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Old 06-19-2012, 04:01 AM
 
3 posts, read 7,201 times
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Hi! Me and my family are heading to Austin in August to begin a road trip from the Texas capital all the way to D.C!!! (were from the UK)

We've just booked into the Austin Motel on south congress avenue for two nights...what are the things that are a must see in the city???

I love vintage clothing/shopping, live music (family friendly) and overall I have a very open mind and would love to visit anything anywhere!!

Any advice would be great, think were going to be heading to Barton Springs too


Thanks in advance!!!
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Old 06-19-2012, 07:36 AM
 
Location: Austin, TX
1,707 posts, read 2,982,848 times
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Welcome to Austin!

You'll be staying in the heart of SoCo which is a trendy little area. There are several cool shops to check out around there. Vintage clothing in SoCo includes New Bohemia and Prototype. 2 other shops I recommend checking out are Uncommon Objects (quirky and antique objects) and Allen's Boots. For food, I highly recommend Hopdoddy's Burgers which is a popular joint. Homeslice Pizza, Guero's Taco Bar, Magnolia Cafe South, Woodland, South Congress Cafe and several food trailers are located nearby.

A few blocks or so west is South First St. and there area several neat shops and cafes there to check out. New BROhemia (primarily men's vintage), Amelia's Retro-Vogue (classic vintage) and End of an Ear (music store) are all worth checking out. Sugar Mama's Bakeshop is a cute little place to check out as well.

Walking around downtown is nice. Visit the capital building and stroll down Congress Avenue. The 2nd Street area has many boutiques and cafes (Urban Outfitters is here). Also downtown is 6th St. and although it isn't very family friendly it is the epicenter of Austin's nightlife. Towards the western edge of downtown is a giant Whole Foods store (flagship store), Waterloo Records (great music store) and Bookpeople (giant independent bookstore).

There are several other neat little areas around Austin to check out. The Rainey St. area has several outdoor live music venues/bars. East 6th St. (and E. Austin in general) has several bars, live music venues and restaurants. It's still a very up-and-coming area with quite a quirky vibe. Guadalupe St. a.k.a. "The Drag" (west of the University of Texas campus) is line with cafes/shops that cater to students in the area. In that area are a few vintage shops including Cream Vintage, Frock On Vintage and a big Buffalo Exchange. Also in that area is a very cool fashion boutique called Dog and Pony and a toy store called Toy Joy.

The North Loop area a bit farther north is a small area of shops/restaurants. Check out Blue Velvet Vintage, Room Service Blackbird Clothes & Curios.

There are vintage stores all over Austin, you can check out a list here: Vintage shops Austin.

Museums to check out in Austin are the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum and the Blanton Museum of Art (right across the street from each other).
For natural beauty Barton Springs, Barton Creek Greenbelt and Mount Bonnell are great places to go.

Have fun in Austin!
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Old 06-19-2012, 07:40 AM
 
Location: Somewhere between Corpus and Austin, TX
136 posts, read 336,708 times
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Please try, try, try, to at least experience Texas while you're here. Go to the capitol, read about the history, explore some of the more americana things we have to offer. Believe me, not everything is wrapped up in the 'urban' jungle of Austin.
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Old 06-19-2012, 08:33 AM
 
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Good place to start to your trip, lots to do within walking distance, If you like live music and BBQ check out Stubbs. There are lots of neat little places surrounding Austin too with everything from arts and crafts to wineries.
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Old 06-19-2012, 09:33 AM
 
Location: Gulf Texas & Irvine CA
13 posts, read 40,476 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Roadtripper90 View Post
...heading to Austin in August
August is the hottest month. The temperature in Austin will be 37ºC during the day, and only get down to 24ºC at night.

You'll want to remain indoors between 1pm and 5pm. Adopt the Siesta, and plan your activities around it.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siesta

Budget one activity in the morning, and one activity in the evening. Attempting to accomplish more than two major activities per day will wreck both you and your kids.

It really is best to chill in your hotel room in the air conditioning between 1pm and 5pm. Less sunburn. Less heat exhaustion. Time to decompress, plan the next day, and wash off the morning sweat/get fresh clothes.

Austin TX entertainment, events, food, movies, music | Austin360.com is a good website.

Also TravelTex.com
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Old 06-19-2012, 09:53 AM
 
47 posts, read 73,863 times
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Check out the Austin Independent Business Alliance's list of business districts- it's a great starting point for finding unique Austin restaurants and shopping.
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Old 06-19-2012, 09:57 AM
 
Location: Austin,TX
73 posts, read 191,254 times
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In DC if you can stay outside of the city and take the metro in. Also be sure to see Annapolis great city.
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Old 06-19-2012, 10:10 AM
 
157 posts, read 446,009 times
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You can do a tour of the UT tower. We did that this weekend and the views were gorgeous. I think there is an 8pm tour that gives a great view of the sunset.

Enjoy Austin!
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Old 06-19-2012, 12:57 PM
 
10,130 posts, read 19,872,387 times
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Wow, you are staying in a great location to experience Austin. Kudos. I think you'll find a lot of what you want just walking out the door of your motel. But definitely head a little north to check out downtown and the lake/trail, plus Barton Springs and Zilker. Renting a kayak or canoe to paddle around on Ladybird Lake would be a great thing to do on a hot August day -- it's always a little cooler on the lake, but bring a hat and sunscreen.

If you have a rental car, drive out to the Oasis and check out a little bit of the hill country / Lake Travis from their decks.

Check out do512.com and austinchronicle.com for festivals and music to enjoy.

Live music-wise, Blues on the Green at Zilker is going on Aug 8:
93.3 KGSR Blues on the Green

And other weekends in August there is Unplugged at the Grove:
KGSR Selected Roadshows

August 26th there is the annual Hot Sauce festival (big, long lines, hot outside, but fun):
Hot Sauce Festival - The Austin Chronicle
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Old 06-19-2012, 06:07 PM
 
38 posts, read 69,704 times
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If you have kids or kids at heart you have to vist the big top candy shop. It's next to the "unique shop" and across from oh my cup cakes on southCongress. . You HAVE to go to Casino el Camino | 6th Street Austin Bar, Famous Burgers, Best Jukebox. It was featured on the Food Network Diners, Drive-ins and Dives : Guy Fieri : Food Network for the best burgers. Of course see the bats fly out of the Congress street bridge at dusk. One million free tailed bats fly out from under the bridge at dusk. Quite a site.
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