Austin, Texas
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Things to do in Austin
Known for its creative people and vibrant arts scene, Austin is the heart and soul of Texas. Austin offers a diverse range of live talent from blues and jazz to folk and alternative rock, as well as a full symphony, ballet and opera companies. Historic landmarks dot the landscape, including the State Capitol, the University of Texas Tower and the Governor’s Mansion. Austin is also an active outdoor city. Lady Bird Lake and the surrounding area are magnets for rowing, jogging and cycling. Some 15 public golf courses are easily accessible, and a range of sporting events, concerts and theatrical productions take place throughout the city.
An exhilarating range of musical traditions and artistic endeavors thrive in Austin. A night on the town offers music at nearly 200 venues on any given evening. The largest concentration of venues is found downtown in the Warehouse District and along Sixth Street. Austin nurtures scores of musicians, artists, entrepreneurs and a fabled laid-back lifestyle. The cultural offerings include some 20 museums, dozens of art galleries and more than 60 performance companies.
At one time, eating out in Austin meant three choices – barbecue, Tex-Mex or chicken-fried steak. While these are still the big three of the local dining scene, the cuisine now simmers with a decidedly more sophisticated and international flair. The Wall Street Journal labels Austin as one of the country’s “up-and-coming culinary hot spots.”
TX - Austin, Austin-Bergstrom International Airport
- Overcast, mist, light rain
- Temperature: 9 °C
- Wind: South, 9.3 km/h
- Pressure: 1019 hPa
- Rel. Humidity: 100 %
- Visibility: 6.4 km
- The official currency of the United States is the U.S. dollar
- Central Daylight Time, North America, UTC - 5 hours
- The official language of the United States is English
- 120V 60 Hz
Best Travel Time
- January – March
- October – December
Anxious and excited for my first real vacation of the New Year, I headed to Austin, TX for a long weekend with my mom, best friend and her mom – a mother-daughter weekend to remember. We decided to go just before the rush of spring breakers which also happened to be the weekend before my birthday. I was pumped for our first mother-daughter weekend in March.
Talk about trendy restaurants! Each with a unique and intriguing title, I wanted to try them all. But let me tell you, the phrase “everything’s bigger in Texas” really IS true and applies to the portion sizes. A few great restaurants I tried while in the Domain:
Finally the sun was out; it was warm, perfect for walking around. Our cab driver dropped us off by the history museum and the University of Texas Art Museum; not what we originally requested but turned out to work better than we had planned. After snapping a few pictures in front of the star at the history museum we headed to the Texas Capitol Building; snapped a few photos, checked out the building, walked up the stairs, saw the house and senate rooms.
After reading through the Austin article in Hemisphere’s I was ready to hit the city. First stop was breakfast on South Congress. We tried the local restaurant chain Magnolia; which on the far south end of the shopping area, making it a great walk from one end of SoCo to the other.
A branch of the Starwood brand, aloft is hip and trendy but very laid back. I had heard great things about the aloft hotels so I wanted to experience it for myself, and the room rates were great! And it was located in an area with great shops, restaurants and a spa, but it was nine miles outside of the city in the Domain District. I decided to go for it anyway.Community Comments
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by allison_b216 on Sep 8th, 2010For a yummy place to eat, go to Kerbey Lane. There are multiple locations around town, but the best is the original at 3407 Kerbey Lane. Its an old house that is now a restaurant. My favorite thing to eat here is the gingerbread pancakes. I get them everytime because I know if I don't I will regret it. I've heard the chili con queso is quite good too, but I don't think that would go to well with pancakes. They have all types of food and I think the location across from UT is open late for those hungry college students.
