24 hours in Austin
 

hello everyone

i'll have a 24hours stopover at Austin in August (DL mileage run from CPH)
arriving round 10am, leaving 11am the next day.

Anything you recommend to do for the day? (and night :D )

any advice or good idea will be welcome :)

It depends on your age and your drinking habits!

I am 30 years old and open for everything :)

So much to do in Austin...where do I begin?

Hula Hut restaurant on Lake Austin. Not the most delicious food, but definitely the best atmosphere around sunset. Refuse to to be seated inside; go out to patio for the fish bowl drink! www.hulahut.com

Waterloo record store-an amazing collection for the music lover.

Are you renting a car for the day?
Westlake neighborhood (Sandra Bullock's home is here)........a neighborhood in west Austin, a little similar to Hollywood Hills and Beverly Hills.

Mt. Bonnell....breathtaking views of the lake, hills and city skyline. Don't go after 10 p.m....you will be ticketed for sure!

If you feel like swimming during the day ..Barton Springs swimming pool in Zilker Park is right on. Not your typical swimming pool...its naturally fed by a spring as is probably the size of 3 olympic pools. (look at website for pics
http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/parks/bartonsprings.htm
http://www.texasoutside.com/bartonpool.htm
Zilker park is a nice place to stretch your legs, read a book etc.

If this is your first time for Austin...traveling down the infamous 6th st during some of the craziest nightlife available. (not until after 10 p.m. of course) Bars upon clubs upon bars. Gaze your eyes upon the scantily clad women.
A lot of the bars are good for going in, waiting in line, taking a shot and leaving for the one next door. I recommend Touche bar, they are famous for making flaming Dr peppers while not buring the bar down---kinda like a scene from "Cocktail".
if you like blues/jazz/rock..I recommend Antones or the Continental Club. If you are there on a Tuesday..the ContClub is packed for the Happy HIppy Hour.
And most importantly, after all your bar hopping, you must eat late night at Magnolia Cafe on S.Congress Ave.(not the other one) Everyone eats there late ranging from drag queens to politicians. It rocks!

Maybe you will be in town for a live concert at the televised Austin City Limits.

I just gave you a schedule for what I would do in 24 hours in Austin. Damn, I would sleep like a baby that night...err techinally that next morning!
Have fun googling all of this on the net for addresses and info!

thank you very much. i am happy i'll have a rental car because it seems there are many things to see. should stay longer ;)

any no-go areas?

When you land, pick up the rental car and head immediately south on 183 for 25 miles to Lockhart, home of the best BBQ in the world.

Stick to small to reasonable servings, since you have at least 3 different restaurants to visit for lunch: Blacks, Smittys, Kreuz. Lots more info on the chowhound.com TX board.

http://www.texasbbqtrail.com/lockhart.php

After lunch, I second the suggestion of Barton Springs. Austin in August will be HOT, and the springs will be great.

I'd suggest skipping 6th street in favor of some live music. Not that 6th st isn't cool, but Austin calls itself the live music capital of the world, so you gotta do some, right?

Austin....
 

Late afternoon at Scholz Garden, outside under the oaks.

I don't think you want to try sunset - hard to beat, but best with a companion - at the Oasis (Starlight Terrace has reopened after last week's fire).

Old Half Price Books on Guadelupe still good to dawdle away a couple of morning hours

Don't forget the bats! Austin is home to the world's largest colony of Mexican Freetail bats, with more than a million of them living under the Congress Avenue Bridge downtown from April - October. They come out at sunset/dusk, so if you skip the Hula Hut, you can either watch them from the parking lot of the Austin American Statesman building south of Town Lake, and park your rental car in its parking lot, or watch from the Four Seasons Cafe on the north side. Other places of note in Austin are UT, of course, and the state Capitol building, which is free and open to visitors (and air conditioned if you are getting too hot in Austin in August!)

Don't leave Austin without a trip to the Oasis. Live music, beer, and the most amazing views in TX.

There was a fire there recently, but they've re-opened.

http://www.oasis-austin.com/

it's so nice there, I'd actually venture out of South Austin.

Another great run is the restuarnts along Barton Springs Road. Chuy's is world famous for it's cuisine and a litttle incidnet with a Bush Girl.

http://www.chuys.com/

Finally, you can't beat Threadgill's. I know that the Northside is the first, but the world headquarters on the Southside cannot be beat (escpecially since you're coming from the airport). The Sunday gospel brunch is one of my favorites:

http://www.threadgills.com/

Coming from Strasbourg, beware that Austin is HOT in August. Expect highs near 100 degrees F. And it doesn't cool off that much at night. Don't know what kind of budget you're on but if you have no rental car then stay downtown (you can get a bus from the airport to downtown: http://www.capmetro.org/riding/schedules.asp?f1=100).

Definitely visit the state capital building.

Plenty of good eating places on Sixth Street and South Congress (south of the river). Plenty of nightlife on Sixth Street as well. Try Schlotsky's for a nice sandwich (on South Lamar, just south of the river).

In the early evening, take a walk or run on the hike/bike trail around Town Lake (a fancy name for the river). Watch the bats come out from under the Congress Avenue bridge at dusk.

The Lyndon Baines Johnson library would be great if you're a history buff. Good overview of his career and the late 60's in the US. http://www.lbjlib.utexas.edu

There is a good film series during the summer at the Paramount Theater on Congress Avenue (just south of the capital). http://www.austintheatre.org/site/Pa...?pagename=Film

A couple of decent museums are near downtown (Blanton Museum, Harry Ransom Center, Texas State History museum).

I and family will probably be in or near Strasbourg for a day in August. Enjoy your visit to Austin.

You can't go wrong with any of these recommendations -- they're all spot on. I lived in Austin for seven years, and it's an amazing city. I doubt you'll have time to do all of what's been suggested, but it'll be enough to tempt you to return.

Where are you staying? If you stay downtown, you'll best be able to maximize your activities.

You're gonna love this city!

Assuming you're on your own and just kinda slumming it, I would recommend some or all of the following:

Food: (I tend to stay away from chain restaurants so no Chuy's for me just a few famous local restaurants):
Maria's Tacos Village on South Lamar for breakfast or lunch. If breakfast get the breakfast tacos or migas, and for lunch get tacos, too! She has some of the most outrageous, unique salsa you are likely to find and it is heavily crave-able. It's a great dive.

Barbeque at... either Iron Works to the immediate east of the convention center, or Mueller's BBQ on Manor Road. While it's tempting to go to Lockhart for Kreuz Market, that would mean you'd be driving through the barren countryside for about an hour each way. For a one day stay, that wouldn't be worth it to me. And the 2 I've named are excellent! Get the brisket and/or sausage.

Beat the heat with Mexican popsicles at La Paletera (515 S. Congress) which has 20 fresh flavors a day. Or try Jim Jim's Water Ice for italian flavored ice. They have a main store at 615 East Sixth St and a couple carts that you may also see around town.

You might try dinner or lunch at the Alamo Cinema and Draft House (there are now 4 outlets around town including the original downtown). They have pretty good food and drink (not to mention air conditioning), plus you can watch a classic or new run movie on the big screen while you sit in comfort and chow. It's a very popular born-in Austin company that is trying to spread its concept nationally.

Recreation: I second the comment about Barton Springs Pool. Also, there's a hike and bike trail along the lake right in the middle of downtown if you're in the mood for a morning walk or jog. You can hit the pool right after a slight workout.

If you're bored and perhaps in the mood for female company of the topless dancer variety, try the Yellow Rose on North Lamar. They're also known for their inexpensive but decent steak dinners with all the fixings.

Depending on your age, you might like the 6th Street scene at night. It's mostly low 20s. There are a wide variety of bars with all different types of live music on 6th Street, between Congress and Interstate 35. In the warehouse district (west of Congress Ave. and between 6th and 4th streets, extending west for a few blocks), there's typically less live music but slightly (only slightly) older crowds with a more upscale environment.

There's a ton of live music by local acts throughout Austin on most nights. Check the listings on-line in the Austin Chronicle (auschron.com) to see if there are any bands or venues you'd appreciate. Entry fees are minimal if any. Venues I'd particularly recommend are Stubbs BBQ (usually they've got a rock band, often a well-known touring act), the Cactus (a small and historic venue on campus in the student union at UT), or the Continental Club (usually alt country). I've left out a few - there are literally hundreds of places.

Bat watching at the Congress Ave bridge will be at its peak in August in Austin. It is a sight to behold. One other idea not mentioned above is the cruise that takes you right up next to the bridge on the water. It will be a sight you never forget. It's a small investment of money (8 bucks) and time (about an hour). http://www.capitalcruises.com/html/bat.htm

Sightseeing: Believe it or not the number one tourist destination in Austin right now is the brand new headquarters for Whole Foods grocery at 6th and Lamar. It is an amazing place - google it and you can get the scoop. Austin has a proud though recent tradition as a great food destination. Before Whole Foods came along, the number one tourist spot used to be another grocery store, Central Market at 35th and Lamar. It's still a great place but Whole Foods has one-upped them, for now.

Wait! One more thing! I just noticed you're coming from SXB. So then you must go to the former French Legation in Austin. It was built for France's rep. to the former Republic of Texas back in the 1800s. http://www.frenchlegationmuseum.org/

On other note on the Alamo Drafthouse. See if Mr. Sinus is playing. http://www.mrsinus.com/ If you live MST3k, you will ove these guys. Plus you can get beer here while the show's on.

thank you for all your advice. Stripe, if you need info on SXB - PM me.