So if you’ve found your place to stay after visiting pt. 1 of our Austin travel guide, now is the time to figure out what you’ll do while you are there!

Eat:

If you do not like to eat, you are in the wrong city.  With SO many options, you really can’t go wrong.  But here are a few of our favorites…

Torchy’s – Torchy’s gets a lot of hype and it is well deserved.  We may or may not have eaten at Torchy’s twice in one day.  Go for the Trailer Park and the Migas – and don’t skip the queso!

Jo’s – Go for the “I Love You So Much” mural, stay (and return) for the Iced Turbo and fabulous patio to read the paper.  A day started at Jo’s is bound to be a good day.

Gourdough’s – Donuts. Donuts. Donuts. Bring bigger pants. (Actually, that’s just a good idea for trip to Austin in general)

Bangers Sausage House and Beer Garden – Located on Rainey Street (more on that in the next section) this is a perfect spot to pop in for amazing food, incredibly friendly service, and did I mention amazing food?  I’m still dreaming about the mac n cheese and the mashed potatoes.

Lenoir: Never have we ever splurged on a meal like we did at Lenior, but absolutely no regrets about doing it. Outside of the fresh, local, seasonal menu – the decor and experience was truly amazing.

Hopdoddy Burger and Bar: As a 80% plant eater and 20% meat eater – this restaurant could have me change my ways.  Our first experience in Hopdoddy’s was a long wait outside, followed by a cold beer in line, and ending with the most amazing hamburger and garlic parmesan fries I have ever eaten. I had the Goodnight/Good Cause burger which made me feel even better since part of the proceeds were going to a local charity!  I’ve never had room for a milkshake when I’ve been there and that is a big regret of mine.

Doc’s Motorworks:  Wow.  Something terrible just happened.  I was about to write up how we had the pleasure of spending two nights at Doc’s on South Congress when I just read it closed forever about a week ago!  We happened to be in town for both the NBA Playoffs and the World Series and we had such a great time at this amazing bar with huge patio watching the Cubbies win after 108 years!!  So sad we won’t ever be able to go back.  It looks as though they have other locations.

Do:

Explore South Congress : In case you couldn’t tell by our accommodation and food recommendations, we love South Congress.  There are so many unique shops to stop into along with great spots to grab a drink and a bite to eat.  You can easily spend the afternoon on this great stretch of the city.

The Continental Club : You guessed it – right along South Congress is the Continental Club.  We stopped in on a Monday night and saw an amazing brother band (The Peterson Brothers Band to be exact) fo’ free.  That’s right…no cover if you head there early in the evening, but the drinks are cold and the music is amazing so make your way over there whenever you can!

Barton Springs: In case we didn’t mention it, Austin can get incredibly hot.  If you aren’t staying somewhere where you can take a dip in the pool, or even if you are, you’ll want to make your way over to Barton Springs. For a small admission fee, you can lounge by the natural spring for the entire day.  There are nice bath facilities if you want to rinse off before hitting the town.

The Bats :  Okay, so, I’m putting this only because it feels like I need to.  There’s a bridge.  There are bats that live under it.  We stood there to watch them.  I hope you have better luck than we do, because they made a poor showing for us.  That being said…the next night we…

Water Bikes on Lake Austin – In another attempt to see the bats, we rented water bikes.  Using a groupon, this was a cheap night out.  The bikes launch from behind the Hyatt and you are able to stop in their bar and grab a drink for your bike ride!  I can’t remember how long we were out on the bikes for, but it was a great way to see the skyline of the city and, yes, look for the bats.

Hamilton Pool Preserve – On our first trip to Austin we rented a car (we didn’t the second time, more on that later) which gave us some freedom to explore the surrounding area.   If it is in your budget, rent a car and head to Hamilton Pool Preserve.  We were in Austin shortly after some intense flooding, so, unfortunately the pool was closed for swimming.  However, we were still able to hike to the pool and sit in the rocks around it.  It is simply stunning and I would have loved to take a dip!  Rumor has it that folks flock here and they only allow a small number of people in at a time.  If you’re planning on going, head there early so you don’t wait in your hot car for half of the day!  There was a small cash fee to enter.

Rainey Street – The cutest little street in town.  Bungalow after bungalow that have been turned into bars.  We dedicated an early evening (into late evening) of bar hopping on Rainey.  It was a perfect spot to grab a drink then move along, and on occasion grab a snack from a backyard food truck!

Use RideAustin – There’s no uber in Austin, but there is RideAustin!  We had a great experience not renting a car and just utilizing RideAustin to see the city.  There is plenty to do that we would have if we had a car (helllllo Texas wineries!) but you can totally do a trip without a car if you need to!

 

Have you traveled to Austin?  What else would you suggest as a must see/must eat?