Ella Hedekin grew up in San Diego. She moved to Texas to go to school at Baylor and then stayed in Waco for a couple years.

Over the summer, she moved to Austin to take a job teaching third grade. She got a little place with a roommate in Hyde Park.

So far, living in Austin has been great, but she’s got a problem: There’s too much to do here!

“I have felt kind of like positively overwhelmed with how many things there are to do,” she said. “There’s so many fun places to go that I kind of get analysis paralysis, and I don’t know where to start.”

It’s not the worst problem to have, but when you’re new to a place like Austin, it really can be hard to figure out what to do. What to see. Where to go. And where NOT to go.

Of course, she’s been to some of the obvious places like Barton Springs and a bunch of restaurants. But she wants some guidance from people who’ve been here more than a minute.

So she came to ATXplained with a question: As a newbie in Austin, where do you start?

So — we’re turning to you, dear reader.

We want your recommendations.

But! There are specific things Ella is looking for:

Park/outdoor spacesSports (to watch)Performances (no stand-up comedy, please)Restaurants (places you can only find in Austin)Community festivals

What are your go-to Austin things? When you want to show someone a good time in Austin, where do you go?

Remember: Ella’s a teacher only a few years out of college. So keep the budget to $50 maximum.

Let’s help her out! Record your recommendations here.

We’ll report back what we hear in a few weeks.