Ideas for how to spend your time alone in Austin
Find yourself alone in Austin? No worries. Let the city be your companion.
Sightseeing
Start off at the Texas State Capitol, where you can go on a free tour, or walk around the impressive building as your own guide. If you'd prefer to avoid crowds, try visiting at night, as the Capitol is open 24 hours. You could spend an entire day touring the Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum at 1800 N. Congress Avenue and Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard. It has three floors full of artifacts and media exhibits, all contributing to the "story of Texas." The only IMAX theater in Austin is located adjacent to the museum. From here, head up a block and you'll be at the southwest area of the University of Texas campus. Check out Dobie Mall, which houses a theater that screens rare movies, or walk up to UT's Tower. If you plan ahead, you can order a $3 ticket to go on a one-hour tour of the Tower. The Texas Union Information Center advises people to order tickets one week in advance. If you're in the mood for shopping, Guadalupe Street, called "The Drag," is across the west side of campus, and has stores you won't find in the shopping mall. Expect higher prices, but interesting selections. There's also a couple of coffee houses and fast food places on Guadalupe. If you're visiting during the summer, be sure to check out the Congress Street Bridge at dusk. A huge bat colony lives under the bridge, and locals and visitors gather to watch them take flight when the sun's going down. Parking is free at the Austin American Statesman building.
Getting Outdoors
Austin has lots of trails to explore. Check out the trail at Town Lake, a ten-mile stretch of packed gravel, for an easy walk or jog. You can cut it short by looping around on a footbridge. Be aware that there are lots of people with running groups, strollers, and/or dogs on the trail between Mopac and Lamar. There's also a canoe and kayak rental place on the trail near the MoPac/Lake Austin Boulevard starting point if you'd rather float on the lake. For a higher intensity hike or jog and very scenic views, visit the Barton Creek Greenbelt, an eight-mile trail that gets hilly in some parts. The majority of the trail is shaded, but bring plenty of water. If it's warm, take a dip in one of the many swimming holes along the trail. This is also a popular bike trail, so look into renting a mountain bike if you're experienced in the sport and the terrain. The Greenbelt is crowded at times, but less so than Town Lake's trail. Zilker Park is a great place to hang out under a shady tree and read a book if you just want to relax outdoors.
Cool off in the Barton Springs Pool, a 1000 x 125 foot natural swimming hole that stays 68 degrees year-round. It's crowded on the weekends with families and students, but many people call it Austin's "crown jewel." If you like swimming and sun bathing, don't miss it. Lake Travis will lead you a ways from downtown, but the drive alone is worth it. You'll get to see the real hills of Austin. There's a few spots where visitors can get into the water easily, but again, it draws crowds on the weekends. Check out Hippie Hollow if you don't mind going bare or being around others that are swimming and sunning in the nude to avoid families. You can wear a suit, and you'll see lots of people do, but prepare yourself before going if you've never been to a nude beach. There's a restaurant nearby called The Oasis, that's known more for its view of the Austin sunset over Lake Travis than it is for the food. The view is absolutely gorgeous, a real photo op. You have to get there early to get a table on the outside deck on the weekend. If you want to escape crowds and save time and money, stick to your spot near the water to watch the sunset.
Shopping
South Congress Street brings funk to downtown. There's a hodge podge of home, clothing, shoe, and oddity shops, stuff you never imagined you could need, but maybe that's because you haven't seen anything like it. You'll find lots of local restaurants on South Congress as well. Check out Guerro's for Tex-Mex, Zen for fast-food sushi, or Amy's Ice Cream for a homemade, delicious snack.
It might seem silly to go to a grocery store on vacation, but the national Whole Foods Market headquarters, which opened in March of 2005, is something you don't want to miss. Even if you've been to a Whole Foods store, you haven't seen one like this. The 80,000 square foot store boasts five restaurants, over 1800 wines, more types of cheese than you knew existed, specialty meats, fresh produce, gourmet desserts, prepared foods, and much more. This store is on the corner of 6th Street and Lamar Street. Central Market is another specialty grocery store that has updated its selection to compete with Whole Foods. It is on Lamar Street, a few blocks past 38th Street. Check this store out to get the same gourment selection without huge crowds. Expect to find higher prices for the quality goods at both stores.
Austin has two bookstores worth checking out, and both are staffed with friendly, knowledgeable workers eager to assist customers. Half Priced Books have locations all around town, and you'll be amazed at some of the deals you can find on new and used books. Book People is right across the street from the new Whole Foods, has a few floors full of books, some lucky enough to be selected as a staff pick, which is helpful when looking for new material to delve into. Book People has a coffee shop and various seating areas if you want to spend some time in a quiet reading environment. The book prices are what you'd expect to pay at a regular bookstore, and there's usually a great sale of some sort going on here.
Across from Book People on Lamar Street and 6th is Waterloo Records, a local record store that's popular with locals and visitors a like. Bustling on weekdays and weekends, and especially during Austin's music festivals, the store is a must for music lovers. The staff knows what's going on nationally and locally, and although usually busy, they are always friendly. And on Thursdays, you can pick up the new Austin Chronicle, which in addition to movie times, art exhibits and other happenings around town, has music venue listings for the upcoming weekend into the following week. You can get the publication in lots of spots around town, but if you're at Waterloo for music, kill two birds with one stone.
A little north of downtown Austin on Highway 290, over 500 booths make up the Austin Country Flea Market every Saturday and Sunday from 10-6. More oddities than practical gifts are found here, but it's a fun way to spend a day if you're into haggling and digging for treasure. In the afternoon, you can shop while listening to live Tejano music. This flea market gets packed, so getting there early is a smart move. Waiting in a line a mile long just to park will put a damper on anyone's day. If you arrive before ten a.m. or after five p.m., parking is free.
Dining
There's so many great restaurants, it's really hard to pick a spot because just about everything in town is good. Don't deprive yourself by going to chain restaurants in town. Trudy's, Chuy's, and Shady Grove are places that locals consider "Austin-y." The first two are Tex-Mex with great drinks, the latter has everything from burgers to salads to dinner platters and decent drinks. You can dine outside at Trudy's and Shady Grove, and they tend to let you linger. Chuy's seating is all inside and the servers rotate customers pretty quickly. All three are moderately priced, have good menu selections and friendly servers. Hut's Hamburgers is another Austin hot spot. Great burgers made from beef, buffalo, chicken or veggies are available with a variety of topping combinations. Very fair prices bring lots of students and families, so you might have to wait if you arrive at lunch or dinner time, but the food is worth it. Popular fine dining spots include Jeffrey's and Truluck's. Atypical cuisine can be found at Sampaio's, the Bitter End Restaurant and Brew Pub, Thai Passion, and The Clay Pit, which is contemporary Indian cuisine. Vegetarians will be in heaven at Mother's Cafe or West Lynn Cafe. Kerbey Lane Cafe and Magnolia are two great 24-hour diners if you need a place to offset those drinks from last night, or you just want some really good pancakes and breakfast tacos.
You can get a good cup of coffee and a slice of expensive, but yummy, cake at Mozart's on Lake Austin Boulevard. There's plenty of outside seating in the form of various sized picnic tables at this serene location by the lake. It's kind of upscale and pricey, but draws studying students and groups of socialites alike. Spiderhouse, next to the Tex-Mex restaurant, Trudy's, is another local hangout where you can get coffee, beer, and a small selection of vegetarian food, like veggie tamales, veggie frito pie, and hummus. Again, there's a large outdoor seating area, but you'll find the decor is a bunch of mismatched chairs and tables. These touches give the place its charm. It's definitely Austin.
Lunch or dinner and a movie happen simultaneously at Alamo Drafthouse. There's a few locations around town. You'll find the downtown location has more "indie" type movies, whereas the others feature mostly popular screenings. The menu includes popcorn and soda, but also chips and salsa, potato skins, burgers, desserts, and beer. The seating is like normal movie theaters, but there's a bar in front of each row, so you won't have to hold everything in your lap, and the servers bring everything to you.Get there about 45 minutes early so you have time to look over the menu and place your order before the movie starts. Also, it's a good idea to order you tickets in advance via phone or online if you're going on a weekend night.
Downtown
First time out-of-towners should check out 6th Street. Party people like the cheap drinks, the crazy atmosphere, and the flocks of people crammed into dance clubs and shot bars. Relaxed people don't like it for the same reasons (minus the drink prices, of course). You'll soon figure out that everything kind of meshes together, so if you've been to a few bars, you can say you experienced it. There are a few live music venues and lots of places to dance on 6th. Pool sharks love Buffalo Billiard's. Esther's Follies, a local sketch comedy group, hold shows Thursday through Saturday nights.
For a low-key outing, go to the Warehouse District, which is the 4th Street area. Have your pick of about eighty beers on tap at the Gingerman, toast Ireland with a Guinness at Fado, or enjoy a locally brewed beer at the Bitter End B-Side. Cedar Street on 4th draws a more upscale, older crowd, with its outdoor patio and live music. Saba Blue Water Cafe and Malaga caters to a trendy crowd. The Apple Bar's apple martini is a hit, but it also has a full menu of specialty drinks. At the Brown Bar, on 8th Street, you'll find a slightly older crowd with sophisticated taste, which explains the scotch and cosmopolitans. Thanks to its wall of windows, Bernie's Lounge at the Crowne Plaza hotel boasts the best view of Austin's skyline. No wonder it's popular during happy hour and into the night, even with non-guests.
Other bars
If you want to get a drink in a shorts and t-shirt kind of place, check out Crown and Anchor Pub or Dog and Duck. Expect college students and an after-work crowd at both happy hours, and dogs at the latter. The atmosphere is very relaxed and there's seating inside and out. Crown and Anchor is just north of campus. Dog and Duck is just south. There's also the Draught House on Medical Arts off of 38th Street, which has a great variety of beer. The tavern-style bar draws most customers from the surrounding neighborhood and businesses. You can sit with people in the parking lot, sometimes with their dogs, or pull up a seat at the thick wooden tables or bar.
Whether business or pleasure brings you to Austin, you're sure to have a great time while you're here.
