Austin, Texas

One of my favorite places in the United States is Texas- no I am not from there. It’s such a big state with endless opportunities and lifestyles all while maintaining a sense of southern charm.

First things first…

Let’s talk food! Texas is hands down THE BEST place for food! They have an array of options that can appeal to nearly any taste pallet. I would highly advise talking to the locals for input. Allie and I solicited the opinion of multiple texans (is that what they are called?). Which was extremely helpful. Majority of them told us the spots that tourist typically enjoyed, as well as some of the local’s favorite places. A few of the recommended places were obvious to any fellow avid Pinner (good ole Pinterest) while others were not. Here is a list of places that were most commonly recommended to us

• Whataburger
• P-Terry’s
• The Salt Lick
• Texas Roadhouse owned by Willie Nelson
• Any BBQ place in Lockhart
• Torchy’s Tacos

Of course we had our own list from Pinterest finds as well..

• VooDoo Donuts
• Kellie’s Baking Company

and of course you have the random finds that are completely unexpected. We actually ended up going to this little breakfast joint down the street from our hotel. We fell in love and ended up eating there a couple of times during out stay. Their miga’s are delish!! The Salt Lick was a little drive out, but definitely worth it. Especially if you are wanting some real Texas charm! They have an outdoor area for waiting and the best part is, you can bring your own cooler of beer to enjoy with dinner! Where they do dat at??? TEXAS, that’s where. Torchy’s was another favorite of ours. After the first visit, we were craving that queso (that we almost didn’t get) so bad, we ended up going back. Definitely try their queso, don’t skip it. It is truly worth the hype. Also they have fried cookie dough….

What to do?

Well this can vary greatly depending on your style and what you are wanting out of the experience. We wanted to just see all that Austin was known for and experience some of the culture. Day one we went to the main little strip of shops (SoCo aka South Congresss street) and got some authentic cowboy boots and indulged in light retail therapy. They had a lot of nice boutiques and random stores. This was also the day we realized getting a rental car would be more ideal for this area. The uber to the strip was around $22 which was about the price of a rental for an entire day. The hotel was not far either, just off the highway right outside of the downtown area. Made more sense to go ahead and rent one for the remainder of our stay, so that’s what we did.

Barton Springs?

We checked out Barton Springs-sort of. The entrance was somewhere around $20 (I think?), it looked pretty crowded. Instead we went on the backside of it (the outskirts). There was a parking lot behind the main entrance of Barton Springs that led to the runoff. It was kind of gross…smelled like urine and appeared to be a place where people went to let their pets have some fun in the sun.

Noteworthy places we checked out

Mount Bonnell

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Locals use the stairs as a spot to get in some cardio, but the views of the city up here are most definitely worth the short little walk. It is completely free and is nestled in along a road lined with beautiful homes.

As you leave, don’t forget to check out the free roaming Peacocks at the bottom of the hill. So when you leave Mount Bonnell, when you come to the T at the bottom of the hill, make a right and then there will be a parking lot on the left. Get out, stretch your legs, walk around the trails, and enjoy the free roaming peacocks.

Graffiti Park

The park was locked due to some really neat upcoming renovations. However, you are still able to look at the art from the fence. Here is the address 1008 Baylor St, Austin, TX 78703

Murals

There are murals literally all over the place! It’s fairly easy to find the common ones, but take advantage of the others along the way!

“I love you so much” 1300 S. Congress Ave.

“Greetings from Austin” 1720 S 1st St, Austin, TX 78704

“Willie for President” 1315 South Congress Ave

Honestly just walking around South Congress will give plenty of insta worthy photo ops with many popular murals.

Capitol Building 1100 Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78701

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Sixth Street AND Rainey Street

During an Uber ride we asked a local about sixth street. She mentioned how it because of the “homeless population” (as she put it) in that area she would not recommend us going. After soliciting the opinion of others, we concluded the trip would not be complete without checking it out for ourselves. WE ARE SO GLAD WE DID. Like any other city, poverty is bound to be prevalent to an extent. At night they block the street off, have tons of officers patrolling, and loads of people bar hopping. It is really an experience of a lifetime. They bars have giant Jengas, Connect Four, Mechanical Bulls, Karaoke, I mean you name it, you can find it in one of the bars. We heard that sixth was for the “younger” generations and Rainey street (another street in downtown Austin full of nightlife) was for the “older”. We decided to check out both and you should too! Rainey Street was slightly less crowded, had a huge area with multiple food trucks, and even an adult slide and bar made of containers.

Waco

We also took a day and drove a few hours up to Waco. Definitely worth the drive! Check out the “Waco, Texas” post for more information on this.