If You Only Have a Few Days in Austin, Texas, Start Here

Your 4 day guide to Austin, Texas

People typically fall into one of two categories when they travel: those who plan and those who wing it. My husband and I definitely fall into the “planner” category, but this time around, for whatever reason, we just…didn’t plan. Maybe it was the lack of sunlight, or the frigid temperatures that come with a February in Minnesota, or just the doldrums that long winter months bring, but we only spent a couple hours putting together a rough outline of things to do in Austin. Still, everybody who lives in a cold climate knows the importance of getting away for a long weekend somewhere warm and sunny during the dark winter months. Our goal in exploring Austin was simple: get out of the cold and snow for a few days and relax. We were lucky enough to experience the best weather Austin can offer in late February and were able to see a good bit of the city while stretching our legs.

So, this isn’t a list of the “best” or “top” things to do in Austin. Rather, it’s a list of some ideas that might tickle your fancy if you find yourself there on a whim. Or maybe you’re just a wing-it kind of traveler and you’ll find this useful in a moment where you’re not sure where to point your toes.

Where We Stayed

We stayed at Aloft right on Congress Avenue, Austin’s busy north-south thoroughfare. This provided easy access to some of the things we’d seen recommended: check out the Texas State Capitol, see the bats on the Congress Avenue bridge, and explore the area around Lady Bird Lake. If you’re sensitive to noise and traffic congestion, this might not be the best spot for you. However, if you enjoy a central location, people-watching, and a vibrant downtown area, you’ll find it quite enjoyable. With easy access to shopping, dining, music, and museums, you’re a short walk to whatever suits your mood.

Day 1: Tacos, warm weather and an Irish Bar

Much to our surprise, when we arrived in Austin it was experiencing on and off rain showers. This was a refreshing change of pace from all the snow we’d seen for months. We left our hotel without any umbrellas and quickly found ourselves diving in and out of watering holes waiting for the skies to clear. One of these places was The Dead Rabbit, an Irish pub on Austin’s iconic Sixth Street. We weren’t looking for an Irish pub in Austin; it more found us. The inviting 19th-century Victorian architecture along Sixth Street is beautiful and welcoming; the pub’s doors were propped wide open inviting us in from the rain. We sipped a couple pints while enjoying the uniquely Irish art on the walls and the lively atmosphere before venturing back out with the crowd when the showers stopped.

When you’ve been married for more than a decade, like us, you start losing track of Valentine’s Day, and thanks to our lack of planning we had a lot of trouble finding a reservation on February 14, which was the Saturday we arrived. We found ourselves walking around South Austin around dinner time and decided to stop into Guero’s Taco Bar for a bite. There’s something special about tacos and margaritas in Texas, particularly when less than 24 hours ago you were shoveling your driveway. The menu is full of delicious options depending on your taste, but we ended up going with some classic taco combinations. This place hit the spot, and although there wasn’t any live music that night, we imagine the Oak Garden is a must-experience for music lovers in the summer. There are so many options for tacos in Austin, but we were glad to have found this spot since it seems to be a family-run fixture in the community.

We ended the night by walking back across Congress Bridge to catch some sunset views, though unfortunately it wasn’t bat season. We stopped by Upstairs at Caroline’s for an after-dinner drink, and it was a party! Plenty of Austinites were enjoying the open-air bar while playing games of foosball, giant Jenga, and corn hole.

Day 2: BBQ, koi fish and a history lesson

For this first morning in Austin, we stumbled into Grá Mór for coffee. Between the cozy green couches, the morning sunlight pouring in, and the excellent coffee, we returned back more than once.

When you visit Texas, the unwritten rule is that you eat barbecue. The difficulty is picking a spot when there seem to be dozens of good options. We decided to stop at Terry Black’s since it came recommended by a few people. We arrived a little after opening and had to wait in a short line, though it moved quickly. If you don’t want to wait in line, try to get there ahead of opening or order ahead and pick it up at the counter. There’s plenty of seating both inside and outside at Terry Black’s to enjoy your platter. We did our best to get a little of everything, and our only regret is that we couldn’t eat more. Everything was delicious! Our favorites were the brisket, Mac ‘n cheese, and the banana pudding. Wash it all down with a couple cold Shiner Bocks and you’re in BBQ heaven.

Even though it was off season for the Zilker Botanical Garden, we decided to walk off our BBQ and catch some views of the city. The garden is divided into several themes: the Taniguchi Japanese Garden, Hartman Prehistoric Garden, and Rose Garden. We both loved watching all the koi swim around the streams and ponds under the shade of seemingly ancient oak trees. The garden sits high on the south bank of the Colorado River and offers some cool breezes and panoramic views of Austin.

On our way down the hill from the Botanical Garden, we walked through Zilker Park. It’s a sprawling 350-acre site that was full of Austinites enjoying the warm weather. The park hosts many events, from the upcoming ABC Kite Festival to Blues on the Green. As we moved through the park we connected with the hiking and biking trail that runs along both banks of the Colorado River. We enjoyed a leisurely stroll along the river and stopped to take in the views on the Pfluger Pedestrian Bridge. We prefer to walk when we travel because it gives us more time to take in the places around us. Austin was easy to get around, and we were able to cover almost 25 miles in three and a half days.

During our walk to our final spot of the day, we stopped for a drink at Scholz Garten, which appears to be the oldest beer garden (not brewery) in the United States. Dating back to 1866, this German establishment has grown with Austin over its history and proved itself a perfect spot to lift a glass and say Prost! I can only imagine how much fun this spot would be during a Longhorn’s football game.

Our last stop of the day was the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library. This unique building sits on the University of Texas campus and captures the entirety of LBJ’s political career through historical documents, photos, and audio recordings. Right where you start the tour there is a collection of pens marked with all the different legislation LBJ passed during his presidency. I didn’t know the extent to which he helped shape politics during a difficult time in American history. If you’re interested in politics and history, then this is a must see.

After a long day of walking, we decided to stay close to camp and grab dinner at Caroline. They serve American food with locally sourced ingredients all day long; you can grab a morning brew at their Coffeehouse and stay for brunch or grab a cocktail with dinner. Each of our dishes was excellent, the service was friendly and prompt, and the atmosphere was perfect for conversation. If you save room for dessert, we can recommend their lovely blueberry cobbler.

Day 3: Live music, weirdness and a memorable meal

We kicked off our Monday with a visit to Austin’s Museum of the Weird. They have a little bit of everything bizarre you’d expect to see: mummies, monsters, zombies, and quite a few other things that I can’t seem to get out of my head. If you’re into quirks, oddities, and the macabre, you can spend hours here examining all the strange things they’ve managed to collect. For those of you who scare easily, don’t worry – nothing jumps out at you or anything like that. Be sure you go to the top floor and get a picture with the giant gorilla! This building was also once Johnny Depp’s apartment during the filming of What’s Eating Gilbert Grape.

Next on our list was a visit to the little bungalows-turned-bars on Rainey Street for lunch. We decided to sample their house-made sausages and craft beer at Banger’s while listening to some live music. Yes, they had live music at noon on a Monday! The energy and atmosphere at Banger’s and along the entire street were contagious. We will have to go back and enjoy some of the other great food and drink options that it has to offer, preferably in the evening when the neighborhood really comes to life. We didn’t realize how many great places there were in such a small area before exploring it for ourselves.

If you find yourself walking up and down Congress and need to rest your feet, we’d recommend checking out the outdoor bar at Corner Restaurant, which is located adjacent to the JW Marriot. The winter Olympics were taking place during our trip, and we had a great time trying new cocktails and watching the events with the crowd. It’s also a fun place to relax and people watch since Congress is always packed with energetic people.

For dinner we decided on Ember Kitchen, a restaurant that occupies part of the old Seaholm Power Plant building. It features Latin flavors developed over live-fire cooking. The service at Ember is next level; our server steered us to a couple appetizers and cocktails that started us out on the right foot. Our meals were excellent; between the halibut and the filet, we couldn’t decide which dish was our favorite. The drinks were also a treat, with a wide variety of Latin spirits and several drinks featuring the agave spirit. It was the perfect meal to cap off a great weekend of Austin food exploration.

Day 4: Public library, a brewery and chasing sunlight

On our last day we slept in and wandered around Old West Austin, including a visit to the Austin Public Library to see the view from the open-air roof deck. After leaving the library we were both hungry but couldn’t decide between brunch and lunch, so we compromised by heading to 24 Diner. It’s a fun and modern space that serves classic diner fare with local ingredients. The breakfast sandwich and burger were both fantastic and we wished we had more room to try more of the menu. We love elevated comfort food, and this was a perfect send-off before our flight.

On our way back to our hotel we stopped by Hold Out Brewing for a quick pint. They’re a small brewery making great craft beer in a place that’s perfect for bringing people together. If we lived in Austin I have a feeling we’d be there regularly. Even though we’d just eaten we were tempted by the burgers and chicken sandwiches we saw coming out of the kitchen. After we polished off our beers we connected with the Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail along the river to catch some last-minute sun and views.

My parents live in Massachusetts and were also experiencing a rough winter. When I told them about our plans to head to Austin, they decided to meet us there. It was fun to have them join us for a day and enjoy the sunshine together.

Austin is the perfect place to warm up for few days

We barely even cracked the surface of what Austin has to offer, and we’d highly recommend exploring this fun and eclectic city for a weekend (preferably longer). Between the food, culture, outdoor activities, and wonderfully weird people, Austin has something for everyone, and I suspect we’ll be back.

Looking for more ideas on escaping a Minnesota winter? Check out my blog posts on Paris, Willamette Valley, Hawaii and New Zealand.