Chill weekend in Austin, Texas
There’s some magnetic pull that keeps me going back to Austin, and I thought I’d share a bit of the magic from my latest trip. On the heels of my latest adventure to Texas, I’m already planning my next visit with friends. With its southern charm and bustling energy, this sprawling city is so much fun, especially for outdoor enthusiasts and music fans!
Check out my full guide for a chill weekend in Austin!
Where to stay
While there are many accommodations to choose from in Austin, from downtown high rises and small boutique hotels in the city center to the cutest bungalow Airbnbs on quiet neighborhood streets.
During my last visit we stayed on a gorgeous ranch outside the city. But this time we opted for a hotel, right in the SoCo neighborhood.
I highly recommend the South Congress Hotel that my sister and I stayed in on this trip! I can’t say enough about the central location.
The hotel had two popular restaurants, a buzzing coffee shop, and an always occupied lobby bar. I loved the modern design of the building, and the rooms were very cute and comfortable.
But the best part about the hotel was the rooftop pool! Taking a dip in the hot summer sun was so refreshing, doubled by a cool drink from the pool bar. My sister and I made sure to spend some time here each day, and met some guests from out of town as well as locals using guest passes.
Check out the murals in SoCo
We’ve all seen pictures of people posed around Austin with some of the colorful murals. They are great for a photo opp! But also the remnants of a former arts culture in this neighborhood that’s been slowly built up throughout the last decade.
It was fun to stroll around and stumble upon some of the famous murals I had bookmarked, but even more enjoyed finding new ones! Check out a few of my favorites!
Barton Springs
You can expect the temperatures to be high in Austin in the summer - 95 degrees and humid is the norm. So one of the best activities on a hot day is to cool off in the local community pool. This massive watering hole right in the city gets its waters from underground springs that keep the temperature around 68 degrees year round.
Sound like a refreshing afternoon? Then you must check out Barton Springs!
For a small entrance fee ($9 for visitors and even cheaper for Austin residents) you can spend the day at the park. We took a quick Uber, it was about 10 minutes from our hotel.
When we got there we immediately jumped in the water, and again whenever we got hot. We spent the rest of the time relaxing in the grass, reading, and watched people do trick jumps off a diving board into the waters. Prepare for a large amount of people, but I didn’t mind the crowd and honestly loved feeling a part of the community.
After a few hours we walked along the Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail along the public creek. It’s possible to enjoy the water from here for free!
We watched the groups of people from adults with beers, to babies and kids, and all kinds of dogs splashing around.
Further down the trail we saw people rowing in canoes from a riverside rental company, swinging rope into the water and jump off branches on the tops of trees plunging into the cool river. Towards the end of our walk we noticed a congregation of about 50 canoes and kayakers at Lou Neff Point where the creek met the river.
It was great activity!
There are also a lot of other activities around Barton Springs and the nearby Zilker Botanical Garden. Explore it all if you have the time!
Where to Dine
The food in Austin is one of many reasons the city became such a popular destination in recent years. It may be most well known for some of the worlds best barbecue and incredible tex mex. Last time I came to Austin was for my bachelorette party, and while we had great bbq and mexican food I was determined to try some of the more famous places Austin is known for and see if it’s worth all the hype.
We started with a dinner at Eberly, where we dined on some solid Italian food!
The highlight of the weekends food was a pilgrimage to Franklin BBQ! Sorry in advance if you’re a vegetarian, but to me… the photos of this brisket are beautiful. I now understand why this place became so famous. I’ve never had such incredible barbeque in my life.
From SoCo it was less than a 15 minute drive but it felt like a very different part of the city. When we arrived we were told that it would be a 2 hour wait, but we hoped it may move faster than that. Even though it did end up being as long as the staff told, we met others in line who also traveled far to be there.
Beyond some of these bigger meals, we also enjoyed a bunch of treats throughout the trip! A memorable spot was to the Salty Donut. We split a delicious brown butter donut and a home made pop tart.
Not to worry though, we had some amazing smoothies and healthy meals to break up the bad ones too! The best was a delicious smoothie from Sun Life Organics that was a collab with the brand Osea. I wish I could have this every day.
We finished the trip up with some Salt Lick BBQ at the Austin airport on the way out. While the brisket sandwich was very good, I can’t determine if it’s worth the trip out of town to the original location. But from the reviews I’ve seen it’s probably some of the best in Austin!
Shopping in SoCo
From vintage shops to commercial stores, the shopping along and nearby South Congress was awesome!
The first day we strolled along the main strip popping into some vintage pop ups before hitting stores like Ganni, Madewell, LoveShack Fancy, Reformation and more.
I particularly loved the vintage stores off side streets! But my favorite had to be the home store Maribuu!
The shop had gorgeous decor for kitchen, bath and bedroom. Despite having little room in my suitcase I purchased a few items to take back with me to New York. After examining each item we enjoyed a coffee and pastry from their sweet cafe, and cooled off in the shade in the backyard.
We also did some shopping at local vintage retailers, Prototype and Feathers Boutique which were amazing. I had such a good haul: found a gorgeous one of a kind necklace from an estate sale, a leather bag from 1960’s, and my very own little mini Tommy girl bag from the 90’s.
See a Concert at The Moody Center
I always think of Austin as a big music city, similar to Nashville Tennessee. With large festivals like South by Southwest (SXS) it’s not only a destination for up and coming artists but also a common stop on nation wide tours.
The purpose of this trip was to see one of my favorite artists, Noah Kahan in concert at the Moody Center! This venue was spectacular, easy to get to from SoCo or downtown and quick to access if being driven by a rideshare.
We had seats directly facing the stage, but given it’s not a massive space like a stadium, there is a pretty great view from anywhere. I’d highly recommend catching a show here and making a weekend out of it!
Safe to say, the show was amazing and it was worth flying a few thousand miles for Noah. 10 out of 10, would do it again!
And if chill is not the vibe for you…
My last trip to Texas was my bachelorette party in Austin, where we spent nights out on Rainey Street, dined at one of the best restaurants in SoCo called Aba, sailed around Lake Austin on a pontoon, and lived on a horse ranch in nearby Dripping Springs. If you want to check out some of the best ways to plan a bach in this city, check out my full post!
Hopefully after reading all about Austin, I’ve inspired you to take a fun trip soon!
Need more help planning? Check out my travel planning services, and I’m happy to plan you a complete trip itinerary or book your vacation for you!
Xx Gab