Even if you’ve never been, you know Austin as the home of South by Southwest, fantastic barbecue joints, and people who can’t seem to get their fill of breakfast tacos. The city had a rep as a quirky long-weekend destination, and it’s still totally doable in 72 hours. These days, it’s booming on all fronts, with 158 people moving here every day and a scorching-hot real estate market fueled by tech-industry money flying in from both coasts. The ascendant East Side overflows with restaurants like Dai Due and the James Beard Award–nominated Launderette. Areas south of Lady Bird Lake, the city’s defining geographic feature, are growing fast too, thanks in part to the new South Congress Hotel, which puts all the best of Austin under one roof. But as cosmopolitan as it’s become, this remains a place where food truckers get their big break and garage bands ink their first record deals. Austin’s still very much on the cutting edge—and still (thankfully) a little weird.
The First-Timers’ Hit List
You can’t say you’ve been to Austin until you’ve done these. (They’re classics for a reason.)
Barton Springs PoolBikini-clad Southern belles, cannonballing kids, and the tattooed and the topless all hit Austin’s most famous public swimming hole, whose perennially 68-degree water is fed by underground springs.
Broken SpokeThis 52-year-old honky-tonk still has soul, with two-stepping lessons and regular country sets from the likes of Grammy Award–winning fiddler Jason Roberts.
The Little Longhorn SaloonSome of the city’s best rockabilly and country acts—Alvin Crow, The Derailers—play this small, stone A-frame bar.
Whip InNamaste, y’all, says the sign inside this quirky gas station turned restaurant, whose Tex-Mex meets Indian dishes—like goat sliders with jalapeño on naan—are transcendently good. They’ve also got 70-plus beers on tap: The Petrus sour pale is our go-to.
High-End Hotels we love
The Driskill, for its opulent interiors that still wow.
Hotel Van Zandt, for its in-house music venue and rooftop pool.
Hotel Saint Cecilia, for its sexy courtyard and A+ suites.
South Congress Hotel, for its mind-blowing restaurants and addictive energy.
Austinites' Top Ten Must-Sees
Traveler caught up with some of Austin's top influencers for the ultimate Austin local experience.
Liz Lambert, Austin Hotelier
“I love JM Drygoods’ collection of mezcal cups by designer Omar Hernandez—they’re smooth on the inside and textured on the outside, like an oyster shell.”
The Contemporary Austin
The Corner Shoppe
Sculpture Falls
C-Boy’s Heart & Soul
Keith Kreeger, Austin Ceramist
“A stroll through Uncommon Objects, shopping for old postcards, Dr Pepper crates, and Art Deco lamps, is an Austin ritual.”
Métier Cook’s Supply
ByGeorge South Congress
Helm Boots
Nannie Inez
Uncommon Objects
Skipping beer in the Lone Star State
Cold longnecks are always a good idea, but the city’s cocktail scene is thriving. Here’s where to go and what to get.
Backbeat: A crisp Moon Bridge
Garage Cocktail Bar: A classic Penicillin
The Townsend: The bourbon and brandy Herringbone
Jeffrey’s: The boozy Lafayette
How to Do Hill Country
Our plan for seeing the most gorgeous countryside in Texas in just one day.
For all its charms, Austin’s got nothing on the Old West towns and wildflower-filled pastures of the nearby Hill Country. Start your day early and drive two hours southwest to the tiny enclave of Bandera. There, the tin-ceilinged Bandera General Store sells cowboy boots and root beer floats. Continue 50 miles north to Fredericksburg, a town founded by Germans in 1846. Today, the streets are lined with boutiques and high-end antiques shops. Stop for lunch at Otto’s German Bistro, where chef Adam Yoho makes a modern version of schnitzel with duck breast instead of veal, then grab coffee at Vaudeville, a sort of Texan 10 Corso Como housed in a two-story brick Victorian on Main Street. Drive an hour east to Wimberley, a village of 2,700 with a surprisingly sophisticated food scene. Have dinner outdoors on the patio at The Leaning Pear, where chef Matthew Buchanan makes wood-fired pizzas topped with locally grown produce. From here, it’s just a 45-minute drive back to Austin—or spend the night at Hotel Flora and Fauna, where you can stargaze from the pool.
