A few weeks ago me and two friends spontaneously decided to take a last minute trip to Austin, TX. We bought our plane tickets and 5 days later we were on our way!
Normally when I take a trip I plan ahead and research what do. For this trip we winged it and had the best time! Below are all of the places we ate, drank, explored!
Where to Stay
Hotel Indigo: Hotel Indigo was seriously the most perfectly located hotel! The lobby and room was gorgeous, and we spent lots of time at the pool and pool bar! The hotel was also two blocks away from the Sixth Street bars.
Things to do in Austin
Greetings from Austin, TX Mural: It was a beautiful walk to the mural, the GPS took us through a few local neighborhoods. The address to the mural is: 1720 S 1st St, Austin, TX 78704.
Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge: The Colorado River flows through Austin so there are several bridge crossing around the city. The Congress Avenue Bridge connects the Bouldin district with Downtown, and did you know, during the summer the bridge is home to 750,000- 1.5 Million Mexican Free-Tailed Bats?!
During the day, we walked over the bridge and underneath. We didn’t see any bats, but we could hear them! It was also beautiful to walk along the paths near the river.
We also came back to the bridge at night to see the bats take off. It gets crowded to go early!
Pro Tip: bats come out about 30 minutes after dusk. In the spring the bats are super pregnant and don’t come out all at once. Be patient and you will see them!
Barton Springs Pool: Seriously the biggest swimming pool I have ever seen! Barton Springs Pool is a 3 acre pool and fed from underground springs. The water was a little chilly but it was so fun! Make sure to bring plenty of sunscreen! It was $9/person for non-residence.
Paddle-board on the Colorado River: It was HOT both days we were exploring Austin so water activities were a must. On the second day we decided to paddle-board near the bat bridge! We used Capital Cruises to rent the boards. It was $15/person for 1 hour. The hut that you get your boards from is right next to the Hyatt Regency Austin. Make sure to bring sunscreen and water (or you can run into the Hyatt for a Starbucks lemonade afterwards, like me!) We choose to paddle-board over kayaking because it was nice to be able to take swimming dips into the water to cool off.
Franklin BBQ: We had an awkward afternoon flight out so after checking out of our hotel on the last day (which was a Tuesday) we decided to go walk over to Franklin BBQ and see if any was left. People who are serious about eating there get in line around 8AM, we ended up in line around 11:30AM. Shortly after getting there, employees warned us that we may not get any, but we decided to try anyways. After about two hours in line we made it, and I am pretty sure we got pieces from the very last brisket! We ordered all three sides, 1Ib of brisket, and sausage links. I’m pretty sure they had more of other stuff, but there was only two of us and could only eat so much!
It was definitely good BBQ! Would I wait in line again? Probably not. I don’t even wait that long for lines in Disney sooo something to think about.
Pro tip: If you are in the area around 2PM, hop in line and see what’s left! If you are really truly the end of the line, they were doing trays of random scoops of food and charging super cheap for it! The couple that sat next to use said they got their whole tray for like $16. We paid $25 for the 1 pound of brisket alone!
Places to Eat
Matt’s El Rancho: We flew in late Saturday afternoon and the first thing we did after checking into the airbnb was eat authentic Tex Mex! After a quick google search we made our way to Matt’s El Rancho. Matt’s is a hopping place on a Saturday night. They do not take reservations so we grabbed a few margaritas at the bar before being seated. We order guacamole and queso as appetizers, cuz when it Austin, why not!? For my meal I order my go to, Chicken Enchiladas. They were delicious!
Zax: Our first full day in Austin started with brunch at Zax. I ordered the Cajun Eggs. Yum!
RA Sushi: For dinner our second night, we headed to sushi at RA Sushi. Seriously some of the best sushi I have ever eaten and I am picky when it comes to sushi! I ordered a Philly Roll, and Mango Lobster Roll. SO GOOD!
Voodoo Donuts: Need I say more?! Voodoo Donuts is only in a few cities around the country so we had to stop! I tried the Portland Creme and Glazed Old Fashion. So Good!
Stubb’s BBQ: Obviously being in Texas, BBQ and Mexican food would be a majority of what we ate. In addition to trying Franklin’s BBQ, we also tried Stubb’s. We ordered chicken wings as an appetizer. They were delicious and the homemade Ranch was seriously heavenly! I then ordered a combo plate of brisket and pork spare ribs with collar greens and mac & cheese. All of it was really tasty and the sides were way better than Franklin’s.
1886 Cafe and Bakery: Its hard to choose but this was probably my favorite restaurant. 1886 Cafe and Bakery is located in the Driskill Hotel (definitely walk around the hotel, its beautiful!!) on Sixth Street. I ordered a cup of Cheese Soup and the Hangover Omelet with a side of fruit.
Going Out
Rainey Street: We ended our first day in Austin by heading out to the bars on Rainey Street. Rainey street is a district of historic homes that have all been converted into bars. Its seriously so cool!
Cleve Bar had delicious drinks and tons for outdoor seating. We also spent a lot of time at Unbarlievable. They had lots of great music and drinks. This bar was circus themed, it even had a slide inside! I didn’t take any pictures out at Rainey Street but I highly recommend checking it out!
Sixth Street: For our second night out we checked out Sixth Street. We were there during University of Texas graduation so it was a wild night! We spent a lot of time at Darwin’s Piano Bar and the Blind Pig Pub.
Go Visit Austin!
Austin was seriously such a fun city! This last minute trip turned into one of my favorite girls trips! I would definitely add Austin to your travel bucket list. I also think Austin would be a great spot for a Bachelorette trip!
I hope this Austin guide helps you plan your trip!
XOXO, Kaitlyn
I have a RA sushi here! This sounds like a super fun trip, can’t wait to go.