A Weekend of Weird Vibes and Delicious Food

Austin, Texas is a terrific destination for great food and amazingly weird vibes. It’s a perfect spot for a weekend trip due to the plethora of things to see and do. We wanted to take a quick weekend in Austin since getting time off was hard to do. At that time, we both had full-time jobs with long hours. On this occasion, I had a fantastic time eating perhaps too much BBQ, listening to lively music, and looking for all the eccentric murals. Did I mention the luscious BBQ? It’s a bright and colorful city with so much to appreciate. I was lucky to visit Austin with some friends. I would absolutely go back. The rest of Texas has me riled up, but I still love Austin.

Fun Facts about Austin:

• First thing to remember is football is life in Texas. Not just fun to know, but this is a need to know. 

  • I hear Texas Longhorn tailgates are a great time. I’d love to check this out sometime

• Moreover, you should know Austin is the Live Music Capital of the World.

  • As you may know, Austin has the most live music venues per capita in the US. When in Austin, do what the Austinites do…
  • You generally don’t have to plan ahead to pick concerts. You can stumble upon great live music if you’re cool to go with the flow.

• On the negative side, the famous Graffiti Park is closed closed. It looks like the land was sold for new buildings, which is a bummer. 

  • What was Graffiti Park?

    • It was a public and active art project. You could watch artists and regular people simultaneously creating graffiti art, which resulted in excellent people-watching. You can create art or watch artists create masterpieces. It was pretty much an open space where you can bring your own paint and spray cans to spray any open space with your art.
    • The Hope Outdoor Gallery had plans for a new location. It seems the new gallery is still in the works.

Sights for your Weekend in Austin:

These are easy to get to sights, perfect for a weekend in Austin. And the best part is, these sights did not require reservations. I love that because I need flexibility on quick weekend trips.

• Walk around South Congress- SoCo

  • This fun, eclectic, and funky neighborhood is definitely worth your time. Visit the funky shops, eat at trendy restaurants, and look for the colorful murals.
  • The well-known “I love you so much” mural is here. So simple, yet so fun 

    • Look closely, you can see the letters have been repainted a few times. You can tell by the thickness of the paint. Be kind- don’t vandalize the murals.

  • In due time, stop by South Congress Hotel. The lobby has a great bar serving craft cocktails. 

    • Happy Hour happens every Monday through Thursday from 3-6pm.
    • They also have live DJs if you want some music.

  • In like manner, try to visit the Continental Club, an iconic music venue. They have been open since 1955. We didn’t get a chance, which I regret. That was a minor downside of not planning ahead. 

    • The Continental Club Show Schedule

• Lady Bird Lake

  • Take a lovely stroll across the Colorado River and follow the boardwalk along Lady Bird Lake. The lake is also a popular area for kayaking and rowing. The park and lake were named after the former First Lady of the US and Texas, Lady Bird Johnson. While here, you can rent canoes, SUPs, and kayaks to enjoy the lake. There are no motorized boats allowed, which makes it ideal for relaxing.
  • Equally important to know, Red Bud Isle has a dog park area!

• Texas Capitol

  • Austin is the capital of Texas, therefore, you can’t miss the beautiful pink building with the ornate dome. It was modeled with Italian Renaissance Revival influences. The capitol is a pretty building surrounded by sleek landscaping. You should also stop by the Texan African Americans History Memorial, which was my favorite in the park.
  • We didn’t get a chance to tour the inside, but I would have liked to. Self-guided tours occur Mon-Fri from 7am to 6pm and weekends from 9am to 6pm.

• UT Tower

  • UT is a beautiful school. Seeing that, I encourage you to walk around campus and visit the iconic tower. Don’t forget to stop by Turtle Pond and say hello to all the cute friends!
  • UT used to do tours on the weekends. Hopefully, that reopens after the renovations.

• See the Bats on the Congress Avenue Bridge 

  • Yes, you read that correctly- Bats. Austin is known for their Mexican free-tailed bat colony. In fact, Austin has North America’s largest urban bat population. Consequently, you can watch them fly from the Congress Avenue Bridge in the spring and summer evenings. The bats typically start their flight around sunset. They usually make their way toward Lady Bird Lake. Parking is hard to find, especially during the summer. Go early if this is a must on your wish list.
  • Fun Fact: the bats help keep the bug population manageable. They eat anywhere between 10,000 to 30,000 pounds of insects every night. I can’t even wrap my head around what 10,000 pounds of bugs look like.

Eat, Drink, and Indulge:

Before I continue, I should admit something very important to me. I love food. Food is one of my love languages. As a matter of fact, I am food motivated and I am one of those crazies who will travel for food. Austin, Texas is a food city, and I enjoyed every bite. Here are some of my favorites from our trips here.

Weekend Breakfasts/Brunches in Austin

• Gourdough’s 

  • This SoCo food truck serves delicious donuts with bold and magnificent toppings. We had… 

    • Mother Clucker- a donut with fried chicken strips and honey butter- oh yes…. It was cluckin good.
    • Funky Monkey- this donut is made with grilled bananas and cream cheese icing with brown sugar. They already won me over with “grilled bananas”. It was fantastic and surprisingly not too sweet.

  • They have outdoor seating, which is perfect. I wanted to get into my fresh and hot donuts immediately.
  • No, I didn’t eat these alone. The portions are substantial, and sharing was essential. It worked out in my favor because I wanted to try a savory sweet and a sweet sweet donut.

• Geraldine’s 

  • If you’re looking for an elegantly cool place for Sunday brunch, why not try the Sunday Jazz Brunch. This 4th-floor restaurant and bar are inside the beautiful Hotel van Zandt. They also deliver a pretty skyline view. The food was yummy, and the live music was fun.

Go for the Austin BBQ

• Micklethwait Craft Meats

  • The pitmaster at Micklethwait is known to make everything himself. The food trailer also has a great picnic table area. Overall, itt was a fantastic time. We stood in line for about an hour during our off-season visit. The wait was WELL WORTH IT.
  • I don’t mind standing in a line on the condition that I’m rewarded with something delicious. That hour wait was perfect for people-watching to see what others were eating. After careful observations, we decided to get a sampling of almost everything. This included brisket, pulled pork, knoblewursts, and pork spare ribs. It’s important to note that I’m team sides! Our spread also included potato salad, grits made with cheese & jalapeno, camp baked beans, and lemon poppyseed coleslaw. Everything was delectable. I regret nothing.
  • Go for lunch- they close early and they will run out of meat. I’ve learned that good BBQ joints tend to sell out.

After Dinner Options

• 6th Street Austin

  • SO MANY BARS. The entire street closes to traffic in the evenings. The entire 6th Street in essence becomes one giant block party. Walk around, have a good time, and be spontaneous. We walked around and picked bars with live bands that sounded fun.

Nearby Austin:

These points of interest are nearby Austin, Texas and I highly recommend them if you can make it work on your schedule. We were able to enjoy these two on top of our Austin list for our weekend getaway.

Jester King Brewery

• Jester King Brewery

  • Take a 30-minute drive through the rolling green hills to Hill Country. Jester King is one of the best-known breweries in Austin and is set on a working ranch. We visited for dinner and drinks. I loved the beautiful beer garden adorned with vintage chandeliers and picnic tables. If you get hungry, the barn serves up yummy pizzas. Order early, as they can take a while. We had to wait about an hour for our pizzas. Since we were so hungry, we ordered their satisfying garlic knots to hold us over.
  • They also serve ciders and wine. I especially loved looking at their bottle art. So fun!
  • You can learn more about them on their website:

    • Jester King Brewery Website

Lockhart, Texas

• Lockhart

  • Do not miss “The barbecue capital of Texas”. Lockhart was my favorite part of our weekend trip. In other words, you will highly regret not making it out to Lockhart. We drove out here for lunch, and we arrived hungry. A quick 30-minute drive out of Austin will lead you to a quiet and small town, where you can sample BBQ from several family-run pits. Pace yourselves, you’re in for a delicious tour of the best BBQ.
  • Kreuz- is known for their sausages.
  • Smitty’s- is known for brisket and sausages. I liked how they set up their queue. While in line, you get a chance to observe some BBQ pit magic.
  • Black’s BBQ- is known for its brisket and “dinosaur” bone. This was my favorite of the 3, predominantly because that dino bone was out of this world. Black’s was the perfect spot to load up on all the yummy sides. I recommend sampling at Kreuz and Smitty’s, then filling up at Black’s.

Wonderfully Weird Weekend in Austin

Use this post to help maximize your weekend in Austin, Texas. There is plenty to see and do, and the flexibility is perfect for weekend trips. Austin is a fantastic choice for a quick weekend when you want a change in pace. Hopefully, that pace includes live music, colorful vibes, and all that delightful BBQ.