The Perfect Weekend in Austin: 48 Hours in Texas’s Capital

Capital of Texas and Capital of Cool, call it what you want to call it, Austin’s having a moment. As the only city growing faster than Denver, Austin is an easy weekend trip that’ll appease anyone in your party, from your partner to the gal pals. With plenty of foodie and photo fun to be found, this eclectic city is just offbeat enough for those looking for a memorable getaway that won’t break the bank. Here’s how to do your part and keep it weird while having the perfect weekend in Austin.

Saturday

But First, Brunch

As a college town and hip city, Austin’s brunch game is strong, and there’s no better place than to start digging into their signature cuisine than with a spot of Tex-Mex. Suerte is the artisan café of your dreams, while Grizzelda’s horchata French toast and churro chicken and waffles will leave you in a full-on sweet and savory food coma. And did we mention $20 bottomless mimosas?

Find the Instagram Spots

From the postcard-perfect “Greetings from Austin” to the psychedelic and impressively tall “‘Tau Ceti” to “You’re My Butter Half” and the “I Love You So Much” wall, Austin’s murals have been memorialized on many an Instagram. A hotbed for photographers, art is spread around the city, but your best bet is to head to South Congress or downtown to start your hunt. If you’re feeling irreverent, you can also rent one of the much-hated by locals Lime scooter to explore. Beyond the colorful wall art, there’s also the beer can house, the swan boats on Lady Bird Lake, and Blanton Museum of Art, that funky white art deco building with colored windows to fill up your feed.

Take a ‘Cue

As someone who plans her life around feeding time, if I miss a meal, I get hangry and wouldn’t wish that upon anyone. And barbecue is an Austin’s must. Loro is one of my all-time favorite lunch spots that bills itself as an Asian smokehouse. A collab between James Beard Award winners, Chef Tyson Cole of uber fancy Uchi and Aaron Franklin of Franklin Barbecue, Loro is the perfect life hack to try two amazing chefs in one go-around. Because as much as I like food, I would never recommend waking up at 6 am to wait in line for it. For a more traditional BBQ feast, Terry Black’s is also award-winning and lip-smacking with a line that moves 100x quicker.

Soak in the Views at Lake Travis

Appropriately named the Oasis, Lake Travis is where Matthew McConaughey and the new tech giants reside. It’s an outdoor “mall” of sorts with artisan boutiques, restaurants, and artsy sculptures overlooking an insane lake where the see and be seen types sail-gate the day away. Grab a drink, soak in the insane sunset views, and if you’re feeling adorable, leave your mark with a lock of love you can customize in the gift shop.  

See the Bats 

Austin is home to the largest urban bat colony in North America that appear in droves over the Congress Bridge at sunset in the summer. You can see them from the pedestrian bridge on foot or hop on a boat cruise for a closer look. It’s a bit eerily as 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats take to the skies in unison, but you just have to check it off your “when in Texas” bucket list (I affectionately refer to it as the Australia of America).

Dine Around Austin

Austin’s a weird place, so it should come as no surprise that food fusion is a point of pride, best exemplified by Odd Duck and the Peached Tortilla. Odd Duck grew out of a food truck focused on locally sourced meats and produce with a menu that’s truly all over the map. And while the Peached Tortilla may sound Mexican, it actually skews American-Asian. Try something new; you won’t be disappointed at either.

Grab a Drink on Congress…or 6th Street If You Dare

Sixth Street is the heart and soul of Austin’s entertainment district. Unofficially divided into three parts, East, West, and Dirty Sixth (the rowdy section, if you will), wander around to find your favorite dive bar or watering hole. For the less touristy – read more hipster – crowd, you’ll want to make your way to Congress to barhop. You can also pop into the Museum of Weird dedicated to all things WTF or catch an interactive sing-along or quote along at the original Alamo Drafthouse theater.

Sunday

But First, Coffee

Café No Se is the staple all-day café where Austinites love to waste away the day, the chef an alum of Sepia (for my Chicago friends). There’s everything from savory scrambles and hashes to flaky croissants and pastries in the cutest little shop that all tile freaks love. It’s just good, clean design and an uplifting way to start the day.

Beat the Heat

Austin gets unbearably hot in summer, so local watering holes are a major Texas tradition. With four separate pools, Barton Springs is fed by underground spring water that maintains an average temperature of 68-70 degrees, perfect for splashing around any time of the year. As a federally protected habitat, advanced reservations are required. Krause Springs is another Instagram gem and local favorite on the National Registry of Historic Sites, which just so happens to be in Hill Country (hint, hint for a stop or two on the way back). In town, McKinney Falls State Park has both hikes to work it out and waterfalls when you’re ready to cool off.

 Find Your Favorite Food Truck

Austin is known for its food truck scene, and with over 1,000 wheeled eateries, it’s like making yourself a DIY food crawl. Visit Ms. P’s Electric Cock and White Girl Asian Food at The Rainey Food Truck Park to snicker at the names and snag some mini donuts from Little Lucy’s around the corner. Other clusters worth visiting include Pangea Lounge on 6th, 500 Burnet, South Austin Trailer Park & Eatery (where Torchy’s got its start), Spider House, East Riverside, and Barton Springs Picnic.

Keep Austin Weird One Last Time

Every Sunday from 4-8 pm, the Little Longhorn Saloon has lines out the door for Chicken Shit Bingo. The game is as straightforward as it sounds. A chicken is placed on a giant bingo board, and people bet on which square it will do its business. I shit you not, it’s a mother-clucking good time and doubles as a honky-tonk, so pack your dancin’ shoes!

Where to Stay in Austin: the LINE Hotel

Very rarely do I consider myself a laze by the pool kind of girl, but the Line had me convinced there was no need to ever leave the hotel. The see and be seen spot in town, their lounge chairs are mattress thick and overlook the river so you can people watch to your heart’s content. The whole place is really #designgoals and one of my new favorite boutique hotel chains for it’s thoughtful sleek touches right in the thick of it.

More Texas Travel Tips:

• 75+ Things You Didn’t Know You Could Do in Texas
• 14 Surprising Road Trips You Need to Take in the Lonestar State
• You Never Thought to Visit Houston…But Should
• If you’re looking for a more foodie picks, check out these reccs.

Like It? Pin It!

• 

• 

•