1. DO listen to the locals when they tell you that they prefer Rainey Street over 6th Street
Two of the most popular nightlife districts in Austin, Texas are Rainey Street and 6th Street. Most locals that I spoke with while in Austin said that they preferred Rainey street over 6th Street. After experiencing both streets, I totally get it. If I were local to Austin, Rainey Street would definitely be more my scene. The bars and clubs on Rainey Street are a little chicer and more hip. The crowds tend to be more of the young professional type. However…
2. DON’T let the local’s opinion deter you from checking out 6th Street.
If you are new to the Austin area or if you are just visiting and want to check out the downtown nightlife, “Dirty 6th street” (as the locals so lovingly refer to the section of Sixth Street that stretches from Congress Avenue to I-35) is NOT to be missed! I liken 6th street to Austin’s version of Broadway in Nashville, TN. The police close the street down to vehicular traffic on Friday and Saturday nights. This way pedestrians are free to roam from establishment to establishment. While you will find a few honky tonks on 6th street, it is much more diverse than Nashville’s Broadway. You will find everything from punk rock bars to hip hop clubs. The diversity of the crowds that you will find on Austin’s 6th Street reflects the medley of bars and clubs that are on the street. I saw everything from young 20-somethings who clearly had consumed a few too many to couples in their mid to upper 60’s relaxing and enjoying some local cover bands.
3. DO take advantage of the gorgeous weather and plethora of outdoor activities
I visited Austin at the end of April and the weather was absolutely gorgeous! The temps were in the mid-’80s during the day and the sun shined almost the entire time that we were there! Because Austin has a fairly warm climate, they have done a fabulous job of incorporating outdoor activities into the infrastructure of their city.
Lady Bird Lake is man-made reservoir off of the Colorado River. It offers plenty of recreational activity including one of many hiking and biking trails in the city. I even saw a tightrope class being taught along the boardwalk portion of the trail while I was there.
Zilker Park is another popular spot in Austin. It is home to a botanical garden, disc golf course, and the Barton Springs Pool. There are a couple of different bike and hike paths that run through Zilker park. A portion of the same trail that encompasses Lady Bird Lake runs through Zilker. Along this portion of the trail is a rental hub for kayaks, canoes, and paddle boards to take out onto the river.
If outdoor physical activity doesn’t strike your fancy, many of Austin’s bars and restaurants off outdoor seating of some form. I highly recommend taking advantage of that, especially if you are from a cooler climate like I am. It’s so nice to be able to be outdoors in the warm sunshine! It feels great, even if it’s not in the form of physical activity.
Another way to enjoy Austin’s warm weather is to take one of the many electric scooters located throughout the city. For a less conventional way to get from point A to point B, download one of the scooter apps. The scooter options that I was while I was there were Lyft, Bird and Lime. As long as you have the respective app, just pick up the first empty scooter you see and be on your way! It’s such a fun way to get around the city. Just make sure to stay off the scooters if you’ve been drinking! Mainly because 1) that’s freaking dangerous and 2) it’s actually illegal and if a cop sees you, you could be ticketed for DUI/OWI.
4. DON’T go to Starbucks
Seriously, I don’t care how much you love your iced caramel macchiato, if you’re in Austin, find one of their SEVERAL local coffee shops and go there instead! I always like to stick to local coffee shops when I’m visiting new cities. I feel that it’s a really quick and easy way to get a glimpse into the character of a place.
A couple of my favorites that I tried while in Austin were Flat Track Coffee and Cenote. Both were located on East Cesar Chavez Street, both had whimsical yet charming outdoor patios, and both served great lattes! Another coffee spot that I tried that was actually located a little further outside of downtown was Crema Cafe. The space itself was not quite as alluring as the other two, but I thought that the coffee was really good! And of course, I would be remiss not to mention Jo’s Coffee. With multiple locations throughout Austin, Jo’s is a staple!
5. DO explore different pockets of the city!
How else can you really get to know a place, after all?! I always like to stay in Air B&Bs to get a more realistic feel for a new place as well. During my time in Austin, I stayed in an Air B&B just on the other side of Lady Bird Lake from downtown. While I was in Austin, I made sure to check out East Austin, the downtown area, South Congress, Rainey Street, and East Cesar Chavez Drive. Each of the areas truly has its distinct identity, yet they all come together to make Austin the radical, somewhat quirky, yet super loveable Texan city that it is.
6. DON’T be afraid to try different food trucks
There are countless food trucks in Austin! As an outsider, it was hard to know which ones would be good or not. I will say this – we tried a random one that we came across on google, and we were not at all disappointed that we did! In fact, some of Austin’s staple restaurants began as food trucks. Chi’lantro is a prime example of this an Austin staple that began as a food truck. We tried the food at one of the brick and mortar Chi’lantro locations while in Austin. It is easy to see why they have grown from a single food truck to a restaurant chain with multiple locations. The food was delicious!
7. DO try some kolache
If you would have asked me before my trip to Austin kolache was, I would have had NO idea! I probably would have given you a funny look and asked if it was a word that you made up. It wasn’t until I was standing in line for BBQ at a food truck in Austin that kolache ever popped up on my radar. As I was trying to decide whether I wanted brisket on a bun of off, I realized that everyone in front of me was ordering this kolache thing that was on the menu. I quickly concluded that I would probably be wrong if I didn’t also order it. Let me just tell you, I am so glad that I did! After I tasted the deliciousness that was Texan kolache, I had to look up what kolache actually was. NPR has a really great article that I found extremely insightful, but basically, traditional kolache is a sweet Czech pastry. Somehow, someone in Texas decided to turn it into a savory dish by filling it with smoked meats and cheeses. The result is scrumptious!
8. DON’T stand in line for 5 hours for BBQ
Unless your sole purpose for visiting Austin is to try some of Franklin’s famous brisket, waiting in line for more than an hour or two for BBQ is not at all worth it. Being from Wisconsin, I have virtually no access to good BBQ. Even the average BBQ stand in Austin exceeded my expectations of the quality of smoked meat that I would find in Texas. I chose not to waste half a day waiting in line at Franklin’s and I don’t regret it one bit. That being said, if you hale from Texas or are some type of BBQ connoisseur, the long wait to try some of the pit-master’s signature fare will probably be worth it to you. It definitely is an experience in and of itself. Bring a lawn chair, a cooler filled with good brews and some good friends and make a day of it!
9. DO find a honky tonk and take some two-step lessons
There are dance halls and honky tonks all throughout Austin and some of them even offer free two-step lessons! Even if you have two left feet, you totally should take a stab at it. Just go into it with a ‘“when in Rome” attitude. I went to the White Horse on a Friday night. There were quite a few people who were very clearly beginners at country club dancing, but it didn’t matter! No one was there to judge and everyone was having a good time!
10. DON’T expect to see a massive swarm of bats on the Congress Ave bridge.
Please don’t let this deter you from going to see the bats on the Congress Avenue bridge! It is a really cool experience regardless. Most information that I saw out there said that starting in March and going through October every year, the Mexican free-tailed bats that call the Congress Avenue bridge home emerge in masses around sundown. All the pictures that I saw on the internet had me expecting to see swarms of bats flying around right at dusk. On the day that I went to watch, that did not happen though. It was a cloudy day at the end of April, so timing and weather definitely could have played into it. We saw quite a few bats flying out from under the bridge shortly after the sun had fully set and the sky was mostly dark. But there was no massive swarm right at dusk. I think if you really want your best chances of seeing the swarms of bats that you see in the pictures, you should probably go later in the summer during peak bat migrating season.
11. DO find a brewery or tap room and taste some local brews
In the same way that I like to stick to local coffee shops when I visit a new city, I also like to try beers that are local to where I am. Austin certainly has no shortage of local breweries and beer gardens. There are even brewery tour companies that have popped up that will guide and drive you to multiple craft breweries throughout the city. Banger’s Sausage House and Beer Garden has the largest draft system in the state of Texas as well as a super friendly and knowledgeable staff. It’s an excellent option if you’re not from the area and would like to try local beers from multiple craft breweries in one sitting.
