Updated: Dec 15, 2019
The three words that describe Austin are weird, hippie, and beautiful. This is one of my favorite hippie cities in Texas. Here is where to stay, what to eat, and where to go in Austin. #keepaustinwerid
Where to Stay in Austin
If you plan on going to Austin, then downtown is the spot to be. It puts you right in the middle of everything and close to the best food in Texas. On this trip we stayed at the Wyndham Austin, which has adorable two bedroom and two bathroom condos. It’s in the perfect location, only a few blocks from 6th street, and the price is very right. The condos are well decorated and have an Austin vibe. Sadly, the parking is $30 a day and you have to run from timeshare sales people in the hotel whom do not take “no” for an answer. Also, we found a few huge, alive roaches in the master bedroom during our stay. We mentioned the problem to the hotel staff and they comped our parking. Hopefully, now they have the roach problem under control.
The condo has an amazing view of the Texas State Capital. This was our view from the patio.
Dirty 6th Street in Austin
6th street is the entertainment district of Austin, aka “the place to party”, from Congress Avenue to I-35. It has something for every age group. The best part is we were able to walk to sixth street from the hotel. If you’re not staying downtown ,then I suggest an Uber. You can spend hours bar hopping. This is the place to be when in Austin without kids.
Day 1
Voodoo Donuts in Downtown Austin
For breakfast we walked to the famous Voodoo Donuts in downtown Austin. This place screams Austin with it’s eclectic décor, laidback attitude, and Voodoo priest logo. This donut shop is super popular with the locals and the lines are extremely long. Do not let the lines discourage you because the wait is short. Voodoo donuts has service down to an art and will have you in and out fast. Get ready, they have a wide selection of yummy donuts which had me in a panic when it was time to order. I couldn’t decide and I had to ask the employee to pick for me.
We bought a dozen donuts and our favorite donut was the Bacon Maple Bar. It’s their best seller and it sells out fast. We were able to score the last one and OMG it was good.
I think our friend Ronnie found his favorite.
Travis County Parks / Hamilton Pool Preserve
Have you seen the stunning Hamilton Pool pictures circulating on Pinterest? Reservations are required to enter the park and they sell out fast. We made our reservations online two months before our arrival. The cost is reasonable at $10 a person. The link is below.
Once we arrived, we were a little early for our reservations so we went for a hike around the Travis County Park. The scenery was breath taking. I’m thankful we were early because we really enjoyed the Austin scenery during our hike. This section of Austin is called the Hill Country for reason.
Next, it was time for our Hamilton Pool reservations. Be aware it takes 30 minutes to hike to the Hamilton Pool. The hike is steep and rugged, plus it’s extremely hot outside. We (the girls) had to stop a couple times for small water breaks. No alcohol is allowed, but you can bring water and thermal cups (hint hint). Also, floats are allowed along with radios.
We wore tennis shoes and shorts for the hike and we’re thankful we did. It would have been too hard to do that hike in sandals.
I want to be 100% honest in all my blogs, so I’m saddened to say the water is pretty gross with zero circulation. It has a ton of bat poop from the cave, along with cow poop from the land above the pool. The waterfall is full of cow poop from the pasture above. However, my husband still spent most of his time in the deep end jumping off rocks with a bunch of kids, while my friends and I spent about 10 minutes in the water then we had to get out. We spent the rest of the time on shore just enjoying the view. The cave is really gorgeous to look at.
The Oasis Restaurant
This Mexican restaurant has the best views of Lake Travis. This place is always on a wait and the food is descent. However, the view is what makes this place so special.
We couldn’t believe we were able to see the sunset over Lake Travis during dinner. How romantic! You can even bring a Paris “love lock” to put on the chain-link fence at the restaurant.
Day 2
Juan in a Million
This place has hands down the best breakfast burritos that I have ever had. That’s impressive considering that it’s coming from a Texan. I still dream about these burritos. The prices are just as good as the burritos.
Texas State Capital
When in Austin you must visit the capital. It’s Free! And it takes about two hours to complete.
We found one of Ronnie’s ancestors.
Still Austin Whiskey Company
Afterwards, we went to local whiskey distilleries
Take a tour & tasting- $15 a person for 1 hour
Fri & Sat: 1pm, 3pm, 5pm, 7pm
Sunday: 1pm, 3pm, 5pm
They age the whiskey in barrels in their facility. We learned bourbon is always whiskey, but whiskey is not always bourbon. I’m still confused.
You will get your money worth at this whiskey tasting.
Moonshine Bar and Grill on 6th Street
Is this place good? Let’s just say it was on a 2 hour wait on a Saturday at 2pm. The food is amazing and worth the wait. This is my by far my favorite restaurant in Austin. Bring cash for valet parking.
Texas Reds and Whites
This place is only block from the Moonshire Bar and Grill. They have the best Sangrias I’ve ever tasted. PS. They are strong so be careful.
Segway Tour
That night we went on a Segway Tour. Honestly, I had zero desire to go on a Segway tour, but I was pleasantly surprised. I had the time of my life. Who knew Segways could be so much fun? We were able to see some amazing views of Austin, along with a stop to see the bats of Austin. I now want to see every city on a Segway.
I promise at some point you will start to think you are cool zooming around on the Segway. Then, you will see either a picture or your reflection in a glass window and realize maybe you do not look as cool as you thought.
The bats of Austin are 1.5 million bats that fly out from Congress Street Bridge to go look for food at sunset. You can get a complete view of the bats from under the bridge. This is a must see when in Austin.
On the Segway’s you are able to experience some of the best views of downtown. We just zoomed all over the place. It is so much fun.
Home Slice Pizza
After the tour we were starving. I feel like all we did was eat in Austin, but the food is delicious. This place was on 2 hour wait. We decided to go to the side of the building and order a pizza “to go”. The “to go” building was on a hour wait, but again it was worth it.
I hope I was able to spark your interest in Austin. All I can say is, be ready to eat in Austin because you will find some of the best restaurants in the United States.
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