store, will open its doors to members at 9 am the next day.

Among the gym’s amenities are:

Cardio and strength-training equipment
30-minute “power” circuit training
Personal training
Hot yoga
Cycling classes
Red-light therapy
Tanning and HydroMassage beds
Sauna
Child care

Crunch Fitness says its gyms fuse “fitness with entertainment to make serious fitness fun.”

In addition to the soon-to-open Southpark Meadows location, six Crunch Fitness gyms operate in the Austin area. Those locations are in Cedar Park, Kyle, Round Rock, San Marcos, and South Austin. Three more Austin-area locations are on track to open in 2026.

Last month, Crunch Fitness landed on the annual Inc. 5000 list of the fastest-growing private companies in the U.S. With three-year revenue growth of 90 percent, Crunch Fitness appeared at No. 4,022 in the ranking.

Tailgate with CultureMap
Longhorns fans may remember meeting Young at CultureMap's big fall sports bash in 2024, The Tailgate. This year, attendees who nab VIP tickets will get to meet another UT legend, Brian Orakpo.

The spirited event takes place September 25 at Distribution Hall. Favorite Austin restaurants and chefs will serve up sports-inspired bites, and premium cocktails will keep guests hydrated as they bid on memorabilia in a silent auction and enjoy more game-day fun.

With sponsors like FLIGHT by Yuengling, Mizzen+Main, Antone's Famous Po' Boys, NXT LVL Events, this party will be a winner. You don't want to stay on the bench. Read more about The Tailgate here and score tickets here before they run out.

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let loose atx

Austin slips on new list of America's most fun cities for 2025

Rowing Dock downtown Austin Congress Avenue Bridge bats kayaking

Rowing Dock Facebook

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A new WalletHub study ranking the most fun American cities in 2025 has revealed Austin needs to learn how to let loose a little more next year.

Austin currently ranks as the 8th most fun city in the U.S., with Houston surpassing it as 6th most fun American city and the No. 1 most fun city in the Lone Star State.

WalletHub's "Most Fun Cities in America (2025)" study compared 182 U.S. cities across 65 metrics – spanning from the number of sports venues, music venues, and shopping centers per capita to the average cost for a restaurant meal – to determine how "fun" each city is. The metrics were split among three main categories: entertainment and recreation, nightlife and parties, and cost.

Las Vegas, Nevada, continued its multi-year streak as the No. 1 most fun American city.

Across the three key dimensions, Austin scored the highest for its nightlife and parties rank (No. 6), but its entertainment and recreation rank (No. 22) and costs rank (No. 82) still leave room for improvement. But overall, Austin's level of "fun" is far higher than most U.S. cities.

Austin's current "fun" status is two spots lower than its 2024 rank as the 6th most fun American city. In 2023, Austin ranked No. 7 on the list.

Other Texas cities that appeared in the top 100 include: San Antonio (No. 23), Dallas (No. 26), Fort Worth (No. 60), El Paso (No. 62), Arlington (No. 71), Plano (No. 78), and Corpus Christi (No. 94).

"The decision of where to live could save or cost you a lot of money and fun, so it’s fair to wonder what makes a fun city," the report's author wrote. "In a city with enough variety, you won’t have to compromise with your friends, family, or even yourself about the next fun activity to do alone or together."

WalletHub's top 10 most fun U.S. cities in 2025 are:

No. 1 – Las Vegas, Nevada
No. 2 – Orlando, Florida
No. 3 – Miami, Florida
No. 4 – Atlanta, Georgia
No. 5 – New Orleans, Louisiana
No. 6 – Houston, Texas
No. 7 – San Francisco, California
No. 8 – Austin, Texas
No. 9 – Portland, Oregon
No. 10 – Cincinnati, Ohio

Surprisingly, both Chicago and New York City dropped out of the top 10 most fun American cities. Chicago now ranks as No. 11, and New York City ranks 14th on the list.

wallethub rankings austin