Tell me about Austin, Texas

drgreene1096

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Jul 1, 2007
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My husband and I will be going to Austin the first week of July for a national conference for the BPOElks. We are planning on a day at the beginning and 2 days at the end of our conference since our anniversary is the week prior. Besides Sea Word in San Antonio, which we plan on doing, what other things are there to do in the Austin area?

If you know of any must do restaurants, please let me know that, too!

Thanks,

Danielle
 
I'm not from Austin but we go there occassionally...I live much closer to San Antonio.

Just know, that in Texas , JULY is HOT HOT HOT. like over 100 degree hot.

San Antonio has Sea World & Fiesta Texas . If you love Disney, you probably won't be happy with Fiesta Texas....not much in the way of theming, just rides etc...but they do have a waterpark.

Sea World is pretty cool. again, plan on being very hot. your best bet is to get there early & ride stuff & hit the shows for the afternoon hours. u may even want to leave for the afternoon hours to hit up the multitude of restaurants less than 5 miles from the park.... park food is not so great except for maybe the churros.

Austin is an ecletic city. What kind of stuff all ya'll interested in doing? being on the verge of the texas hill country....there are wine tours available, great shopping (fredericksburg is awesome).... in austin, if ya'll want a tour, I highly recommend the segways.... Zilker park is also there for cheap canoe rental, biking, & the coldest spring fed pool ever! there are some really cool places in Austin, I just don't visit because of my kiddos.....but for a couple, they may be cool.

Also, keep in mind if you've never been to Texas....you will need a car. San Antonio is 90 miles from Austin for example.. Austin traffic, particulary in the morning or 5ish is horrible. plan accordingly.

if you have a specific question....I'd be happy to try to get an answer for you. :thumbsup2
 
Hi! It sounds like you will have a fun trip!

As far as suggestions, Sea World is opening a new Aquatica waterpark this year so that might be fun. I believe it opens in May. Also, Gruene is a fun little town in between Austin and San Antonio -- the Gristmill restaurant is a must if you go there (although it is open air so no a/c). If you are into shopping, there is a HUGE outlet mall in San Marcos (about half way between SA and Austin) -- it's right on I-35.

Have fun! As the PP said, it is VERY hot in the summer though so plan accordingly. :)
 
If you like waterparks, the original Schlitterbahn is in nearby New Braunfels. If you can try to avoid weekends because it gets massively crowded.

The above mentioned Gruene is actually part of New Braunfels.
 

Make time to see the bats heading out at sundown at the Congress St. bridge. If you are staying in the downtown area, Eddie V's Edgewater Grill for happy hour or dinner. Plenty of Tex-Mex type eateries and great margaritas. Check out Matt's El Rancho and Shady Grove. No visit is complete without a visit to the mother of all Whole Foods...the flagship of the chain.
 
I live in the Austin, Texas area and grew up in San Antonio. I live in the suburbs and our kids keep us busy but if you like live music/entertainment, Austin has lots! Do a google search on Austin 6th street. The San Antonio Riverwalk is a unique place to visit but in July, very hot! They do have evening river barges that could be pleasant to ride at that time of the day. Here's a link to the company that offers the River tours/taxis http://www.riosanantonio.com/
 
I assume you will be near the convention center. There is a BBQ joint right behind the CC called Ironworks. Great BBQ and you can walk there for lunch. The line will be long but it moves quickly. We love watching the bats and the tour of the Capital is good as well.
 
You can tour the capitol, see the bats flying out under Congress Bridge, tour the Lady Bird Johnson wildflower museum...

Lots to do. You should do a search on this forum because this question has been asked lots of times. I'm pretty sure I've seen a loooong list of to do's on here before.

Good luck and have fun! Bring sun screen and drink lots of water. It's hot here in TX during the summer. :)
 
Never eaten there, but there was a BBQ joint called "Green Mesquite" in Austin that I saw on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives that made my mouth water :goodvibes My parents Winter in that area, but by April or May they'll be headed back North to get away from the heat & the snakes :scared1:
 
Zilker park is fun but quite popular. A smaller, less well known park is Mayfield Park. We visited this park once and it was a gem...covered in peacocks. They were everywhere you looked!

We also tried to visit the Hamilton Pool but it closed that day due to flooding in the area. Just some off the beaten path ideas. After we were turned away from the Hamilton Pool we visited the Mansfield Dam Park for a picnic and swim. It was nice, too.
 
I'd suggest Bess Bistro for a special dinner. A bit on the pricey side, but hey it's your anniversary trip, right? It's on 6th Street and owned by Sandra Bullock.

Pete's Dualing Piano Bar was a lot of fun too.
 
Never eaten there, but there was a BBQ joint called "Green Mesquite" in Austin that I saw on Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives that made my mouth water :goodvibes My parents Winter in that area, but by April or May they'll be headed back North to get away from the heat & the snakes :scared1:

I've lived here for 13 years, and have never heard of the Green Mesquite nor heard of a higher-than-normal snake problem.

That being said, Austin is a fun town. Sea World is fun, but the San Antonio Sea World is by far the worst Sea World. Really long food lines too, especially on the weekends.

Outlet malls are fine, but walking around Lady Bird Lake is great. Tons of quaint restaurants. South Congress avenue is interesting.
 
I've lived here for 13 years, and have never heard of the Green Mesquite nor heard of a higher-than-normal snake problem.

Higher than normal is a relative thing. I've occasionally gone all year w/o seeing one other than on the road up here. Mom saw 3 on the golf course in 1 day last week, plus she gets a little freaked out since they had someone near them die from rattlesnake bites 2 years in a row down there (they stay near Bastrop). I've only ever seen 1 rattlesnake here & it was squished on the road :lmao: Anyway, like I said it's a relative thing :)

Green Mesquite does exist though - 2 locations, apparently :banana:
 
My family lived in the Austin area for about 10 years but I never lived there for long periods of time - visited during summer vacations. Things in the Austin area that I would recommend - a second for Sclitterbahn in New Braunfels - river based water park - July will be hot, hot, hot. Good outlet shopping in San Marcos. Austin is a very fun town with lots of bands - music scene - down home cooking - bbq - casual dining. I would say there is a funky feel to Austin.

I like Magnolia Cafe for breakfast - great pancakes - including gingerbread pancakes. We also like Trudys for casual Mexican - a stuffed avocado that is deadly - they have good breakfast too. My sister in law likes Pokey Joes for bbq - and Papasittos for Mexican - though it is a chain - not a "hole in the wall" type of place. Threadgills is good for country cooking and the Hula Hut is a "swinging" place down by the lake - food trucks are vastly popular in the Zilker Park Barton Springs area. SHady Grove cafe is a good one too. All of these are casual places. Downtown Austin the the home to the Original Whole Foods Market - they usually have city guides - with concert notifications/band listings. Central Market is the HEB version of Whole Foods - and a good place for a bite to eat and they also have bands sometimes/cooking classes - depending on the branch location.

Anyway - have a lot of fun!! There is lots to do and LOL I of course remember the eateries!!!:goodvibes
 
It would help if you'd define what your style or interests are. Austin is REALLY eclectic -- whatever your interest, there's probably something for you. But, where I would take my parents from out of town is not typically where I would go with my husband or friends. KWIM? I am a huge foodie, so love all the different food options here. But, to be honest, some of the best food options are kind of off the beaten path or outside the city center, so I'll stick to those that are easier to find :)

If you want a really amazing (i.e. EXPENSIVE, but crazy worth it) anniversary dinner, Uchi or it's sister Uchiko for high end sushi fusion. If you want to take out a small loan (no...seriously), do dinner at Congress. It's really just an experience.

To have a cool/nicer experience, but spend less than at dinner, we like Lamberts for happy hour or for brunch. For an exceptionally funky experience, try High Ball. It's a 50's Vegas lounge looking bowling / restaurant / private karaoke place (adults only).

For bbq, personally we think Green Mesquite is some of the worst bbq ever. A better choice is going to Driftwood for the Salt Lick. It's a drive, but you'll drive through very pretty Hill Country. Just take cash and prepare to wait. It's not the best out there, but worth the experience. Honestly, we also don't care for Shady Grove, though it's an institution. It's a neat atmosphere if you sit outside, fun for kids, but the food is marginal (I've had better at Chili's). I do enjoy Threadgills, though I'm mostly saying that for the Blackberry Cobbler and bread basket :rotfl: ! For tex-mex, we always find that Trudy's continues to impress our visitors of all types -- Suiza chicken enchiladas and Mexican Martini that will knock you down :)

Like a PP said, you can't miss Whole Foods...either pick up stuff for a picnic, or just have dinner there. In addition to regular food stations, you can have a sit-down-with-a-server experience at their Fresh Seafood Counter, their wine bar or their Italian bar. But what we love to do is pick up various premade foods, a bottle of chilled wine, and take it up to the Whole Foods roof for al fresco dining and a skyline view (a lot of people don't even know it exists!). If you have a child, there's even a playground up there! Don't miss the bakery, b/c ooooooh myyyyyy ggooodness. The best around. Get a slice of the Chantilley Cream Cake...trust me on this ;)

For breakfast, well, breakfast tacos at one of the jillion trailers, or good ol' sausage, gravy and biscuits at any of the Dan's. Though DH really loves the chicken and waffles at 24 Diner.

Watching the bats is fun...you can even buy a ticket for a bat boat tour. Also canoing on Town Lake or swimming at Barton Springs is fun. I would really suggest tubing in New Braunfels over Schlitterbahn, but that's best for a weekday than a weekend. New Braunfels also has the most amazing park, Landa Park. They have a natural spring pool (similar to Barton Springs), paddle boats and just an overall pretty park to visit.

I'd always suggest that if you're comfortable with driving, get lost in the Hill Country. The views are amazing, and it's fun to do winery tours (here's a website with a map of wineries: http://www.texaswinetrail.com/ ). For hiking, try Pedernales Falls in Johnson City or Enchanted Rock outside Fredericksburg. In July, many peach stands should also be open, so look for ones that serve fresh peach ice cream. Yummo!

Was surprised to read a snake warning. Can't say they're any more prevalent than other areas. Now fire ants on the other hand...:rolleyes1

It sounds terrible, but you may be really disappointed with Sea World if you've been to another location. Very small, not well-themed, sad to say. Even the Six Flags pales compared to others. Now the River Walk is always a nice visit, and can be very romantic at night for your anniversary.

Just a word of warning..DON'T ignore the signs for towing. It's sort of a young newbie right of passage to get towed. Don't even think you can get away with a minute or two. They circle like vultures. And note that a lot of roads downtown are one way...but not all. It's like a game to make sure you don't drive the wrong direction. :eek: And for the love of pete, don't let anyone tell you 6th Street is good for getting a drink. Unless there's a band you really want to see or you are visiting The Driskell, Alamo Drafthouse or Parkside, it's mostly underage college kids and drunken craziness.

Hope you have fun! Let us know if you have any more questions. Austin is a great city :thumbsup2
 
I like the Texas Seaworld better than California personally. The California location is gorgeous but there is the whole waterpark in the Texas Seaworld....
 
Oh my gosh, thank you so much for all of the responses! There are so many great ideas posted here!!

We are easy people, who are easy to please. We love karaoke (though I tend to only sing when I know people that are there) and we obviously love the Elks, since we are coming to the National Convention. We like watersports, so the canoes and tubes sound fun!

I am a major foodie, so all of the restaurants sound amazing!

I have been to Houston one time and it was March and it was hot...I can't imagine July. We didn't have any choice over the dates, so we will just have to make the best of the heat.

Thanks again for all the replies.

Danielle
 
I like the Texas Seaworld better than California personally. The California location is gorgeous but there is the whole waterpark in the Texas Seaworld....

The San Diego Sea World is improved almost every year, because their are so many other amusement part options for Southern Californians.

Check out the Journey to Atlantis investment Sea World San Diego went through. There is a storyline, inside parts and outside, roller coaster to boat ride to roller coaster again to boat ride again.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A68eNktBNSY&feature=related

The same great quality ride is in Orlando.

And in San Antonio, as you know, it's a bare minimum ride experience. Up, over, and down. All outside. Minimal story line.

When you don't have to compete with Disney or Universal Studios, you don't have to invest much.

I do like the low travel expense of San Antonio though. So that is the one I go to.
 
If you are willing to take about a 30 min drive from downtown Austin to Round Rock, check out the famous Round Rock donuts . Look at the Texas size donut http://roundrockdonuts.com/donutsPage.html . There is also a Salt Lick BBQ in Round Rock. It is not quite the experience as the original location in Driftwood but is still good http://www.saltlickbbq.com/. Round Rock also has its own bat colony http://www.texasfreeway.com/austin/photos/i35/i35_bats.shtml
Nearby Lockhart is known for its BBQ. I saw a TV show where Smitty's http://www.smittysmarket.com/ was up against Kreuz Market http://www.kreuzmarket.com/index.shtml
Many people like Rudy's BBQ and there are many locations around Austin http://rudysbbq.com/page/home Franklin BBQ also has been mentioned as the best BBQ in Texas or possibly America http://www.bonappetit.com/magazine/...lin-barbecue-best-restaurant-in-america#intro
 
For bbq, personally we think Green Mesquite is some of the worst bbq ever.

Bummer, well you'd probably be better off listening to someone who's BTDT than someone like me who saw it on TV :rolleyes1
 














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