One of my favorite memories from 2018 was a taking a girls’ trip to Austin, TX with three of my good friends. A few of us had been there before, but it was my first time in Austin!
Austin is the capital of Texas and is known for being full of fun activities, good music, and kick-ass food! There was definitely no shortage of things to keep us busy, especially around the holiday season. You know they say Everthing’s better in Texas, right? It’s actually true…
We got in late on a Friday night and headed to the Lake Travis area to eat some yummy Mexican food at Oasis. The restaurant covers multiple floors and overlooks Lake Travis in North Austin. Unfortunately, we got there at night and didn’t get a chance to see the view, but it’s very pretty from the pictures I’ve seen. Also on Lake Travis is Hippie Hollow, Texas’ only nude beach! 😉
Saturday was our only full day in Austin, and we packed it full! First, we got up and headed to UT Austin to see Skyspace, a cool observatory in the middle of the UT campus. During sunrise and sunset, the oculus creates different colors inside and makes for a cool viewing space. We obviously weren’t getting up for a sunrise spot (cause ya girls do like to sleep in), but it’s still a cool (and free) place to check out any time during the day. And the UT campus is nice to walk around too, especially with a conveniently located Starbucks in the same building as the Skyspace…
Another popular place to visit at UT is the UT Tower, where you can get a bird’s eye view of Austin!
We also hit up the Texas State History Museum to kill some time before heading to the Capitol Building. We didn’t spend too long inside, but it had a lot of interesting history about The Lone Star State. The museum is right across the street from UT Austin and only a 10-15 min walk from the Capitol.
Next we headed to the Texas State Capitol and hopped on a free tour around the building. It’s one of the most recognizable capitol buildings and is one of the largest in the country, second only to the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C.
After that, we booked a time slot at a traveling art exhibit called The Art of Ice Cream Experience. We booked this place to do something a little different…take pictures and have fun, but we were totally in the way of the professional Instagram models that were there…we evidently left our full faces of contour make-up and crop tops at the hotel! Anyways, we still had a lot of fun, and they even gave you an ice cream sandwich at the end! Also, how cute was my pregnant friend??
After too much Instagram fun, we headed down South Congress Ave to hang out and get something to eat. Congress is a super cool place filled with restaurants, food trucks, shops, and different street vendors selling everything from homemade soaps to handmade jewelry. We had some awesome falafel wraps from a food truck and shopped around the local street booths.
Austin is also filled with tons of street art. The iconic “I love you so much” wall is one of the most famous in the city, so we didn’t mind waiting in line to snap a pic! It’s located on the side of Jo’s Coffee on Congress Ave.
Another great place to catch some cool street art was the Hope Outdoor Gallery on Baylor St. Since we went in Dec 2018, it has been closed and is being relocated to another part of town.
In the evening, we headed to a local Christmas light festival. If you go to Austin in December, I definitely recommend going to The Trail of Lights held annually in Zilker Park! It’s a huge Christmas festival where you’ll find food trucks, live music, themed Christmas displays everywhere, and even a ferris wheel! It was Christmas overload in the best way possible!
Zilker Park is also where you’ll find the beautiful Lady Bird Lake, Zilker Botanical Garden, and Barton Springs Pool, a naturally fed public swimming spot! Obviously, December isn’t the best time to enjoy swimming, but it’s a popular place in the summer.
Before we left town the next day, we stopped for a coffee at Epoch Coffee in the EcoDistrict, a vibey neighborhood in downtown Austin that was revamped for sustainable living. It’s a great place to walk around Lady Bird Lake and has a big hiking/biking scene.
So there’s a reason why “Keep Austin Weird” is a thing here. There are some really unusual things to do Austin! The most famous is probably the Congress Avenue Bridge aka the bat bridge! During the summer months, over a million Mexican bats call the bridge home, and they all leave the bridge every evening at dusk in a giant swarm, making it one of the most unique activities to see in Austin! Coming in December left us bat-less, but put this on your bucket list if you come during the summer. There’s also several quirky museums in Austin and even a Cathedral of Junk, which is exactly what it sounds like…
I LOVED AUSTIN! I think it’s developed somewhat of a bad reputation for being a “liberal, hipster city,” but that’s what makes it fun and interesting! Although there are definitely more hipsters than cowboys, you still know you’re in Texas, and you definitely get that traditional Southern hospitality. It is such a unique city and very different from others in Texas. In Austin, BBQ is life, and everyday is Taco Tuesday! Go check it out for yourself!
Down the Highway My Way 