Must visit attractions in austin (Alamo, Lakeway: restaurants, shopping mall, Whole Foods)

[fmnj]

I need help!! I'm gonna spend a weekend in austin and i see on google there's a lot of attractions. What would you consider to be a must visit for a couple at mid 20's and a 2yr old kid???? ….. We won't go party. We are more into nature, beautiful streets and downtowns. Its more like to-see and no so much to-do.

[Reggieray]

From what you're saying the congress bridge bats are something you'd really like.

[bgrn198]

Tour the Capitol and Governors Mansion maby check out the South Congress shops ect... visit the Texas History Museum.

Office of the Governor Rick Perry - Texas Governor's Mansion - Mansion Tours

Plan Your Visit to the Texas Capitol - The State Preservation Board - Caretakers of the Texas Capitol

Home - Bullock Texas State History Museum - The Story of Texas

Welcome to First Thursday, South Congress Ave. Merchant News

2ND Street District | Austin, Texas

[atxcio]

When are you coming? In the next few months, there are many festivals and events which are worth checking out if you are in town at the same time. That's a big thing with Austin.

[qwertyasdf]

If you're in to nature, take a hike around the Lady Bird Lake Hike and Bike Trail. It's free and it's one of the nicest city parks in all of America. In parts, it's hard to believe there's a big city nearby.

Also, The Lady Bird Wildflower Center might be a good way to spend a couple of hours. About 10 miles SW of Downtown Austin, near the end of Loop 1, aka Mopac.

http://www.wildflower.org/

[LiveUrban]

South Congress Ave. is one of the go-to places I take out of town visitors. A lot of locals go there as well, it's a nice area to hangout in - lots of interesting shops, cafes, and people-watching.

2nd St. downtown is a cute little area where a lot of boutiques and restaurants have opened up. Your child might like the store Toy Joy

Lady Bird Lake trails, the Greenbelt, Zilker Park, and Mount Bonnell are all places with great natural scenery

[usernamenottaken]

If you have a car and want to take a scenic nap time drive from S Austin, take N Capital of TX Highway (360). You will cross over Austin's famous Pennybacker Bridge that you see in pictures. Just past the bridge exit to 2222. Turn Left (West) on 2222 and drive until you get to 620. If you want to go to The Oasis go straight through the light at 2222/620 and you will see sign on left about a mile up. Fantastic views, but food not so good. They will let you go out and see the view w/o eating. Fun gift shop too with plenty of trinkets and treasure souvenirs.

If not stopping at Oasis, Turn Left on 620. Follow this through Lakeway to Bee Cave, Hwy 71. About 15 miles. Very scenic drive. In Lakeway area there is a restaurant called Grove on Left that has great views. I've never eaten there, so I can't vouch for it.

When you get to Hwy 71 to the right about 1/4 mile on Right is a really cool store called Revival, architectural salvage & funky stuff. They also have a Pig named Hamlet and some chickens that wander around, your kiddo might get a kick out of that. Also at the intersection, to the left on 71 is Hill Country Galleria, an outdoor shopping mall. There are restaurants there and Whole Foods to grab a snack or lunch. There is an Argentinian place there, Buenos Aires Cafe, that has an awesome steak sandwich and yummy empanadas. To get back to S Austin, you'd take 71 heading East. Then turn Left on 2244 which will take you back to 360, Cap of TX Hwy.

All in all, with a couple pit stops you could spend a few hours and see the prettiest parts of Austin along the way.

Have fun!

[AguaDulce]

Originally Posted by fmnj

I need help!! I'm gonna spend a weekend in austin and i see on google there's a lot of attractions. What would you consider to be a must visit for a couple at mid 20's and a 2yr old kid???? ….. We won't go party. We are more into nature, beautiful streets and downtowns. Its more like to-see and no so much to-do.

Five things (some already mentioned):

the trail around town lake
toy joy on 2nd street
shops on south congress
zilker park (kiddie train!)
the bats

[10scoachrick]

I know the bats were on the radar last night; but I'm 0 for 3 on seeing a decent bat departure. Scores of folks around made for interesting people-watching...the bats, not so much.

[gpurcell]

The thing is that Austin doesn't really have a ton of "attractions" per se; certainly nothing on the order of The Alamo, for example. The Capitol grounds are nice and the building is impressive; the Bullock museum a few blocks north is worth a couple of hours exploration.

If you're familiar with the Michelin Guides, we have a lot of one star items and nothing that is really any more than that.