Hi, I will be in Austin, Texas and would like to know if there are any sites I should see, or shouldn't miss? I heard of a place called 6th street? What is that about? What restaurants/bars/malls, etc can you recommend? I would love to go to a famous restaurant known for some specialty cuisine, like somewhere Rachel Ray has been! Guess I missed that episode! I hope to hear from some local residents who know Austin best but would also love to hear from anyone who has been there. It will be late January/early February, how should I dress (weather wise)? Any festivities going on then? I am a young female and will be traveling alone, is there any place I should stay away from? Thanks everyone!! Oh, and do I need a rental car? I agree with Alain's answer. =)
Well, so you know, aside from being the "Music Capital of the World", I've heard people refer to Austin as the "L.A. of the South". It's a liberal town and totally different from just about any other place you could possibly visit here. Period. People from all walks of life and fame levels live in the Austin-area (from John Paul DeJoria, of Paul Mitchell Systems fame to billionaire Michael Dell and Sandra Bullock). Austin boasts a high percentage rate (upper 40s) of degreed people. You'll find hippy-ish looking people walking around in the park that have Ph.D.s and you'd never know it. People here are unassuming, friendly (for the most part) and honest.
What you want to do and what you might want to see will depend entirely on what you should do and see. I'm not entirely sure about what your interests are, but there are few things that I think (especially if you have an interest in Texas) that you should see and/or do.
The Capitol. While most state capitol buildings are essentially the same, we have some Texas history stuff and memorabilia. If nothing else, it'll be something to see for historical purposes. They do tours and such all of the time, multiple times a day.
Texas State History Museum. Again, if you're interested in Texas as a state (and perhaps even not), you should go visit. Texas spent about $80 million dollars for a state-of-the-art facility to present "The Story of Texas". Definitely worth a visit.
Austin Museum of Art. AMoA has an ever-changing rotation of neat art exhibits. Whether you're into classic art or sculpture, you're sure to be pleased.
Umlauf Sculpture Garden. Lots of neat sculptures by the late Charles Umlauf (both indoor and outdoor).
French Legation Museum. Museum dedicated to the last standing French diplomatic outpost in the State of Texas (from the time of the Republic of Texas).
Congress Avenue Bridge Bats. Congress Avenue Bridge has the largest urban bat colony in North America. More than 1.5 million bats fly out near dusk - and it's something that EVERYONE should see while visiting Austin.
There is simply a load of stuff to see and do and ALL of it is amazing.
As far as 6th street, there are clubs, bars and shops out the wazoo here. Austin is proclaimed the "Live Music Capital of the World" - and for good reason. Loads of live music every night, wonderful drinks in wonderful establishments and a ton of shops to visit (go earlier in the day if you want to check these out in all of their glory). Be sure to check out Waterloo Records and Cheapo Depot (or just Cheapo as most people here call it). Ask just about anyone where these are and they'll know what you're talking about.
Restaurants in Austin cater to ever individual and every income-level. Where you go is all going to depend on the kind of restaurant you want and what you want to spend. You could easily get some good, affordable bar-b-que over at Stubb's, some Texas "home-cooking" at Threadgills, or absolutely delicious Mexican over at El Gallo - or go upscale and dine at the 1886 Cafe and Bakery (at the Driskill Hotel). Recently, Executive Chef Josh Watkins (from the 1886) was on the Food Network's "Iron Chef America". This restaurant is ranked consistantly as Austin's best restaurant (both by in-city reviews and the Zagat survey). If you want something in the mid-range area, you can always go to Saba - Blue Water Cafe on 4th street (not far over from the attractions on 6th). They have absolutely amazing appetizers (and delicious mojitos).
One thing I would say (and I'm sure I'll either get a thumbs-down for this or someone will completely tell me I've lost my mind) - is stay away from Chuy's. It's a nice Tex-Mex restaurant, but I think the food is half-crappy, honestly. I've been many times and it's always sub-par. So is El Arroyo on 5th. Just stay away from both of them.
Malls are going to depend entirely on your expenditure level - do you want Dillards or do you want Neiman Marcus? Either way, you'll do best to choose from The Domain (outdoor mall), or the Hill Country Galleria. There's a wide range of shopping options from both of these - from Borders and Macy's to Tiffany and Louis Vuitton (depending on what exactly you want to spend).
In January/February, Austin is likely to be in the 50s-70s. It's all going to depend on the nature of weather here and it's difficult to predict. It *could* be in the 90s, too, so be prepared for all of the above.
I don't feel that there's particularly anywhere you wouldn't want to go being a young lady, but I would say (just for safety's sake), to stay where there are lots of people. Our crime here isn't really that bad (especially violent crimes), and you really shouldn't have a problem downtown. If you're down there at night, stay with groups of people (if it makes you more comfortable) and act as you normally would. Don't be afraid if you see Leslie (the city transvestite). Leslie's a nice guy/gal.
I would suggest that you stay west of I-35 at night, just as a precaution, if you're downtown. Just as any other metro area, for safety, stay where there are lots of people and don't try to stand out (keep your 50 carat diamond necklace in the hotel safe). I've been downtown many, many times and never seen or heard of a problem, but I would imagine (just like anything else), standing out amazingly could draw some attention.
Some good websites for you to take a look at to help plan your Austin adventure:
Austin Convention and Visitor's Bureau - http://www.austintexas.org
Austin360 - http://www.austin360.org
Texas State History Museum - http://www.thestoryoftexas.com/
1886 Cafe and Bakery - http://www.1886cafeandbakery.com/
Saba Blue Water Cafe - http://www.sabacafe.com/index.html
Stubb's - http://www.stubbsaustin.com/rest_home.ht...
Threadgill's - http://www.threadgills.com/
El Gallo - http://www.elgallorestaurant.com/
Hill Country Galleria - http://hillcountrygalleria.com/projectpl...
If you're flying in, one bit of advice - if you're hungry when you get into Austin (at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport), you might grab a snack in the airport. Ride by taxi or other transportation is going to take you at least 20-30 minutes to get to downtown (or even further - or maybe less - depending on where you're staying). I used to work at the airport and it seems that people were always asking about baggage claim. The gate you'll come out of will be upstairs. Baggage Claim is downstairs directly under Gate 9 (which I believe is a Southwest gate). The food and shops are all upstairs and when you leave upstairs (if you want to go back up), you'll need to go back through security. Make sure you take care of all of your business up there, before going down to Baggage Claim. Also, there are clean restrooms around Gate 7-8. The airport is fairly easy to navigate, so it shouldn't be too much of a hassle for you.
As far as a rental car, it's going to be more economical. The traffic in Austin can be nasty sometimes (especially around 4-6pm every day downtown), but it'd be a lot cheaper than taking a taxi (especially if you're staying several days). There are an abundance of rental car companies in the airport to choose from, too, so you'll have no shortage of options if you're flying in. One thing to consider is parking at a hotel. If you're staying at somewhere you can park outside, rather than a downtown hotel, it probably won't cost you. If you're staying at the Hilton, the Omni, the Renaissance, the Intercontinental, the Driskill or somewhere similar, expect to pay $8-25 to park, per day, in the garage.
If you want a more in-depth discussion, feel free to e-mail me and I'll be happy to help give you more options and more specific information! Also, I'll be happy to give you detailed information on the hotel you're staying at (as well as the area of town, etc.) and places to go around there. Good luck and enjoy yourself! Austin is a wonderful place to visit and an even better place to call home! =) Austin has a lot of live music. Go to some open mics and hear the local talent. You definitely need to check out the live music if you're into that.
6th street is the main street downtown with all of the bars and clubs, but there are little shops and such down there too. You might take a night and walk around down there.
You really should get a car, unless you want to take the bus. Austin isn't particularly pedestrian-oriented, except downtown.
It could still be cold when you visit, but there's a possibility it'll already be warm. Bring a jacket just to be safe. Wow, lots of questions, but I'll attempt to answer them all.
- Yes, you need to rent a car to really get around all of Austin. There are cabs and bus services, including a trolley called the 'Dillo (after armadillo) that services downtown, but for a first-time visitor, I would recommend a car.
- 6th Street is one of the main areas for nightlife downtown. It primarily appeals to the college crowd. You should also check out West 6th Street and 4th Street.
- Austin has many great local restaurants. A few of the most famous (and my personal favorites) are Fonda San Miguel and Uchi. Fonda is interior Mexican and Uchi is Japanese fusion / sushi. I highly recommend them both but the bill will be $35 or more for one person.
- With Austin, you never can tell how the winter weather will be. In late Jan, it could be 80 degrees or it could be 50 degrees. Check the weather beforehand. It's been a perfect 55-60 degrees lately. We don't get much rain or snow, so unless the weather report says so, I wouldn't worry about packing for those conditions.
- There are lots of things to check out in Austin, like the Texas State Capitol building, the running/biking trails along Town Lake (where you can rent canoes and kayaks), Mt. Bonnell, the UT campus area (the Drag), etc.
Hope this helps! skip 6th street unless you are in college or want to feel like you are in college again. Go to 4th street as it's more low key and the object is to have a good time, not to get wasted drunk.
If your hotel is not down town, but up or down 35, I'd leave at 1am instead of 2...get home and be safe before the drunk "idiots" leave and then you'll be playing bumper cars. It's not fun. You'd probably want to get a rental...
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;... Lots of Downtown Clubs and live music, might want to check that out, you could visit lake travis (northwest Austin) you could go to the bobbullock museum downtown. Its has an Imax theater and it has really cool exhibits! |
