What to do in Austin?

Canyon Lake is pretty cool too. Make sure to check out the dam if you go.

 

For the love of god, stay off I-35, if it's at all possible!!

The Oasis is a good place to have drinks and watch the sunset over Lake Travis. Google it for directions.... it can be a bit hard to find if you've never been there. And go to the Salt Lick for great barbeque... it's out FM 1826, in Driftwood. Probably should google it as well. 6th street is where the college crowd tends to party. The warehouse district is better, imo. Lots of good places to eat and listen to music. Try out the Austin Chronicle's site for more info... www.austinchronicle.com

 

this is something i typed up for a friend a while back. depends on what you're looking for really. how many nights and days do you have there? where will you be staying? and no, austin is so small compared to houston that driving is nothing! hope this helps!

Austin, Texas
2004

Austin is a very relaxed, casual city where all dress codes are allowed at any place. It’s much smaller than Houston but due to the random street name changes, be familiar with the map. Here are some good websites to look at:
www.austin.citysearch.com
www.austin360.com
www.ci.austin.tx.us
www.austinwebpage.com – this one seems pretty good

Visit:
Capitol-15th Street
The University of Texas campus-21st-26th Street
UT Tower-24th Street
Texas History Musuem-21st Street
Mount Bonnell-35th Street east of MOPAC
Bats under Congress Bridge-www.batcon.org
Lake Travis-north
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center-south Austin

Shopping:
Arboretum-I-35North, 183 North
Barton Springs Mall-I-35 South
The Drag-Renaissance Area on Guadalupe/22nd Street near campus (hand made jewelry, beads, etc)

Eat:
Trudy’s Mexican Restaurant (quesadillas, Mexican martinis)-30th Street
Z Tejas (traditional American)-6th Street
Kerbey Lane (24 hrs, pancakes, migas)-go to the orig Kerbey Lane on Kerbey Lane (there are other not as good locations)
Hula Hut (traditional American)-Lake Austin by the water
Shady Grove (American)-Barton Springs
Salt Lick (all you can eat bbq)-far west but GOOD food
Threadgill’s (all American-chicken fried steak)-6th Street
Iron Cactus (TexMex)-6th Street

A typical night for out-of –towners would be to hit up Iron Cactus on 6th Street for dinner. Get there around 5:30 for appetizers, drinks (lots of variety of margaritas), and dinner. Then head over to Esther’s Follies (~$20) for a comedy show with skits making fun of current events and other funny things! You may need to make reservations for this. Catch the 8 PM show so you still have time for fun. By the time the show is over, the bar/club lights will be turned on and you should be ready to head down the road and hit up all the FINE ESTABLISHEMENTS. Some of the good ones are Pete’s Piano Bar (tell them you’re from out of town and leave a fine tip…you’ll be embarrassed), Library, Aquarium, Shakespeare’s, Chuggin’ Monkey, Logan’s, etc. Most will not have cover so feel free to walk in and walk out just to get a feel.

 

Everything everyone has said so far is great advice! And, just in case there are any smokers present in your travelling plans, most of Austin is non-smoking now. Be prepared for that when you go to restaraunts and maybe some bars too.

For coffee, you MUST go to the Spider House (between 29th and 30th just off of Guadalupe behind the Eckerds). It's open till 1 or 2 am I believe... Try the Black and White. It's espresso over vanilla ice cream.

Also, for the Salt Lick, expect a pretty good wait to eat. The times I've been there it's been about an hour and a half wait. Bring a cooler of brew and chill under the trees while you wait. You won't be sorry.

 

Hey, I forgot about bringing your own brews to the Salt Lick. Good call! Saves some money as well for those who enjoy beer or wine. I'll have to try the Spider House. I don't think I've been there. Maybe I'll get some good ideas from this thread.

 

We used to order that at a restaurant/bar in San Francisco. Surprisingly excellent.