Austin is an exciting city. It contains a wide variety of fun activities, amazing restaurants, and beautiful scenery; additionally, the city hosts many exciting events, including Austin City Limits Music Festival and South by Southwest. It is also only about a three-hour car ride from Fort Worth, making it the perfect destination for a fun weekend getaway or a fall break trip with friends. So, with Austin’s travel potential in mind, I decided to create my own travel guide, complete with some of my favorite spots in my home city. A quick note before I begin: in this article, I am solely focusing on Downtown Austin and its surrounding areas because most hotels are located in that section of town.
Outdoor Adventures
Austin, with its gorgeous lakes, sweeping hills, and sunny weather, is a beautiful city. You can’t go to Austin without trying at least one of the amazing outdoor activities the city offers.
Paddle Boarding/kayaking
Austin can reach extremely high temperatures, making it difficult to be outside for an extended period during the summer months. Paddleboarding or kayaking is the perfect solution to this problem; these activities permit you to be outside while remaining cool. You can bring your own paddle board or kayak and find a lake to paddle down, or you can rent one at Texas Rowing Center or Austin Paddle Shack on Lady Bird Lake. Paddleboarding and kayaking are super fun activities to try with friends and are great summer activities.
Lady Bird Lake Trail
Original photo by Katherine Stevenson
Lady Bird Lake Trail, located in Downtown Austin, is one of my favorite spots in Austin. I, without fail, always walk the trail at least twice when I am home on break. The trail is perfect for anyone who enjoys walking, running, or biking, and it is a great place to exercise your pet. There are different trail routes, but I most enjoy the three-mile route, which provides great views of the lake and ample shade. Additionally, this route does not force you to run alongside the road in Downtown Austin, unlike some of the other longer routes. I would highly recommend visiting the trail if you are in Austin.
Donut Boat
Original photo by Katherine Stevenson
Renting a donut boat on Lady Bird Lake is a great way to view Austin. You get to be on the lake, to admire beautiful Downtown Austin, and, if you go in the evening, to see the famous Austin bats take flight over the Congress Avenue Bridge.
Zilker Park
Original photo by Katherine Stevenson
Chances are, even if you haven’t been to Austin, you’ve heard of Zilker Park, host of the Austin City Limits Music Festival. Zilker Park is more than the venue of ACL; it is a fun, pretty place to go any time of the year. It’s a perfect place to get together with friends and have a small picnic.
Spots to Visit
First Light Books
Original photo by Katherine Stevenson
I love reading. If you’ve read any of my other articles, you know I am a major classics nerd. First Light Books, a bookstore and coffee shop located in the Hyde Park neighborhood, is my favorite bookstore in Austin. It has a wide selection of books, a great atmosphere, and amazing coffee and pastry. It also has space both inside and outside the store to enjoy your coffee and read a book.
South Congress Avenue
South Congress Avenue is lined with great shops, amazing food and dessert options, Austin’s famous murals, and live music venues. It is the perfect place to go if you want to taste some of the old-Austin charm and to experience the city’s “weirdness.”
Art for the people Gallery
Original photo by Katherine Stevenson
Art for the People is an amazing art gallery that is located near South Congress. The space is chock-full of amazing local Austin art, so it is very fun to wander through the store and admire all of the creative works it contains. Additionally, the owner will sometimes bring her two pugs, which are both adorable.
Blanton museum of art
Original photos by Katherine Stevenson
The Blanton Museum of Art, an art museum located on the University of Texas at Austin campus, is my favorite art museum in the city. The museum has rotating exhibits and fun events, so check out their website before going to make the most of your visit. The Blanton also has free admission every Tuesday, which is definitely something to keep in mind.
Food & Coffee
One of my favorite activities is trying new restaurants and cafes with friends and tasting interesting, exciting foods. Austin has a variety of great restaurants, so you should absolutely take advantage of its fun food scene.
Two Hands
Original photos by Katherine Stevenson
Two Hands, serving breakfast, brunch, and dinner on South Congress, is one of my favorite breakfast spots in Austin. This little restaurant/cafe has a super fun vibe, good coffee, and great food. My personal favorite item off of the menu is the lemon poppyseed waffle, which is hands down the best waffle I’ve ever eaten in my life.
Café no sé
Original photo by Katherine Stevenson
Café No Sé, also located on South Congress, is another great breakfast, brunch, or dinner option. The restaurant is located inside the South Congress Hotel, and it always has a very fun, lively atmosphere. Some of my favorite food items at Café No Sé are their different pastries, their tomato basil soup, and their Brussels sprouts.
Home Slice Pizza
Home Slice Pizza, yet another South Congress joint, serves delicious New York-style pizza — both by the slice and whole — all days of the week. Home Slice, every time I have visited it, has always been full of energy and fun, and their pizza has never failed me. I genuinely don’t think that there is a single pizza on their menu that doesn’t taste amazing.
Bouldin Creek Cafe
Bouldin Creek Cafe is, unsurprisingly, located in the neighborhood of Bouldin Creek. The interior of this restaurant is wild, and I mean that in the best way possible: it is completely covered in stickers and art. This restaurant is vegan/vegetarian, and it has many great options. One of my favorite dishes is their “Pasta Rosamaria,” which is incredibly creamy and delicious. It also serves some amazing coffee.
JuiceLand
Original photo by Katherine Stevenson
If you love smoothies, JuiceLand is the place for you. There are a number of different JuiceLand locations, including one that is only a short walk from the Lady Bird Lake Trail. (JuiceLand is one of my favorite post-walk treats.) I love JuiceLand; it has a wide variety of unique smoothies which not only taste good but contain loads of health-boosting ingredients. Some of my favorite JuiceLand orders are the “Wundershowzen,” the “Morning Sunshine,” and the “Honey Beary.”
North Italia
Original photo by Katherine Stevenson
North Italia, an Italian restaurant located in Downtown Austin, is one of my favorite spots for Italian food. It is such a fun space, and the food is spectacular. They have incredible salads, pizza, and pasta. Some of my favorite items are the “Tuscan Kale” salad, “The Pig” pizza, and the “Chicken Pesto” pasta.
Aba
Original photo by Katherine Stevenson
Aba, another South Congress restaurant, is a Mediterranean restaurant which serves brunch, lunch, and dinner. This is a perfect spot if you are looking for a more formal dinner location: it has both beautiful outdoor seating as well as a dark, moody interior. I haven’t had anything at Aba that I didn’t thoroughly enjoy, but some of my favorite items are their different kebabs and their warm, pillowy pita bread.
Peacock
Peacock, located in Downtown Austin inside the Proper Hotel, is another Mediterranean restaurant. I recently went to this restaurant for the first time, and it is now one of my favorite restaurants. The restaurant itself is beautiful: it is decorated in Mediterranean fashion with gorgeous, vibrant tile and high, striking archways. Everything my group ordered was amazing. We had the “Hawaij Chile Hummus,” chicken kebabs, beef tenderloin kebabs, and shrimp kebabs, and each item was seriously incredible. The servers were also very careful about notifying the group if any dishes did not fit a table member’s dietary restrictions.
Cafe at the Loren
The Cafe at the Loren is nested inside the Loren Hotel, a stunning hotel located in Downtown Austin. This is a great cafe to drop by if you’re walking the Lady Bird Lake Trail, as it is located extremely close to it, and you hardly have to go out of your way to reach it. The cafe serves great coffee and an assortment of tasty-looking pastry — the perfect items for a quick mid-walk energy boost.
Codependent Cocktails + Coffee
Codependent, located at the bottom of The Independent hotel in Downtown Austin, is a cafe by day and a cocktail lounge by night. This cafe has delicious specialty coffee, mouth-watering pastry, and a cool, classy interior.
Chuy’s
If you’re in Austin, you need to try at least one of the city’s amazing Tex-Mex restaurants; I nominate Chuy’s to be the that Tex-Mex restaurant. Chuy’s, founded in Austin in 1982, is a Tex-Mex restaurant located on Barton Springs Road. I’ve been here many times with my family, so this restaurant is cloaked in nostalgic memories. When I am at Chuy’s, I always either order their chicken fajitas or their quesadillas (my favorite Tex-Mex items), but I know from others that most items on their menu are great. In other words, I don’t think you can go wrong at Chuy’s. I will say if you’re looking for a cool atmosphere, Chuy’s isn’t your best bet; however, if you’re looking purely for good Tex-Mex, Chuy’s is the place to go.
A closing note
I have not been to all of Austin’s many restaurants, so this list is not exhaustive; it is merely a small compilation of some of some of my favorite places in the Downtown Austin area.