Planning trip to Austin, TX. Any tips, recommendations?

Don't miss The Bat Bridge!

rcarter31 said:

Don't miss The Bat Bridge!

we took a boat tour on the river to watch the bats emerge. it was pretty cool.

if you have time to take a ride out to Lake Travis for dinner, there are restaurants that overlook it, and it's a beautiful view at sunset. 

also in hill country outside the city is the legendary Salt Lick BBQ. 

Non-musical recommendations:
Barton Springs Pool, hike and bike trail along the river, walk around U. of Texas campus.

BBQ, BBQ, BBQ!

Also eat lots of Migas!

Additionally, the animatronic LBJ at his Presidential library at UT is freakishly interesting.  If you have some time in the day at the campus, the Ransom Center is worth a visit (art, historical papers, weird artifacts).

BBQ - Lots of choices!  The Salt Lick is famous but a ways out of town. We have enjoyed County Line on the Lake (I think they have one or two other locations also) but I'm sure there are many other good ones we haven't tried. And if you like good Mexican food, the choices in that genre are abundant as well. Also, ditto to an earlier suggestion regarding dining/drinks/etc. at one of the places overlooking Lake Travis. 

We have enjoyed touring the state capitol building. I'm not sure if the current political scene has impacted that, but the building is gorgeous and full of history.

Enjoy!

I took this e-Bike tour with "Rooster" and it was a lot of fun, plus a great way to see ALL of Austin.  

https://www.goodvibes.tours/

Texas is the one state I haven't spent any time in.  I would like to see Austin when I do.  Someone had a brisket shipped in from the Salt Lick for a party - yummy - but probably better in person.

jamie said:

Texas is the one state I haven't spent any time in.  I would like to see Austin when I do.  Someone had a brisket shipped in from the Salt Lick for a party - yummy - but probably better in person.

one bit of advice -- do NOT, I repeat DO NOT visit Austin in July. I used to work with people based there. One year the high temperature was over 100 degrees every day for four weeks.

We stayed at the Driscoll hotel. It was early December and it was decorated for Xmas.

It was fabulous.

Sixth street is a zoo.  Worth one walk up or down.

BBQ-Terry Black’s without question!

If you’re into Jazz, cocktails and high end wifi…. The Equipment Room is a must.

ml1 said:

jamie said:

Texas is the one state I haven't spent any time in.  I would like to see Austin when I do.  Someone had a brisket shipped in from the Salt Lick for a party - yummy - but probably better in person.

one bit of advice -- do NOT, I repeat DO NOT visit Austin in July. I used to work with people based there. One year the high temperature was over 100 degrees every day for four weeks.

Nope, I'm going in November. 

And thanks, everyone for the great recos. 

jamie said:

Texas is the one state I haven't spent any time in.  I would like to see Austin when I do.  Someone had a brisket shipped in from the Salt Lick for a party - yummy - but probably better in person.

Please don't ONLY go to Austin. There is so much to see in Texas and Austin is not the only "fun" place at all.

Yes I'm biased because it is my home state, although I wouldn't even consider moving back at this point for both political and climate reasons. But I still love to visit.

sac said:

jamie said:

Texas is the one state I haven't spent any time in.  I would like to see Austin when I do.  Someone had a brisket shipped in from the Salt Lick for a party - yummy - but probably better in person.

Please don't ONLY go to Austin. There is so much to see in Texas and Austin is not the only "fun" place at all.

Yes I'm biased because it is my home state, although I wouldn't even consider moving back at this point for both political and climate reasons. But I still love to visit.

Austin and San Antonio are the two favorite cities I've visited in TX.  
There are zero reasons to visit Dallas as a tourist.  I do want to visit Ft. Worth someday and see the stockyards.

I've been to Texas many times - just never to Austin. I used to follow a Denton, TX band and travel down there every spring to see them. 

yahooyahoo said:

Austin and San Antonio are the two favorite cities I've visited in TX.  
There are zero reasons to visit Dallas as a tourist.  I do want to visit Ft. Worth someday and see the stockyards.

I grew up in Houston and my only real reason to visit Dallas is to see friends & family, so I kinda agree.  But there's a whole lot of Texas west and south of there and a lot of beautiful country, notably the hill country not too much farther west from Austin and San Antonio. There's good stuff in Houston also, but definitely pros and cons there if you don't know where you're going. And all the cities in Texas (other than maybe Lubbock and Amarillo) are pretty blue politically and socially. (Austin doesn't have all the progressiveness by any means.)

I've never made it to Austin, but Hubby did and loved it. Pretty much agree with the comments on other towns mentioned, but for anyone interested in less-urban adventure, Big Bend National Park and some of the surrounding towns, 'villages' have their own interesting attractions.

krnl said:

I've never made it to Austin, but Hubby did and loved it. Pretty much agree with the comments on other towns mentioned, but for anyone interested in less-urban adventure, Big Bend National Park and some of the surrounding towns, 'villages' have their own interesting attractions.

We LOVE Big Bend and it was a nearly-annual destination for my family when I was growing up and occasionally since I moved to NJ. But it is a long way from most everything else mentioned - 400-plus miles from San Antonio and more than that from Houston and Austin, so I hesitated to bring it up. But if your travels head west from those cities, you might consider it (especially in the cooler months; it can be dangerously hot in summer.)

We drove between El Paso and Guadalupe Mountains National Park on Hwy 180/62.  Beautiful landscape and nothing for miles.

If you find yourself out in the Hill Country (west of Austin) you should definitely stop by the Blue Bonnet Cafe in Marble Falls for some classic Texas style diner food.  Their fried okra is great with hot sauce and the pie alone is worth the trip.

Just an FYI: on Sunday, the NYT published The Restaurant List: 2025: Here are the 50 best places in America right now. Two restaurants in Austin were cited, both opened in 2024: 

Lao’d Bar and P Thai’s Khao Man Gai & Noodles

I hope to try at least one of them when I'm there in November.