Austin is a place I hold near and dear to my heart. Besides being home to my alma mater, Austin’s uniquely “weird” culture and diversity make it a special place for many people. Here are some of the top things to do when visiting Austin.
Where to Eat
When in Texas, there are 2 types of food you definitely need to try – Tex-Mex and Texas BBQ.
- World-famous Franklin BBQ, featured in Jon Favreau’s indie comedy Chef . It’s so good that it sells out of brisket every day since it started in the founder’s trailer. If you go, be prepared to wait in line….like for 3 hours (or more!). Alternatively, you can plan in advance and pre-order your meal if you have enough people to eat more than 5 lbs of meat.
- Rudy’s: one of my favorite BBQ joints when I used to live in Austin. It is a chain with locations even in Phoenix. From the outside, this place looks like a gas station, and on the inside it’s super laid back. I love the creamed corn and the fatty briskets here! Kick back with some good ol’ fashion root beer and you have yourself quite the experience.
- Salt Lick: another classic BBQ place in Austin, known for ribs and briskets but harder to get to (farther away). It was so popular they created another location called Salt Lick 360, but it’s not the same there. If you go, you should go to the original location in Driftwood.
- Trudy’s: classic Tex Mex restaurant by UT campus. They serve these delicious margaritas in shakers – the margaritas are so strong they limit you to 2. Ha!
- Cafe Mozart: this is a coffee shop near campus where many students (including my younger self) go to study. This cafe is situated next to the lake so you will have a nice lake view to go along with your coffee.
- Oasis: this is a restaurant next to Lake Travis. The menu isn’t that spectacular (and food quality isn’t great either), but it is known for its beautiful view over Lake Travis. If you can, try to go during sunset. It’s absolutely gorgeous!
- Pluckers Wings: a wings staple for many college students. It has a signature dish – fire in the hole flavored wings. It’s as it sounds – the wings are so spicy that it feels like a fire in the “hole.” 🙂 If you are able to eat 25 of them at once, you can even get your picture on the wall.
Sightseeing in Austin
- UT Tower tour – get a view of the UT campus and its nearby surroundings at the top of the UT Tower.
- Visit the Texas Capitol – it is really close to the UT campus and has very nice grounds around it. The inside is also very nice. Plan in advance and sign up for a free guided tour of the Capitol.
- See the urban bats. Did you know that Austin is home to largest population of urban bats?
- “Hike” Mt. Bonnell: close to city. a short hike up the mountain and you can see Lake Austin. You can even catch sunset here.
- Barton Springs: go swimming or kayaking/canoeing here. Water temperature is always ~60 degrees. There is a paid side (probably cleaner) and a free side (where you go kayaking and where the dogs go).
- Lake Travis: farther away from campus but really pretty. You can take boat rides, ride jet skis, etc.
Short road trips outside Austin
- Visit San Antonio Riverwalk. It is about 1.5 hours away from Austin. While you are in San Antonio, visit the Alamo, which has a significant place in Texas history.
- Float down the Guadalupe River. Relax, grab a tube (and maybe some drinks) and float down the river.
- Visit Fredericksburg, a quaint German heritage town 1.5 hr from Austin. It’s a cute place to walk around and to get away from the city.
If you feel like shopping, you can go check out San Marcos (<1 hr from Austin). There is an outlet there so you can shop to your heart’s content.
Nightlife
- 6th Street – this is the party street in Downtown Austin that is famous for its cheap drinks and clubbing scene. They close down the streets on the weekends so the streets are just packed with people (mostly students from UT). A lot of places do not charge cover, so you can go bar hopping.
- 4th Street – live jazz music, comedians, and a great music scene. Generally for an older crowd.
Love Austin? Leave a message and tell me more! In the meantime, Keep Austin Weird!