AUSTIN- Part II

DAY 2- BARTON SPRINGS/ RAINEY ST. / AUSTIN LAKES/ MT. BONNELL

Barton Springs Pool at Zilker Park—2201 Barton Springs Road 

First things first, breakfast. 

We went with old classic hole in the wall donut-shop recommendation we got from our airbnb host. 

Mrs. Johnson’s drive thru was quick, cheap, and tasty.

We headed over to Barton Springs Pool in Zilker Park with our donuts and coffee in hand. 

We wanted to enjoy the morning outside so it was Barton Springs Pool or somewhere along Lady Bird Lake.

 Zilker Park was so pretty and green. It reminded me a lot of Piedmont Park in Atlanta—wide-open space with city views but nearly double the size­­. 

People were out early, scattered about setting up picnics and parties for the day.

We paid a small fee to get into the gated Barton Springs Pool.

BSP is a 3-acre pool fed by a natural spring in the heart of the city. 

It is a chilly 68-70 degrees year round. 

There were a ton of spaces to catch rays, swim laps, or just wade in the water. 

I went for the lazy swim option however there were a few serious swimmers making laps around me. 

It was so refreshing and the watercolor was beautiful. If there was a Barton Springs Pool in Athens—I think it’d be a weekly stop.  

Fun Fact Robert Redford learned to swim in Barton Springs Pool at age 5.

There were awesome open-air bathrooms where women were blow-drying their hair after their usual morning swim.

I loved the laid back vibes I got from the locals enjoying their little city treasure. 

One woman even let me borrow her hair dryer because we too, were also on the move.

FYI- Barton Springs Pool is closed every Thursday, 9am-7pm for cleaning and maintenance.

Rainey Street Explorations—Rainey Street Historic District

Rainey Street is a quiet yet hip and lively alternative to the East 6^th Street area. Located right in a historic area downtown not far from the Colorado River.  Basically a bunch of bungalow style houses, that have been converted into restaurants and bars with a few food trucks sprinkled in between. From crawfish to sausages there’s something for everyone. Pretty much all the stops have a cute backyard garden or porch to accompany a charming string of lights. There’s even a little burst of colorful double decker shipping container bars—upping the trend factor.

 Our friends brought their dog and he was welcome wherever. 

We attempted to make Bangers work (known for 

their sausages and beer garden) but we weren’t 

feeling the 1.5 hour wait.  

There were plenty of other patio options so we bounced around and ended up eating at Javelina’s.  

From brunch to dinner, Rainey Street is a clutch neighborhood option in the heart of Austin.

Lady Bird Lake (Town Lake)—Sandra Muraida Way & W. Cesar Chavez St.

Austin is a city surrounded by water. Over the years, dams have been built to form seven reservoirs along the Colorado River. Lake Travis, Lady Bird Lake (Town Lake), and Lake Austin are among a few of these bodies of water known as the Highland Lakes.

Lady Bird Lake named after former First Lady, Lady Bird Johnson—and previously known as Town Lake, a recreational lake loved by Austin guests and locals. 

The shores are lined by hike and bike trails making it the perfect nature retreat yet still in the city. Barton springs flows into the lake and Zilker Park runs adjacent to the lake.  

The Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail offers a complete 10-mile loop around Lady Bird Lake… 

again another city gem for Austin residents. 

There are also several different standup kayak and paddleboard rental options along the lakeshores. 

We rented a 2-person kayak from The Rowing Dock and enjoyed a late afternoon cruise. 

It’s beautiful to be on the water and look up at the green hills and city skyline.

Lake Austin is another pretty spot in town. 

There are a handful of scenic restaurants on the lake and beautiful homes built into the hills.

 Mt. Bonnell Sunset—3800 Mt. Bonnell Road

I highly recommend the short drive and climb to the top of Mt. Bonnell. It’s the highest point in Austin and the perfect place to get a birds eye view. 

From the summit you can see the city skyline, Colorado River/ Lake Austin, and all the beautiful green hills and houses. 

It is especially magical at sunset. 

There are picnic tables and countless cliffside nooks.

 I was surprised at how many locals and people were scattered about yet it was still quiet and peaceful. 

There are so many different views and pockets to spread out and have your space. 

My only regret was not taking a bottle of wine and getting there a little earlier.

Via 313 Pizza—1111 E. 6^th Street

We wrapped up Day 2 by grabbing the best pizza from Via 313. Of course it was yet, ANOTHER, food truck but—the pizza was legit. They serve a hot and delicious deep dish Detroit-style pizza…aaaamazing. There’s also a cute courtyard with picnic tables string lights (of course) to sit back and enjoy.

Austin, Texas- Part I

GO.

Colorful, creative, active, and eclectic...Austin is unique. Known for it’s great food, fun music scene, and natural beauty Austin is the perfect place for a quick get-a-away or a weeklong stay. It’s one of the fastest growing cities, and it’s known as a place where the quality of life is high.

SEE.

There’s a ton to see around Austin. The restaurants, parks, and water provide enough entertainment alone. Checking out the capitol is a must. It’s big and beautiful—and I loved the grassy park area surrounding the building. There are countless pockets to see and explore like South Congress, East 6^th Street, Zilker Park, Barton Springs, Rainey Street, Hyde Park, Lady Bird Lake, and Lake Austin just to name a few.

BE.

There are tons of opportunities to just “be” around Austin. The city is surrounded by so much natural beauty. Some of my favorite moments to sit back were brunch at Elizabeth Street Café, swimming at Barton Springs Pool, and watching a beautiful sunset on top of Mt. Bonnell.

EAST 6^TH STREET INTRO TO AUSTIN

We flew in late and picked up our car at the Austin Bergstrom Airport but of course we had to take advantage of the first of our 3 nights. We had no problem finding our cute little airbnb located in Hyde Park (deserves a post on it’s own). We decided to dive right into Austin nightlife by heading to East 6^th. We were hungry and most kitchens were already closed so we hit up one of chef Paul Qui’s well-known East Side King food trucks (Thai-Kun).

 One of the things that initially attracted me to Austin was it’s well known reputation for good food.

It was either The Liberty Bar or Whistler’s.

We decided on the craft cocktail reputation of Whistlers. We ordered straight from the food truck—and got drinks from the bar.

I had the Thai Kun Fried chicken with sticky rice. It was delicious!

The food was SPICY.

The St. Augustine cocktail and Austin Beerworks American IPA were the perfect drinks to take down the heat.

It was an unexpectedly chilly night so we decided to grab a couch inside but the outdoor patio and lights were tempting.

The garage doors were all open so it was the best of both worlds.

DAY 1- WACO/ HILL COUNTRY/ LAKE TRAVIS 

Elizabeth Street Café- Noodles. Báhn Mì. Boulangerie—1501 S. First St.

A good brunch was a must after our late night. 

We headed to Elizabeth Street Café, a little neighborhood spot, on First Street.  

Elizabeth Street is a combo of a Vietnamese café and a French bakery. 

It might be the cutest and most colorful cafe I’ve been to…pastels and pops of colors floor to ceiling.

 Happy hour is M-F 3-6, when appetizers, beer, wine, sake, and fruity/boozy punch are $2 off.

All of the girls are wearing some variation of bright floral prints.

There’s a great outdoor porch and a garden patio but since it was chilly out we chose to sit at the bar.

Fresh pastries and Stumptown coffee are also available to grab and go.

The food was amazing. The sweet and savory combo was very satisfying—and the coffee was delish.  I wish we could’ve gone back again for lunch and dinner, I’m sure it gets better with every meal.

House Baked Brioche French Toast: Sweetened Condensed Milk Ice Cream, Blueberry Thai Basil Compote, & Brown Butter Syrup

Crispy Vermicelli Cakes: Crispy Pork Belly, Two Farm Eggs, Herb & Radish Salad

Capitol Views on South Congress—1100 Congress Avenue

Post brunch we needed some fresh air before road tripping to Waco. We decided to check out the South Congress area right around the corner.

Standing loud and proud was the Texas State Capitol building. The capitol is massive. I guess this is the perfect example of the saying, "everything is bigger in Texas."

It’s the 6^th tallest capitol and even taller than the US capitol in DC.

Everything was so green and it was a beautiful day to just walk around the park. 

It’s a great space to walk around or just sit back and be.

Waco- Magnolia Market & The Silos—601 Webster Avenue

We thought it would be fun to road trip to Waco, browse the silos + market, and even check out Baylor University. Waco is relatively close to Austin so we couldn’t miss the chance experience Magnolia Market. It was an easy drive—a short 100 miles straight up I-35.  The silos aren’t out in the country they are smack in the middle of town much to many people’s surprise. We love Fixer Upper. Who doesn’t? Chip and JoJo and the rest of the Gaines clan are the cutest. However, I think if you are going to Waco to see them— that’s a bit unrealistic. If you just want to check out where a lot of the show is filmed and be inspired by the surroundings, it’s worth the trip.

It’s very family friendly. There’s the store itself to explore, a large green space to throw the football or play other lawn games, lots of food trucks, the garden, and even baby goats to check out…lots of photo opps.  The store is made up of little knickknacks, décor, and serving ware pieces. Don’t expect to see big items like fixtures and furniture. You can also shop Joanna’s jewelry collection and the classic Magnolia Farm T-shirts. It’s a pleasant place (candles everywhere, worship music, pretty artwork, & friendly people) add to the overall environment. It can be crowded depending on the time you hit it but it’s a well-oiled machine—just as I would have expected from the Gaines’ family.

Baylor University

My husband works in athletics and his grandfather is a proud graduate of Baylor University so it was a fun reason for us to check out the campus located right downtown. The Brazos River runs through town and campus. Tons of people were out kayaking, paddling, and enjoying the spring sunshine. Baylor recently built a new football stadium and walking bridge that’s pretty picturesque. It was a nice little pit stop.

Cameron Park Wildflowers—2601 Sturgis Road

April is Bluebonnet season and Texas is known for its wildflowers in spring. Cameron Park was the perfect place to breathe them in. Cameron Park is a beautiful 400-acre oasis in the middle of town. I’m sure people who need a little escape from life, find their happy place here. There are countless trails, cliffs, flowers, and river views. It’s a great place to picnic, bike, fish, hike, or relax. Another fun fact is that there’s an award-winning zoo at Cameron Park. It’s romantic and quiet. As simple as it sounds, hanging in the late sun with these brightly lit wildflowers was one of my favorite moments of our entire trip!

We parked next to Jacob’s Ladder and climbed the 100 zigzagging steps to the top.

We stumbled upon this patch of wildflowers just left of Anniversary Park

The Oasis at Lake Travis—6650 Comanche Trail, Texas Hill Country

We wrapped things up in Waco just in time to drive and catch the sunset at Lake Travis. The Oasis on Lake Travis is located about 15 miles NW of Austin in the heart of hill country. I had seen pictures of the restaurant but I had no idea how big it was in real life… nicknamed the sunset capitol of Texas, this place is truly a gem. I knew it was a casual Mexican joint with really pretty views but that’s about
it. We could hardly find a parking spot.

At first I kind of felt like I was at Disney World swamped by lots people who were also sunset chasers. I was shocked when I found that The Oasis seats up to 2500 people. Somehow we made it Cliffside just in time to catch the sun dip under the horizon. Hundreds of people stopped their conversations to watch this display, people cheered, and there was even a victory bell that rang out when the sun was no longer in sight. I loved how the sunsets there are a celebration!

It was truly beautiful and worth the wait—we somehow lucked out and didn’t have to wait an hour and a half to be seated like we were told when we first arrived (they don’t take reservations). The food was pretty good but the view was spectacular.  The chips + guac + margaritas were GREAT! This is one of those places where the sunset really does seem to last forever. The restaurant is built into the cliff and located about 450 feet above Lake Travis. The houses surrounding the lake are unbelievable. Cyprus trees and well-manicured lots add to the amazing view.  Lake Travis and exploring the wineries of the Texas Hill Country could be a vacation itself alone. Lake Travis has quite the reputation of being a luxurious lakeside resort town.