"There's a certain freedom you begin to feel the closer you get to Austin, Texas." -Willie NelsonWe've been fortunate to live in Austin for the past five years and like many people that come here, the feeling of freedom that Willie Nelson is talking about tends to grab ahold and there's nothing you'd rather do than experience it everyday for the rest of your life! In 2010, we found ourselves just out of college and searching for a place to start our careers and life together. Chase got a call from Texas that said he got the job, but would be training in Austin for a year so we packed up all our stuff and shipped it to the capital city. We knew nothing about Austin! Nothing! But five years later, we still get to call this sweet, not so little city ours and we don't plan on leaving anytime soon! Austin is a growing city. The boom took off around 2000 and there's been no slowing down since. With people moving here, and to the surrounding suburbs, new and exciting things keep popping up throughout the city. New places to eat or drink at, more developments and venues, and of course more festivals than you can imagine. The abundance of things to do here in Austin is overwhelming, so we decided to put together a Must-Do list for first timers. Our families can attest, our must-do list continues to grow, so even if you've visited before, there might be something new to try! Take a Stroll on the Boardwalk - recently added to connect the lady bird hike and bike trail, the boardwalk is a two mile stretch of both water and land that many locals like to get their exercise on. It's wide enough for two way traffic but if you are going to walk and take in the city views, make sure and stay out of the way of runners and bikers. Austinites take their exercise seriously here, and after all, the boardwalk was developed for the hike and bike trail. Shop Along South Congress Ave - our tried and true Keep Austin Weird slogan collides with the newer Keep Austin Local to create SoCo. South Austin is a lot more unique and has a lot of the original flair that Austin is desperately trying to hold on to. Hippies and free spirits historically lived in South Austin because the rent was cheap due in part to the reputation South Congress had. However, through the decades SoCo has become a neighborhood of locally owned shops, restaurants, boutique hotels and bars that have been thriving and it all happened organically. It's a slice of old school Austin that you eventually aren't going to be able to get anywhere else in town. Things to do: Watch the Mexican Free-Tailed Bats Fly - if you come from March-October make sure and see the bats fly out from under the Congress Bridge for their nightly dinner. There are 1.5 million bats, the largest colony in North America, that emerge at sun down to eat up all the bugs and insects in the Austin metro area! Many people have asked us, "Do they swarm you?" or my favorite "Will they try to attack you and pull your hair?" That's a no! The bats are focused on one thing and that's flying south to eat as many insects as possible! We love our bats, they are harmless! Food to Eat: If there is one thing to take away from your trip to Austin, it's that Austinites like to eat! And we are rather particular about our food and where it comes from. There are a lot of restaurants doing farm to table with produce coming from the local farms around the Austin area. Urban farming is a thing here so locally sourced produce is important. We also have a top chef in Austin that certainly lives up to his credentials. Here are some of our favorite spots around town that would be great for first timers. Tex-Mex: High-end: La Condesa. Downtown on 2nd street Low-end: Chuys or Trudys. All over town Barbecue: Chase is going to do a "how to" blog about the BBQ here, but to keep it short and simple, here are our recommendations for Texas bbq. High-end: Lamberts. 2nd street district Low-end: Rudys. All over town American: High-end: Frank. Gourmet hotdogs and sausages. Downtown on Colorado St. Low-end: Pluckers Wing Bar. All over town Burgers: High-end: Hopdoddy Burger Bar. South Congress Ave Low-end: Phil's Ice House. All over town Vietnamese: we have a huge community of Vietnamese families here in Austin so if you enjoy their food, search for more authentic/local places High-end: Elizabeth St. Café. Off of South 1st St. Low-end: Phonatic. All over town Brunch: High-end: La Taverna. 2nd St. District Low-end: Kerbey Lane Café. Kerbey Lane in Central Austin. They also have a location on South Lamar if you are staying more downtown. Coffee Houses: So our coffee scene here in Austin is insane! Lots of awesome spots roasting up delicious espresso and coffee. Coffee is usually priced the same regardless of a local spot or Starbucks so here are our top three places for some joe. 1. Houndstooth - if you are serious about coffee and how it's brewed, this is your place. They only do a handful of flavored lattes because they value the traditional coffee flavors over sugary additives. You can also pick your coffee's origin (they usually have 4 choices) when ordering. 2. Jo's coffee - with two locations downtown, this is your place to people watch and enjoy some traditional coffee drinks. They have an iced turbo that is hard to resist! 3. Halcyon - in the warehouse district. This place is a coffee shop/bar so if you were wanting a chocolate espresso martini done the right way, go there! It's not considered a bar so underaged persons can enter and partake in alcohol free beverages. They also have a dessert plate of s'mores that you can make at your table! It's pretty hard to pass up if you're downtown. Hittin' up 6th St. - regardless of whether you want to drink or not, if you come to Austin, you'll probably be making a trip to 6th street. The east side has gotten a reputation and many refer to is as Dirty 6th. Largely due to the solid five blocks of biker and dive bars, the east side bars are almost all no cover entrances and during the school year, Dirty 6th is littered with college kids because where else can you get a $3 bud light and Jell-O shots? One other thing that makes East 6th intriguing is when the sun goes down, the city closes off car access so pedestrians can walk freely from bar to bar. Plus each bar is blasting live music louder than the next, in an attempt to draw you in. If you want more cocktails and less sticky floors, go west on 6th street. You'll find some great places to eat and you can grab a more sophisticated drink of choice at some bars like Dogwood, Key Bar, and Lavaca Street Bar (technically on Lavaca and 5th street but it's so close!). If you do make it west, make sure and explore 5th street and don't forget the warehouse district on 4th. There are a lot of great bars and lounges to hang at besides the ones on East 6th! If you are planning a trip to Austin, please feel free to contact us for some more local places to explore. We'd love to share our city with you!
Also, we will be doing two more weeks of Austin, including more unique things to try, places to stay, and how to get around for suburb/lake exploring so if you have questions about the city, comment below or email and we will address them in the next two weeks! Until Next Time, C + D Comments are closed.
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