Austin, Texas
Austin, the first of many cities of nomad life. For a long time, I had been told by many friends that I would fall in love with Austin, and I finally was able to see what they were all talking about. Austin has so much to offer, starting with 360 days of sunshine (in the 5 weeks I was there it rained 3 days), beautiful views, loads of outdoor activities, all the BBQ and TexMex you could ask for, and unlimited live music.
While in Austin I spent a lot of time in coffee shops (most serve breakfast tacos as well so that was always a win). I worked from at least one per week. Below were my go to’s:
Cosmic Coffee – Outdoor seats fill up fast, very popular place to work from.
The Buzz Mill – The Honey Badger Latte is a must try!!
**Both Cosmic and Buzz Mill are coffee shops by day and bars at night. Both also have a few food trucks always parked in the outdoor seating areas.
3. Lucky Lab Coffee Co. – There are 2 locations, one by UT and the other more
downtown.
4. Jo’s on South Congress - This place is super popular, they run out of breakfast fast so
go early.
5. Two Hands – Cute little to- go window on the side with seating or can go inside and
eat.
One of the best and most important parts and about Austin is the abundance of BBQ places. You really can’t go wrong with any but here are 3 are my favorites and some of the most popular.
Terry Blacks – Family Old School Texas BBQ
Loro – BBQ with an Asian Twist
Valentina’s Tex Mex BBQ – Food Truck in South Austin
Beyond BBQ here are a few must tries:
Güero’s – Mexican on South Congress. Can get pretty busy so put your name in and walk around a bit.
Lustre Pearl East – This is an old house that has been converted into a restaurant/Beer Garden with a large outdoor area and a big screen for watching football.
Sawyer and Co. – American Food, cutsie 70’s looking diner, good food and good drinks.
Oasis – Hilltop restaurant at Lake Travis. Phenomenal views and is about a half hour drive from downtown Austin.
Austin has quite the bar scene with a wide variety, from fun cocktail bars to beer gardens.
Lazarus Brewing Company – Brewery on 6th St., started by a pastor and the beer names are a play on the bible. Try the Prodigal Pils and the Double Predestination.
The Tipsy Alchemist – At one end of Rainey St. and the place where cocktails are an art. I had a blast sitting at the bar watching the bartenders make drinks. Every drink that came out had a science to it.
Easy Tiger – There are 3 locations throughout Austin. This is another coffee shop/beer garden. Their chocolate chip cookies are a must try! Make sure to check out their Instagram as they often have live music.
Little Woodrow’s West 6th – Fun spot for a little Sunday Funday and/or game day.
South Austin Beer Garden – In south Austin near Valentina’s BBQ. Great spot to hop around the corner after enjoying some delicious BBQ.
So how about those 360 days of sun I mentioned? With gorgeous weather all the time, there is always something to do outdoors.
Lady Bird trail – This trail runs along the shore of Lady Bird Lake and the Colorado River.
- Walk/Run along the trail
- Rent Kayaks or Stand-Up Paddle Boards. There are multiple places along the trail
but check out EpicSUP. There is also free parking on the street over by Oracle.
Zilker Park – Great spot to wander around or have a picnic. Also, the grounds for the famous Austin City Limits festival in October.
River Tubing on the San Marcos River – There are a couple of places you can rent tubes, cooler and cooler tubes. We did Texas State Tubes. You can either do the excursion where the bus picks up and drops off downtown Austin or you can Uber to/from the tube drop off and pick up spots and leisurely make your way down the river. It is very easy to turn the 3-hour tube trip into almost 6 hours.
Barton Springs – This is a huge natural springs pool and is a very popular spot to cool off from the Texas heat.
Golf – There are lots of courses all around Austin. I played Jimmy Clay, which was a beautiful 18-hole public course.
Finally, if you find yourself in Austin during the month of October, at least 1 day of Austin City Limits (ACL) is a must. ACL is an annual large musical festival held in Zilker Park with all different genres of music as well as delicious BBQ.
Whether you are looking for a place to spend a long weekend or an extended stay, Austin is definitely a place to add to the list!
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