Vacation Spots – Austin

Jump to Comments

This is part two of our Vacay Series – yesterday Chris kicked us off with Memphis.

Austin — a town that doesn’t take itself too seriously 

When John asked us to make a guest post on his blog we were so excited to write about our new hometown. We moved here in 2005, but Jenny first fell in love with Austin when she lived here as a nanny for her aunt and uncle in the summer of 2000. She instantly  fell in love with the rolling hills, tall pecan trees, rich history, and the seemingly contradictory contrast of the city’s vibrant energy and laid back vibe. When we decided to move back to Texas in 2004, there was no question that Austin was where we wanted to be. 

For years, Austin was a small, funky college town, somehow isolated from the cultural homogenization and infiltration of strip malls and fast food joints blanketing the rest of the nation. Even today, while the city is in the middle of a huge growth spurt, Austinites are hanging on to that unique quality that makes Austin stand out from the cookie-cutter mold of American progress. While Austin is the heart and capital of Texas — and takes pride in that fact — in many ways the culture in Austin more resembles that of California. Politically, Austin is a blue dot in the middle of a sea of red. Home to environmental activists, hippies, entrepreneurs, young professionals, and even Dellionaires (folks who made a fortune off Dell stock options from the 80s), Austin stands out from its neighbors in the Lone Star State. Our motto is “Keep Austin Weird.” 

“Austin’s a city that doesn’t take itself too seriously. After all, you can’t have a motto like “Keep Austin Weird” and be buttoned-up. We’re laid-back, full of energy and, yes, a little weird.” - City of Austin website

Must See

The Alamo Drafthouse for an indie movie or documentary | S. Lamar or Downtown Location

This is our favorite place to go to the movies, they serve drinks and food that are themed to go with the movie on opening weekend! While they show some mainstream movies, they are known for showing things you can’t see elsewhere.

Barton Springs Pool | In Zilker Park, just south of downtown

This beautiful public swimming pool is formed from a natural spring — you can actually feel the water coming up through the rocks under your feet. A popular venue for year-round swimming, since the spring water maintains a temperature of approximately 68°F.

The Capital | Downtown

Free tours available daily. Everything is bigger in Texas — our capital building is taller than the nation’s capitol in DC! 

Lady Bird Lake Hike and Bike Trail | Downtown

This is one of the most beautiful trails in Texas for walking, running, or biking — and it is right in the heart of downtown. Spend some time on the trail to work off all the Mexican food you’ve eaten! You can also rent a kayak and spend some time enjoying the views of downtown from the seclusion of the water. 

Leslie in his thong and fairy wig | All over town

The famed cross-dresser and former mayoral candidate can be seen walking around town, especially in south central Austin. “Dress up Leslie magnets” are for sell at some local stores. 

San Jose Hotel Bar | South central

Nice quiet patio nestled off of busy South Congress. Hang out with the local hipsters for happy hour.

South Congress Street Bridge Bats  | Downtown

This bridge downtown is home to the largest urban bat colony in North America. Join the crowds on the bridge to watch them take flight at sunset every evening from May to October.  

South Congress Shops & Restaurants  | Just south of downtown

This is a great spot to hit any night of the week, but if you are in town for on the first Thursday of the month be sure to check out the live music and festivities on this popular street in Austin. The shops stay open late too! Our favorites are Part’s And Labor, 10,000 villages, Tesoro’s Trading Company, Turquoise Door, and Lucy in Disguise. If you don’t want to shop at least take the time to drive down South Congress towards the capitol. It our favorite view of Austin.

Whole Foods Flagship Store | Downtown

The world headquarters of Whole Foods…the only place where you can get butter from any country in the world, among other things. They have a great food court and kids play area too! 

Must Eat

Jenny’s aunt once said, “If you cant wear flip flops to the restaurant in Austin, it will close down within 6 months.”  We have definitely found that to be true. Casual dining is the way to go in Austin. Here are some of our favorite spots: 

Blue Dahlia Bistro | east side | $$

Wine, cheese, coffee, sandwiches – CHOCOLATE CROISSANTS TO DIE FOR. 

Hula Hut  | west side | $$

Polynesian / Mexican fusion with seating on the dock at Lake Austin. 

Joe’s on Second Street  | downtown | $$

Great place to hang out. Good burgers and tuna melts. 

Juan and a Million  | east side | $

Great Mexican breakfast joint. Get the breakfast tacos. 

Leaf | downtown | $$

Big, yummy salads   

P.Terry’s | south central | $

The anti -fast food burger joint. They started this place after reading Fast Food Nation.

Polvo’s | south central | $$

Some of the best Mexican food in town, try the dark salsa. 

Progress | east side | $$

Hipster coffee shop with salads, sandwich, and smoothies too.

Matt’s El Rancho | south central | $$

Tex-Mex at it’s finest. The Bob Armstrong is an Austin classic – just say “give me a large Bob!”

 
Moonshine | downtown | $$$

Down home cookin’ with a twist. Ever had chipotle mac n’ cheese?

 
Salt Lick BBQ | west side | $$$

Texas style BBQ.

 
Torchy’s Tacos | south central | $

The BEST tacqueria in town! Try the Monk’s Special — or, the Trailer Park, extra trashy with a side of lil’ nookie!

Uchi | south central | $$$

Rated one of the best restaurants in the nation. Definitely the best sushi we’ve have ever had.  

Z Tejas | west side | $$

This is one of our favorite date spots. A little bit of everything — and great margaritas.  

South Congress Cafe | south central | $$$

Great mojitos and yummy food. They have a nice brunch menu on Sundays.

 

1886 Bakery and Cafe | downtown | $$

Great desserts and coffee located in the historic Driskill Hotel. 

 

Must Hear

 

“Set my stereo for nothing but the big beats | windows open sound of the city streets | blowing through the night like a tiger in a movie | feeling kind of groovy ”  - Getting Better from album I’m Good Now by local Austin musician, Bob Schneider

— Venues —

Concert in the Park | Downtown

Free concerts on the lawn of our new performing arts center.

Blues on the Green | Zilker Park, just south of downtown

Free concerts on Wednesday nights in the summer ar Zilker Park. 

The Elephant Room | Downtown

Great place to go and hear some jazz.

 
Stubbs | Dowtown

Great BBQ and music, they have a great Gospel brunch on Sundays!

Saxon Pub | South central

Great pub with live music every night.

Threadgills | South central

Home cooking and live music on the patio Thursday through Sunday.

— Local Bands — 

Asleep at the Wheel

Good Texas music.

Bob Schneider

A little rough around the edges, but our personal Austin favorite. Always a good show!

 
Patty Griffin

Local musician who has become more widely known in recent years

 
Porter Davis

Great new artist — and he’s friends with our neighbor  

Tacks the Boy Disaster

Newer band gaining national recognition. We went to college with the band leader, Evan Jacobs  

Spoon

Great local band. They’re latest album is pretty much perfect. 

South Austin Jug Band

Laid back bluegrass. This band is especially fun to see on the patio at Threadgill’s  

More About Austin

— Websites —

 

• austinist.com
• austin360.com
• austininaction.com  (Click on “Freebie of the Day” to find absolutely free activities going on in Austin…a new posting daily!)
• rareaustin.com
• statesman.com

— Getting around town —

Stay near downtown to capture the true essence of Austin while visiting. The further north you go, the more Austin starts to feel like any other suburban city in America. The best way to experience Austin is to take public transportation, which is pretty easy in and around downtown.

The Dillos are free!

These free bus/trollies get you pretty much anywhere you want to go downtown 

Local busses – Capital Metro

Only $1 for a day pass. You can pay when you get on your first bus of the day.

Get public transit directions from Google

Google launched a new service that lets you get public transit directions as an alternative to driving directions. Click the link above to see an example. Pretty cool.

— Exploring the small towns near Austin —
If you are going to be in the area for a little while, you may want to check out some side adventures you can have in the small Texas towns near Austin. You can tube, hike, shop, eat and tour many great places less than 60 miles away. Here are some of the best picks: 

Fredricksburg, TX | about an hour and half from downtown

Fun little shops and restaurants in this historic German town 

Johnson City, TX | about an hour from downtown

Home of LBJ’s ranch and some fun small town shops

New Braunfels, TX | 45 minutes from downtown

Tubing central. You can also hit up Schlitterbahn, one of the best water parks in the country.

Georgetown, TX | 40 minutes from downtown

Nice town square with fun shops and restaurants

There really is so much to see and do in Austin — we had a hard time narrowing it down for this blog post. If you have never been to Austin, we hope you’ll consider visiting our little piece of Texas paradise. 

~ thanks Jason & Jenny – john ~

5 Comments

Filed under Friends & Family, Reviews