Guidebook for Austin
Food Scene
Jeffrey's is one of Austin's best restaurants, and quite conveniently only a five-minute walk from my place! That said, it's also likely the most expensive restaurant in Austin, so you might wanna check out the menu on its website before making a booking (which I'd suggest doing well in advance). Pro tip: food-wise, they have one of the best happy hours in town - their entire bar menu is half price between 4:30-6:30pm Tuesdays thru Sundays and all night on Mondays. (Note that this applies only to food, though all drinks are $2 off as well.) There's a limited amount of bar seating, so I'd recommend getting there relatively early.
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Jeffrey's
1204 W Lynn StJeffrey's is one of Austin's best restaurants, and quite conveniently only a five-minute walk from my place! That said, it's also likely the most expensive restaurant in Austin, so you might wanna check out the menu on its website before making a booking (which I'd suggest doing well in advance). Pro tip: food-wise, they have one of the best happy hours in town - their entire bar menu is half price between 4:30-6:30pm Tuesdays thru Sundays and all night on Mondays. (Note that this applies only to food, though all drinks are $2 off as well.) There's a limited amount of bar seating, so I'd recommend getting there relatively early.
While Austin has a huge variety of indie coffeehouses, Caffe Medici is one of the best, and arguably *the* best, especially for latte. It's about a block south of Jeffrey's, and also within easy walking distance of my place. It's also the original location in what's become a small chain, and usually busy throughout the day; it's one of the more popular places in town to hang out and work on a laptop.
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Caffe Medici
1101 W Lynn StWhile Austin has a huge variety of indie coffeehouses, Caffe Medici is one of the best, and arguably *the* best, especially for latte. It's about a block south of Jeffrey's, and also within easy walking distance of my place. It's also the original location in what's become a small chain, and usually busy throughout the day; it's one of the more popular places in town to hang out and work on a laptop.
Everything Else
As an example of iconic old-school Austin, Nau's is pretty hard to beat. It's the city's only full-service drugstore, soda fountain and grill, and it's been a mainstay of "Old West Austin" since 1951 - and yes, by "soda fountain" I mean an original period one that you typically only see in old movies these days. Note that it only serves food till 4pm -- and on weekdays it serves breakfast starting at 7am -- but if you just wanna take a peak at the place, the drugstore portion is open till 8pm.
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Nau's Enfield Drug
1115 W Lynn StAs an example of iconic old-school Austin, Nau's is pretty hard to beat. It's the city's only full-service drugstore, soda fountain and grill, and it's been a mainstay of "Old West Austin" since 1951 - and yes, by "soda fountain" I mean an original period one that you typically only see in old movies these days. Note that it only serves food till 4pm -- and on weekdays it serves breakfast starting at 7am -- but if you just wanna take a peak at the place, the drugstore portion is open till 8pm.
Parks & Nature
You don't commonly encounter a heavily wooded hiking trail barely a mile outside of a large downtown area, but that's exactly what you'll find at the Greenbelt. It covers a wide expanse of permanently protected parkland starting near Austin's famed Zilker Park, and from there sprouts in multiple directions. While it gets pretty packed on weekends and during nice weather, you can still usually find a trail with minimal hikers on it. Its three main entry points are Zilker Park, Spyglass Drive across from the original Tacodeli, and off of a neighborhood street called Barton Hills Dr. -- look up the Gus Fruh Boulder to find the entry point. (Pro tip: be sure to bring sunscreen!)
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Barton Creek Greenbelt Trailhead
Barton Creek Greenbelt TrailYou don't commonly encounter a heavily wooded hiking trail barely a mile outside of a large downtown area, but that's exactly what you'll find at the Greenbelt. It covers a wide expanse of permanently protected parkland starting near Austin's famed Zilker Park, and from there sprouts in multiple directions. While it gets pretty packed on weekends and during nice weather, you can still usually find a trail with minimal hikers on it. Its three main entry points are Zilker Park, Spyglass Drive across from the original Tacodeli, and off of a neighborhood street called Barton Hills Dr. -- look up the Gus Fruh Boulder to find the entry point. (Pro tip: be sure to bring sunscreen!)
Barton Springs is an Austin legend: a spring-fed swimming hole that's been a core element of Austin life for the better part of a century. Owing to its spring-fed source, its waters are an even 68 degrees Fahrenheit year-round, even on the hottest summer days.
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Barton Springs Municipal Pool
2201 William Barton DrBarton Springs is an Austin legend: a spring-fed swimming hole that's been a core element of Austin life for the better part of a century. Owing to its spring-fed source, its waters are an even 68 degrees Fahrenheit year-round, even on the hottest summer days.
While it's best known these days as the site of the ACL Music Festival, Zilker Park is the best in the city, period. Situated on the shores of Lady Bird Lake, it's a great place to chill out with a picnic, play frisbee golf, or just bask in the sun -- and it has unparalleled views of the Austin skyline. (And note that Barton Springs is located adjacent to it.)
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Zilker Metropolitan Park
2207 Barton Springs RdWhile it's best known these days as the site of the ACL Music Festival, Zilker Park is the best in the city, period. Situated on the shores of Lady Bird Lake, it's a great place to chill out with a picnic, play frisbee golf, or just bask in the sun -- and it has unparalleled views of the Austin skyline. (And note that Barton Springs is located adjacent to it.)
Pease Park is home to one of Austin's most old-school traditions: Eeyore's Birthday Party, held each year since 1963 on the last Saturday in April and host to pretty much every subculture in Austin you can think of. It's pretty cool the rest of the year as well, and it's located only a few blocks away from my flat. It's both doggie- and kiddie-friendly, and its splash pads are a popular place for kids to beat the heat.
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Park Pease District
1100 Kingsbury StPease Park is home to one of Austin's most old-school traditions: Eeyore's Birthday Party, held each year since 1963 on the last Saturday in April and host to pretty much every subculture in Austin you can think of. It's pretty cool the rest of the year as well, and it's located only a few blocks away from my flat. It's both doggie- and kiddie-friendly, and its splash pads are a popular place for kids to beat the heat.
It's a bit of a drive, but Enchanted Rock -- located west of the city in the Texas Hill Country -- is one of the best hiking spots in the region. It's also a popular one, particularly when the weather's nice, so it's best to visit on weekdays!
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Enchanted Rock State Natural Area
16710 Ranch Rd 965It's a bit of a drive, but Enchanted Rock -- located west of the city in the Texas Hill Country -- is one of the best hiking spots in the region. It's also a popular one, particularly when the weather's nice, so it's best to visit on weekdays!
Lake Travis -- about a 45-minute drive from downtown Austin -- is consistently rated as one of the best lakes in the Southwest U.S., and also the one with the clearest blue water. While it doesn't have much in terms of beaches -- excepting Hippie Hollow, still one of the few nude beaches in the state -- you can rent speedboats or pontoon boats from a variety of places, and it's an extreme popular destination for all varieties of water sports.
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Lake Travis
Lake Travis -- about a 45-minute drive from downtown Austin -- is consistently rated as one of the best lakes in the Southwest U.S., and also the one with the clearest blue water. While it doesn't have much in terms of beaches -- excepting Hippie Hollow, still one of the few nude beaches in the state -- you can rent speedboats or pontoon boats from a variety of places, and it's an extreme popular destination for all varieties of water sports.
Arts & Culture
The Paramount is a downtown landmark, and plays host to everything from concerts to plays to a slate of classic films each summer. These days it's also commonly used for film premieres in conjunction with festivals such as SXSW and the Austin Film Festival. It's been fully restored to its 100-year-old glory, and you can see what's going on there performance-wise at austintheatre.org.
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Paramount Theatre
713 Congress AveThe Paramount is a downtown landmark, and plays host to everything from concerts to plays to a slate of classic films each summer. These days it's also commonly used for film premieres in conjunction with festivals such as SXSW and the Austin Film Festival. It's been fully restored to its 100-year-old glory, and you can see what's going on there performance-wise at austintheatre.org.
The Blanton -- located on the south end of the University of Texas campus -- is the best museum in town, and also houses one of the biggest collections of Latin American art in the *world*. It features a wide variety of special exhibitions; see what's currently on show at blantonmuseum.org.
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Muzeum Sztuki w Blanton
200 East Martin Luther King Junior BoulevardThe Blanton -- located on the south end of the University of Texas campus -- is the best museum in town, and also houses one of the biggest collections of Latin American art in the *world*. It features a wide variety of special exhibitions; see what's currently on show at blantonmuseum.org.
Sightseeing
You've probably heard the saying that everything's bigger in Texas. While that's a *bit* exaggerated, it's definitely true about the Texas Capitol, the only one in America larger than the U.S. Capitol in D.C. Unlike the national Capitol, however, it was fabricated out of pink limestone, a somewhat unusual variant found throughout Central Texas. You have roughly a 1 in 4 chance of visiting when the state legislature is in session, however; per tradition dating back to the 19th century, it meets for only 180 days every odd-numbered year, beginning in January.
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Texas Senate
1200 Congress AveYou've probably heard the saying that everything's bigger in Texas. While that's a *bit* exaggerated, it's definitely true about the Texas Capitol, the only one in America larger than the U.S. Capitol in D.C. Unlike the national Capitol, however, it was fabricated out of pink limestone, a somewhat unusual variant found throughout Central Texas. You have roughly a 1 in 4 chance of visiting when the state legislature is in session, however; per tradition dating back to the 19th century, it meets for only 180 days every odd-numbered year, beginning in January.
UT is one of the largest universities in the country, and its central campus is worth a visit to check out both infamous sites (e.g. the main tower, where Charles Whitman engaged in one of the first mass shootings in America) as well as legendary ones. Its Harry Ransom Center houses one of the largest literary archives in the world, with a total of 36 million manuscripts and over a million rare books. Its collection includes a Gutenberg Bible (one of only 21 known copies), a first printing of "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" (one of only 23 known copies), and the archival manuscripts and papers of writers ranging from Tennessee Williams & T.S. Eliot to Tom Stoppard & George Bernard Shaw.
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Uniwersytet Teksański w Austin
UT is one of the largest universities in the country, and its central campus is worth a visit to check out both infamous sites (e.g. the main tower, where Charles Whitman engaged in one of the first mass shootings in America) as well as legendary ones. Its Harry Ransom Center houses one of the largest literary archives in the world, with a total of 36 million manuscripts and over a million rare books. Its collection includes a Gutenberg Bible (one of only 21 known copies), a first printing of "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" (one of only 23 known copies), and the archival manuscripts and papers of writers ranging from Tennessee Williams & T.S. Eliot to Tom Stoppard & George Bernard Shaw.
Drinks & Nightlife
Sixth Street, in a nutshell, is Austin's version of Bourbon Street. On weekend nights the street is closed off to vehicular traffic, allowing tourists and revelers to readily hop between all of its dozens of bars and nightclubs. Note that the Historic District section is locally known as "Dirty Sixth," the middle portion of a street with three very different nightlife destinations. "West Sixth" -- which stretches from Congress Ave. to the east and West Ave. to the west -- has a somewhat more upscale in character versus Dirty Sixth, and is popular with the post-collegiate crowd in particular. "East Sixth" -- the section east of I-35 -- has more of a hipster vibe and lots of dive bars.
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Sixth Street Historic District
Sixth Street, in a nutshell, is Austin's version of Bourbon Street. On weekend nights the street is closed off to vehicular traffic, allowing tourists and revelers to readily hop between all of its dozens of bars and nightclubs. Note that the Historic District section is locally known as "Dirty Sixth," the middle portion of a street with three very different nightlife destinations. "West Sixth" -- which stretches from Congress Ave. to the east and West Ave. to the west -- has a somewhat more upscale in character versus Dirty Sixth, and is popular with the post-collegiate crowd in particular. "East Sixth" -- the section east of I-35 -- has more of a hipster vibe and lots of dive bars.
Essentials
Fresh Plus is a small but well-stocked grocery store located about five minutes away by foot. In addition to regular staples, it carries a sizable number of locally produced products, including everything from artisan ice cream to local microbrews.
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Fresh Plus Grocery
1221 W Lynn StFresh Plus is a small but well-stocked grocery store located about five minutes away by foot. In addition to regular staples, it carries a sizable number of locally produced products, including everything from artisan ice cream to local microbrews.