All this is copied from an email to another Program Manager about things to do on an upcoming stayover in Austin, TX.
Barton Springs, Deep Eddy, or Hamilton Pools
Depending on the weather, these natural pools are great places to visit on a warm sunny day. I've only been to Hamilton Pool, but it was awesome. You'd need a car to get to them all, I believe. Check their websites beforehand for hours/availability.
Way cool cinema with food, booze, is 21+, and has an awesome no-cellphone commercial before each film.
Best sunset view if you want it. Not close to downtown...at all. Can get busy and with not great food, so just go for drinks on the patio.
Food trucks....all of them....everywhere!
SXSW crowds at the East Side Drive In food trailer park
Especially East Side King and Cool Haus. Meetups of trucks happen all the time, but especially on weekend nights: East Side Drive In and 6th&Waller, both of these are on East 6th St.
6th&Waller Food Trailer Park
East 6th St. bars (of which there are MANY)
- Shangri-La (cheap, cool, divey with awesome back yard area and East Side King food truck)
Shangri-La and East Side King
- East Side Show Room (crazy awesome hand-crafted cocktails)
- Cheer Up Charlie's (tiny little place, cool hangout area out back)
- Rio Rita (overall good bar)
Other bars (of which there are also MANY)
- Lustre Pearl (in an old house with COOOOOOOL, fucking cool, rooms with fireplaces and a cool outdoor area)
- The Swan Dive (great decor and good bar, but mainly a music venue)
- Brew Exchange (Stock Market-themed bar where prices fluctuate on a supply/demand basis, can sometimes get a little crowded and full of d-bag frat boys)
Brew Exchange and the beer ticker
Misc.
- Barbarella (have done way too many crazy dancing nights here....just do it)
PM Tyler dancing his face off at Barbarella
- Lady Bird Lake and the park on either side (a lake just on the south edge of downtown with good views and many walking trails)
- South Austin (anywhere south of downtown across the river, plenty of other food trucks, bars, and shops to see)
Maria’s welcoming arms at Taco Xpress in South Austin
- Roar Salon (if you're in need of hair work, a friend of mine is the colorist here and says they do great work)
Obviously, my experiences in Austin have centered around alcohol and food, but what else is new? Lots of cool stuff to do, especially if the weather's nice.
One last thing: use your smartphone and get an app called TabbedOut, it's an excellent Austin-based company that lets you open, view, and close your bar tab, all via your phone. Lots of local bars support it. They also very often have free discounts at area bars, so look at that part of the app when you're out on the town.
The airport is a little far from downtown, so make sure you have enough time to get to the plane on Sunday!
