Adventures in Austin
Austin definitely lives up to its slogan – it’s weird. But in the best way possible. The city didn’t disappoint in its eclectic dining choices, nightlife, and overall funky vibe. My boyfriend, Seth, and I chose Austin for a spontaneous fall getaway for many reasons: 1) so we could visit friends 2) the weather and 3) because I had heard enough about Rainey Street that I finally needed to see it for myself. Here’s how we spent a long weekend in this millennial-filled, dog loving, up-and-coming Texas city.
Day 1
Thank God for friends in cool places! Seth’s buddy Chirag picked us up from the airport and immediately took us to Zilker Brewing for some local beer and munchies. Right on property sat the Spicy Boys Fried Chicken food truck. And let me tell you, their chicken was AMAZING. Seriously, best chicken I’ve had in a long time. Austin was already proving itself as a foodie city, and I wasn’t mad about it.
Continuing on our impromptu food tour, we made pit stops at a taco joint and Voodoo Donuts before heading to a popular attraction in the city – The Oasis. This little spot nestled in the hills – yes, there are hills in Austin – was absolutely breathtaking. The area has shops, a restaurant and brewery on site that overlook Lake Travis. While it’s popular opinion that the dining isn’t great, the view is absolutely worth it. This is a #1 spot for gorgeous scenery that you just wouldn’t expect in Texas.
Next, we hit up The Domain, which is a newer neighborhood that is a millennial’s paradise. A little outside of downtown Austin, you can find apartments, shopping, dog parks, restaurants and very impressive nightlife here. If you’re looking for weird, Wonder Bar is a must. I’ve never been as confused or intrigued by another bar before. Take a photo in a shark’s mouth, sit on a banana swing or find the secret room for more quirky photo opps (I’ll let all of the photos speak for themselves). It was quite the experience.
Just next door was Chirag’s favorite bar, 77 degrees. What a difference in atmosphere! This three-story bar was outdoors, with a rooftop patio overlooking The Domain strip. It was a lot more chill with posh seating and a sophisticated vibe. Also part of the bar was The Rose Room, a tucked-away dance club with ear-deafening music, smoke machines and lots of fists pumping.
Day 2
The Domain did us dirty and left us in need of some good ol’ breakfast tacos to soak up the alcohol from the night before. After chowing down, Chirag – our now unofficial tour guide – once again surprised us with an Austin gem – Mt. Bonnell in Covert Park. To get those good city views, we had to trek up 102 steps in some pretty intense heat. While this isn’t a super strenuous hike, don’t be like me and wear jeans! Instant regret.
Chirag was officially off tour guide duty for the time being, as Seth and I went to meet up with my cousin Kassie and her husband, Blake – who drove in for the visit from Katy, TX. We hit up some small, local shops along South Congress Avenue that were fun. Honestly, I wish we would’ve spent more time shopping because there were lots of goodies (like cowboy boots from Allens Boots!) and art we didn’t get to see.
That night, we ate at The Peached Tortilla, a local favorite that mixes “Asian comfort food with a Southern twist.” I mean, where else can you get a banana and Nutella spring roll? Next, we took on Rainey Street – basically a street of house parties on steroids. Every bungalow was themed differently, each one blaring out a different genre of music. We house-hopped from Lucille to Idle Hands, taking in the frenzied energy. We would’ve explored more of the houses, but the street was packed with eager partiers, so we went to the next best spot – the food trucks. Whoever came up with a lot full of food trucks on a party street is a true genius.
Day 3
After eating and drinking our way around Austin, today was the day for some actual physical activity. Kassie, Blake, Seth and I went to Lady Bird lake for some early morning paddle boarding. This was by far one of my favorite activities! We rented our equipment from EpicSUP and took off to explore the lake. With the high temps, paddle boarding was the perfect activity to do as a group. TIP: You can’t technically swim in the lake, but if you “fall in,” make sure to milk that time and enjoy the water.
Our next activity on the list was racing high speed go-karts at Circuit of the Americas. Everyone in our group is pretty competitive, so it got intense.We did three races and were completely exhausted afterwards. Seth came away with a win, no shock there.
Our last dinner in Austin was at Anthem, located on Rainey Street. Racing really works up an appetite, so we gorged on all the foods: rangoon, edamame, chicken, burgers, and other shareables. I’d definitely recommend this place because its location and overall aesthetic was top notch.
Day 4
Before flying home that afternoon, Seth and I had one more attraction to visit: the Museum of Ice Cream. While the tickets were a bit pricey, saying that I slid into a pool of sprinkles was a definite must. The museum is also an Instagram influencer’s dream. The photo opps are endless and so is the free ice cream. We got 4-5 free flavor samples as we moved from room to room; so by the end, I was absolutely stuffed. Some of the features are a bit gimmicky, but overall, we learned some cool new facts, got to play in an ice-cream themed “gym” of sorts and had a huge boozy milkshake to end the whole experience.
Now, don’t worry, we didn’t leave Austin without eating some barbecue. As our final stop, Chirag took us to Rudy’s BBQ which screamed authentic, southern cooking with checkered tablecloths and all. Even though we were five pounds heavier from the ice cream, Seth and I somehow found room to devour charred pulled pork that was cooked to perfection.
Austin was an absolute hit! Thanks to good friends (shoutout to Chirag and Kassie!), we saw all of the great gems and attractions the city had to offer. Stay weird, Austin!
