Howdy from Austin, TX

Austin was such a cool city, and definitely worth taking the trip. Nightlife and daytime activities are both in surplus in the area.

Where’d I stay?

I started at a housesit north of the city, where I wasn’t able to get away much because of a very needy dog. There was a planet fitness and a grocery store within a 10 minute drive, so that was the furthest out I got. After spending time in this neighborhood for a few days, I finally switched housesits on Friday which made it much easier to go into the city.

The easiest way to explore the city was by staying downtown. That’s why it was really convenient to stay at the Firehouse Hostel which is just steps away from Dirty 6^th, a prominent drinking spot in the city. There isn’t parking available, so you need to find an on-street option which ends at 8am, so keep that in mind. Sundays are the only free day downtown, so I had to move my car frequently during the day with the 2 hour maximum.

What’d I do?

I would spend my days reading at Zilker Park, my sunsets walking down Congress Ave. Bridge, and my nights on Dirty 6^th. There are a ton of cool murals to explore in the city. You can do some personal research with these suggestions, or you can go to a private guided mural tour which includes pictures taken by the guides.

Zilker Park in particular is a really great spot to visit. It’s very peaceful, with lots of friendly dogs and it’s a great place to get some sun. Although unseasonably cold for Austin, it was still nice to catch some rays during the day.

There is a great photo-op spot (the best lighting is right before sunset) under the First Street Jefferson David Bridge, near Brent Grulke Plaza which has free parking. The water from the river does a really cool job catching the light. Just be wary, it’s a frequent sleeping spot of quite a few homeless people in the area, so I’d recommend avoiding it after dusk.

From there, it’s an easy trek to get to the Congress Ave Bridge which is close by and is known for the bats that fly out from under it at sunset. Unfortunately, hibernation came early this year so none flew out while I was there.

Bat watching is a huge activity for Austin, check this link to see the best places and times to see them. There are boat tours available to see them too, which is a crazy way to see the phenomenon. Picture this, thousands of bats directly above you taking flight. There are so many that it goes on for a good 20+ minutes.

Of course, Austin is well-known for it’s music, so if you want to do a tour to learn more about the music scene, this one is highly recommended. I’m more of a foodie myself, so I’m more inclined towards this Secret Food tour.

If you want a good souvenir spot, look no further than the Austin Gift Company which is located right outside the city and has it’s own free parking available.

How About the Grub? And Drinks?

First up let’s start with drinks, I checked out UnBarlievable on a Saturday night. This bar is quite the treat, featuring a slide and hula hoops available to use while you’re drinking. The bar was pretty busy, but not a great spot to go alone. I left after a drink and headed down the street to the next bar that looked interesting, Parlor Room. I ended up making some new friends here and got to dance and hangout outside with the DJ who played some well-known bangers.

There are some food trucks down the street from the hostel so I headed there with one of my hostel mates. I made sure to grab some Indian food there which was really good and affordable. We continued our night by grabbed a drink on Dirty 6th, which was a ridiculously cheap pitcher (less than $15). Then I had to give a standing ovation to UnBarlievable for a return appearance during my short trip. Here, we grabbed a few more drinks, took a couple trips down the slide and used the hula hoops on the empty dance floor. The walk back to the Firehouse Hostel was less than a mile, and surprisingly chilly in November for Texas.

There are also some food trucks on Rainey St. Here, I grabbed a grilled cheese and walked around. I’d recommend checking this place out day or night, very different vibes depending on time of day. I headed back over to Zilker Park to do some reading for the day, before finishing up my housesit. Firehouse Hostel has a speakeasy on the first floor that is really cool, and you can go whether you’re staying at the hostel or not. They have really good happy hour specials, only drinks but it’s very affordable.

During the week, I checked out Caroline’s Happy Hour, which was just steps from my hostel. They had the best specials I’d seen (including food), so I was happy to get in before 6pm to catch it. Great margherita and even better Mexican Street Corn.

The next day I had to check out of my hostel, so I decided to do some Taco Tuesday Happy Hour Hopping. I started at El Alma where I grabbed some starters and a drink near Zilker park. Then I went back to Caroline’s, but this time to their upstairs section where they had a Taco Tuesday special available.

I grabbed tacos again on Wednesday, this time at Veracruz, which is an all natural Mexican spot. They make vegan queso, and I was thoroughly impressed, definitely worth a try.

Before I left to fly home for Thanksgiving, I grabbed breakfast a bit outside of town at Bouldin Creek Cafe, which was a delicious vegetarian option. It was some really incredible breakfast food, so I’d highly recommend it. It was right near the Austin mural too!

If you have access to an oven, H.E.B. is perfect for an easy and quick premade dinner as well. While I was housesitting, I tried a bunch of food options there. I got seafood stuffed salmon that just required some time in the oven to be all set for an affordable dinner.

HIGHLIGHTS:

• Congress Avenue Bridge
• Zilker Park
• Caroline
• Veracruz
• UnBarlievable
• Rainey St.
• Firehouse Hostel
• Speakeasy Downstairs at the Hostel, all are welcome!