I'm going with my boyfriend to Austin, TX, in two weeks for a kung-fu festival. Its his first one and I'm along because: I have the car, I want to cheer him on, and because I'm Texas-raised and its fun to visit.
But I haven't been to Austin since I was a kid and only vaguely remember going to the Alamo, which he would not be game for. So I want to come up with a list of ideas since I think we might come in a day or two early as a mini-vacation.
I'm looking for good food suggestions. Personally, I could use some good BBQ and will refuse to leave without atleast one meal at such an establishment, but I'm open to any recommendations. We hate eating at chains so we want to try some local flavor.
And then I'm also asking for funspots. Not touristy stuff. But we like anything from rollercoasters to museums. What places are must-sees? What's a good way to spend the day?
And finally, music recommendations! I hear nothing but good things about the Austin music scene and in my boyfriend's opinion, it was makes Austin the one redeeming part of Texas. haha. Are there any good clubs or bars to hit? He likes jazz, fusion and experimental, so I think he'd like to hear Austin's take on that.
Right now I believe the festival is at Anderson High School on Mesa Drive, but I don't know where we'll be staying so proximity isn't a huge deal. Might stay downtown if that's where the fun is.
So throw me any ideas so I can plan a good mini-vacation for us! I need to redeem myself and the state of Texas after a botched visit to Houston back in May.
Posted by anti_maven (Member # 9789) on :
Yeah Baby Yeah! Like shag-a-delic!
Oops, misunderstood the title.
Texas is great y'all. I had a top time during my one week stay, roaming around like the Spaceman in King Arthur's court.
I didn't get to Austin, but I had a Monster steak in Dallas the one time I was there. I swear it was larger than me. I think it was an Austrailan themed staek house. Great food, but sorry not to be more help.
BTW, if you make it to Denton, close to the UNT Stadium you'll find the *best* Thai restaurant in the world. Really. Man that food is good. The owner is an ice-hockey freak, and stood this poor Brit a beer becasue his team won the Stanley cup while I was eating my dinner. Good times.
Good luck!
Posted by Carrie (Member # 394) on :
Alamo Drafthouse, Friday or Saturday night, Master Pancake presents "Back to the Future." It was hilarious. And it's the new Downtown Drafthouse, which I've not seen.
As far as music and bars go, it's really easy to just walk along a bunch of the streets downtown and find something that interests you.
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
I thought the Alamo was in San Antonio, not in Austin.
Posted by Carrie (Member # 394) on :
The actual Alamo, yes. The Drafthouse, no.
Posted by Jim-Me (Member # 6426) on :
San Antonio and Austin are only a little farther apart than Dallas and Ft. Worth.
Edit: For BBQ, rudys.com
it's a chain, but a pretty good one.
Posted by The Rabbit (Member # 671) on :
Austin is on a mission in Melbourne right now but I'm sure he'd find it fun if you sent him some homemade chocolate chip cookies. Posted by ladyday (Member # 1069) on :
Well if you hate eating at chains I think Austin is the place to go...I'll ask around for recs.
Posted by Risuena (Member # 2924) on :
If you don't mind wandering out of Austin a bit, The Salt Lick has some really good barbeque. It's probably a 20 minute or so drive from downtown but worth it.
Ruby's (not Rudy's - I've never been there) is also really good for BBQ and right by UT's Campus.
Other places to try are:
The East Side Cafe. Good, fresh from the garden food at reasonable prices.
Sao Paulo's, a tasty Brazilian restaurant just north of UT’s campus, with really good drinks.
At the other end of the same shopping center is the Crown & Anchor, which has good beer and really good burgers.
But even better burgers can be found at Casino el Camino which has the advantage of being on 6th St in downtown and has an amusing Aztec afterlife themed patio.
And one place to avoid is the Oasis out on Lake Travis. The only thing to recommend it are the pretty views, which you can get by wandering around the lake without having to pay for terrible food.
For music, most of the that’s going to be along 6th Street and Red River or over in the 4th St/Warehouse District. And that’s where most of the bars and clubs are as well, although there are also some around UT and some Latin places East of I-35.
And for things to do, there are several museums on UT’s campus, including the LBJ Presidential Library, which I love, and the Ransom Center which has a Gutenberg Bible. There are lots of museums all over the place, just kind of depends on what you’re interested in.
I’d also recommend taking a day to wander around the hill country outside of Austin – there are a lot of interesting things to see in little towns like Johnson City and Fredericksburg.
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
And it's the new Downtown Drafthouse, which I've not seen.![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)