Need a refresher on my green, yellow, red rating scale? Check out my About page to learn more!
Austin has become my favorite city to visit in Texas. It is filled with outdoor adventures, trendy bars, beautiful street art, and amazing restaurants. The plethora of things to do in Austin makes it the perfect Southern getaway for you and your friends, family, or significant other.
Travel dates: Mon. Jun 24 – Thurs. June 27, 2019 (5 days)
Things to Eat
- Food Trucks – Austin is known for its food trucks
- Baton Creole – my favorite food truck of all time, the food is seasoned so well
- Franklin BBQ – best BBQ in Austin, get there early(11 am opening), there are always dozens of people in line when it opens ready to wait several hours, it closes when the food is gone which is usually before 3 pm
- Whole Foods – founded in Austin, TX, escape from the heat and enjoy time wandering through the Whole Food Flagship store filled with many delicious bites
- Sway – award-winning restaurant, known for its delicious Thai food
- Juan in a Million – Don Juan tacos stuffed full of eggs, potatoes, bacon and cheese
- Ciscos – Mimosas and tacos
- Green Mesquite – BBQ place by Barton Springs
- South Congress Cafe – good for biscuits
- Big Top Candy Shop – fun and cool place to get candy
- Rainey Street – packed with places to eat in Austin at night
Things to Do – Outdoors
- Mount Bonnell – best place to escape the city, relax, and watch the sunset
- Lady Bird Lake – enjoy a bike ride along the lake or rent a paddleboard/kayak
- Barton Springs – natural spring open up to the public, great for swimming, recommend renting a kayak along the lake and kayaking here for the day, nice for picnic lunch
- Watch Bats – underneath the Congress Street bridge is the largest urban colony of Mexican Free-tailed bats in the world, look online for times when they fly
- Hope Outdoor Gallery – great place to see the colorful street art
- Street Art – Guide to Austin’s Street Art, Austin Mural Guide
- I Love You So Much Wall: on SoCo, 1300 S Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78704
- Austin Sign, you are my butter half, Texas Sign
Things to Do – Nightlife
- Rainey Street – trendy area with bars that were converted from houses, great food trucks along the street
- 6th Street – primary area to go out, many bars to hop around
- Buck Wild – find this bar on 6th street and sign up to ride the mechanical bull!
- South Congress District – known for its live music, vintage shops and lively bars, great place to venture at night or in the daytime
- Guero’s Oak Garden: Live blues music on Wednesdays and weekends
- Austin Karaoke – late night, lively karaoke bar, BYOB
- Westin Downtown Austin – located right off of 6th street, opens their rooftop pool and bar to the public, great place to chill and enjoy a cocktail during sunset
Things to Do – Outside of Austin
- Jacob’s Well Natural Area – 45 min from the city, make a reservation several days in advance for swimming
Review – Green: great for swimming and jumping off the rocks into the well that is 120 feet deep, can only swim during summer months - Hamilton Pool Preserve – 45 min from the city, can swim in the lake, 30 min steep hike to the pool, has a waterfall, gets crowded so call 512-264-2740 for a reservation
- McKinney Park – 15 min from the city, can swim, big waterfall
Comment below for other recommendations to spend time in Austin!
