How to Have the Most Amazing Trip to Austin Texas

The Best Things to Do and Best Places to Eat Fantastic Vegan Food in Austin, Texas 

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This post is all about what to do in Austin, where to eat in Austin and where to stay in Austin, Texas.

We lived in Austin, Texas for 17 years prior to moving to Lisbon, Portugal in July 2021. We built amazing, life-long relationships in Austin and while living there, we loved exploring and seeing everything that Austin had to offer. Below is a full list of everything that we recommend in Austin. I could probably write a novel about what to do, see, stay and where to eat in Austin, but we will keep it to this post .. for now.

 

Intro to austin

Austin, Texas, is one of the most vibrant cities in the United States, and was a fun place to live for 17 years. Known as the “Live Music Capital of the World,” this capital city is the perfect place for music lovers, foodies, and adventure seekers. From the bustling energy of Sixth Street to the quirky charm of South Congress Avenue, Austin offers something for everyone. I highly recommend exploring iconic spots like the Texas State Capitol, enjoying free guided tours at the Bullock Texas State History Museum, and indulging in some of the best breakfast tacos at Torchy’s Tacos.

In the evenings, check out a blend of live music venues, beer gardens on Rainey Street, and dancing at the legendary Broken Spoke. For foodies, spots like Nori and Bistro Vonish prove that Austin’s reputation for amazing food is well-deserved. True story: it’s hard to leave this city without a deep appreciation for its music scene, vibrant culture, and, yes, the motto, “Keep Austin Weird.”

For outdoor enthusiasts, Austin doesn’t disappoint. A visit to Zilker Park offers everything from picnic tables and green spaces to Zilker Park Boat Rentals for exploring the serene waters of Lady Bird Lake. The Congress Avenue Bridge is a must-see, where Mexican free-tailed bats put on a spectacular show at sunset. Day trips to the Texas Hill Country and Lake Travis reveal breathtaking views, state parks perfect for rock climbing, and even opportunities for lakefront happy hours.

For those staying in town, a stroll along the bike trail by the Colorado River provides an up-close look at Austin’s natural beauty. Whether you’re admiring historical artifacts at the Mexic-Arte Museum, enjoying beer at a local brewery, or relaxing at iconic spots like the Driskill Hotel, Austin is one of my favorite cities for good reason. My only advice? Don’t forget your cowboy boots—you’ll fit right in at the White Horse!

 

Have you been to Austin? What’s your favorite thing to do there?

We are a vegan family of 4 and let’s face it, we love to eat! So, the first part of the list is our favorite eating spots and then our favorite places to explore.

where to stay in austin

Check out this amazing list of places to stay in Austin: HOTELS AND APARTMENTS IN AUSTIN

Vegan eats: 

Bistro Vonish – whatever you order is going to be fantastic! Craig is truly a gem and makes the best elevated vegan food around!

Nom Burgers – delicious vegan burgers. All of the burgers are exceptional!  

Mr. Natural – this is a delicious long-time ATX Tex-Mex restaurant! Our favorites are the potato flautas and any of the tacos. They also have delicious tamales that you can take to go. And don’t get me started on the bakery – more info below!

Rebel Cheese – OMG! The sandwiches are truly mind-blowing and the vegan cheeses are fantastic. My favorites are the Bacon, Brie and Me and Kind Caprese. If you go during brunch, you have to try the Flake and Bake or the Sir Loxalot.

more amazing vegan spots:

Bombay Express – when you want good, authentic, vegan Indian food, this place won’t disappoint. Their dosas are HUGE and so delicious. We typically get the daily menu and a dosa on the side to share.

Taste of Ethiopia – we like to go here for the lunch buffet as it’s almost all vegan and the offerings are amazing. I make most of the dishes at home now since we have moved to Lisbon and don’t have Ethiopian food nearby. I miss this place!

Wheatsville – this is Austin’s beloved Co-op grocery store. I had to add it to the list because their deli offerings and $5 Thursday meals are definitely worth mentioning. I love the veggie delite sandwich with the cilantro lime dressing on it instead of the Veganaise! My kids love the vegan sushi sampler and we all love the walnut pecan pesto. Oh, and let’s not forget about the scrumptious vegan donuts! We can’t stop here without taking home some vegan donuts! 

healthiest choice on this list:

Casa de Luz – oh Casa de Luz .. I miss you so so much! This was one of the first vegan restaurants we visited after moving to Austin in 2004. The courtyard has changed over the years, but the food and ambience have remained the same – zen-like and phenomenal. And you won’t get decision paralysis deciding what to eat because they have daily meals. My favorite is Guatemalan night for the amazing tacos and all the sides. The quote upon leaving the restaurant says “let thy food be thy medicine” which helps explain why you feel so good and healthy after eating the food there. And, the courtyard area is magical with native plants, sitting and meditation areas along with the sound bath from the floating wind chimes. It will transcend you!

Bouldin Creek Cafe – this is one of the first vegetarian restaurants we went to after moving to Austin in 2004. We love the vibe and the food is impressive. My favorite is the Wanna BLTA and Tarzen’s Big Salad. Yum – I salivate just thinking of the flavors! And the owner, Leslie is inspiring and so helpful to the Austin community!

best vegan junk food:

Revolution Vegan Kitchen – this is another favorite junk food spot. I love the tacos and my family loves the burgers here, especially the side of curly fries. The location is a bit far from downtown Austin, but it’s a fun location where you can experience some of South Austin’s vibe.

Nissi’s VegMex – this food is authentic Tex Mex and delicious! I’ve only been one time, but many of my ATX friends go frequently and rave about the food. If you’re in the area (East 11th), then definitely check it out!

best high end vegan food

Nori – Japanese Fine Dining with sushi and main courses such as ramen and katsu curry. I highly recommend it for a date night!

Vegan Desserts: 

Zucchini Kill Bakery – Cece, Jessica and crew make the most delicious gluten-free vegan treats! They are a local feminist musician owned bakery who inspires everyone to be their authentic selves. And you should see their adorable hearse to deliver their treats!

Pie Jacked – they make the best vegan, gluten-free pies around! We especially enjoy the mini pies because they’re the perfect size for one person and who can say no to adorable tiny pies?! If you make the trip to Round Rock to eat at Nancy’s Sky Garden, you must get some treats at Pie Jacked afterwards!

Lovejoy Bakery – this awesome bakery often pops up at The Wandering Vegan Market and you can custom-order delicious and beautiful vegan cakes directly through Rhonda. She makes absolutely mouth-watering cakes and other treats! I highly recommend you order your next birthday cake here!

Mr. Natural – Jesus is the mastermind behind the bakery! The treats are so delicious and I salivate just thinking about the most flavorful, moist tres leches cake around! I lived in Mexico for 2.5 years and I can confirm that this bakery has truly authentic Mexican treats, made vegan, of course.

Juiceland – their smoothies and juices will make you feel healthy and vibrant! Our favorite is definitely the Wundershozen. And, luckily for you, they have many shops all around Austin, including the airport, so it’s easy to get their treats.

vegan shops:

The Wandering Vegan Market – the best pop up market in Austin! I may be a bit biased as I’m the Co-Founder along with Terra Biddleman, but the market is fantastic and full of the best local artisans and food and drink makers!

what to do in austin: 

Mount Bonnell – one of the best views in Austin! Try to go during the week as the weekend can get super busy. Park towards the west end so you can walk up with a lovely lake view to your right rather than taking the torturous staircase. You can see how the ultra-wealthy of Austin live.

Mayfield Park – this is a short drive from Mt. Bonnell and it’s a perfect side trip since the park is relatively small. There are many colorful peacocks roaming the grounds. It’s especially fun when they do their squawking and the males show off their impressive greenish feathers that comprise beautiful, elongated tail trains. If you have kids, they will love it here!

Laguna Gloria – I love this park! It’s a fun place to meander through the trees and alongside the lake. This is also a small park so it makes a great spot to stop while exploring next door’s Mayfield Park and up the hill’s Mt. Bonnell. Many Austinites have their weddings at this gorgeous, idyllic location. Once you step past the stairs by the museum looking towards the lake, you’ll see why this is such a spectacular park.

 

the most iconic thing you can do in austin:

Lady Bird Lake – what used to be known as “Town Lake” has been greatly cleaned up in recent years and is a gem. We typically park our car at Mathias Shores across from the Long Center for free 2 hour parking and then walk a loop around the lake. The entire trail is 10 miles long, but we typically walk a shorter route from where we park the car past Zilker Park to the bridge under Mopac and then loop around and take either Pfluger Bridge or 1st St. Bridge to get back to the car. It’s such a lovely walk and the people watching is fantastic!

Butler Park – this park is relatively new and if you go to the top of the hill and look towards downtown, you’ll be delighted with a gorgeous view of the city.

SUP – there are several locations on Lady Bird Lake to rent Stand Up Paddleboards and kayaks. It’s a fun activity and keep in mind that you can usually find great discounts on Groupon.

 

where are the local austinites hang out:

Zilker Park – this is the heart and soul of Austin. It’s an iconic park just southwest of downtown. This is also where all of the large events are held, such as ACL Fest. When our kids were younger, we spent many hours at the kids park or on the great lawn throwing frisbees. It’s a huge park with awesome views of downtown Austin. If you have kids, it’s also fun to take the Zilker train aka Eagle around the park.

 

Barton Springs Pool – another jewel of Austin! Natural springs that maintain a yearly temperature of 68 degrees F and tend to get quite busy during the summer when Austinites are trying to escape the sweltering heat. This is a great place to visit any time of the year! It’s always fun to swim with the ducks and other aquatic creatures lingering under the surface.

Zilker Botanical Garden – this garden is absolutely worth the small entrance fee. It’s peaceful, tranquil and so fun to explore. Our kids especially loved going when the Fairie trail was happening. This garden offers marvelous views, lovely wooden, forested trails, rose gardens, ponds, Japanese-inspired gardens, dinosaur replicas, and edible gardens. For our family, it’s a must-visit!

Central Library – this library is incredible! When the doors opened several years ago, we were in awe of how beautiful a library could be. The building is gorgeous and has some fantastic spots to grab a chair, grab a book, and relax or check out the views from the rooftop garden area. The children’s section is awesome and definitely inspires your kids to read and enjoy going to libraries!

Waterloo Park – this park has been extended and beautified since we moved away from Austin. From what I can tell from photos, it looks beautiful and worth the short amount of time to visit it. It’s also really close to the Capitol Building!

 

top tourist thing to do in austin:

Capitol Building – hot tip: park in the Capitol Visitor Center for free 2-hour parking and cheap parking after 2 hours. Texas loves to be the biggest and best, and the Capitol building definitely makes you realize that this is true. The Capitol Building is actually bigger than the White House! Both our kids had field trips here in 4th grade so we know the building quite well. It’s fun to explore the entire building to see what happens here and you can take epic photos in the rotunda.

Congress Avenue – a walk from the capitol building to South Congress is a fun way to see downtown and see how the street changes once you are on South Congress. If you don’t feel up for the walk, you could walk around Congress and then drive your car to S. Congress, park and explore that area. South Congress was the first area considered “weird” and unique. It’s full of local shops, eateries and fun street art.

East 5-6th street – the most famous 6th street is actually the area from Congress to IH-35, but I’m not a huge fan of that section. It’s kinda dirty and reminds me of Bourbon St in New Orleans. The up and coming area is definitely East 5th-6th Streets where you can find many local restaurants, food trucks, bars and breweries. That’s a fun area to walk around and people watch! THIS E-BIKE TOUR WOULD BE AWESOME!

Go to an Austin FC game! We were fortunate to go to a game before our big move in their inaugural season. We had so much fun – the atmosphere is electric!

Riverplace Nature Trail – this is our favorite hiking trail in Austin! It truly feels like you are in nature and out of the city. It’s a vigorous, mostly uphill hiking trail following a creek in the hills off of 2222. Even the drive to this spot is gorgeous, especially in the Fall.

gorgeous drive in austin, texas:

Drive along 360 – this is the beginning of Hill Country from Austin. If you don’t want to do the drive, this TOUR would be amazing! The limestone walls are stunning and the views along the way are spectacular. Once you get past Spicewood Springs driving South, you could stop for a short hike at Bull Creek. It’s a very Austin way to spend the day and it’s fun to see the limestone ridges and waterfalls. After that, continue South and stop at the parking strip right before you get to Pennybacker Bridge.

There’s a short trail leading up the limestone hill with amazing views of the bridge! This is the best place for a photo of Pennybacker Bridge and the lake. Once you are done with the photo op, if you still have energy for more walking, you could go to Barton Creek Trail, Twin Falls or Sculpture Falls. All of these trails are amazing! We would typically go to Barton Creek Trailhead near Mopac and 360 and the Violet Crown Trail, but all of the trails are beautiful!

Esther’s Follies – if you have time to go to a comedy show, we highly, highly recommend Esther’s Follies. You will be laughing so hard that your cheeks will hurt and your abs will feel like you did a full workout. The performers are absolutely hilarious!

illuminating things to do in austin:

Walk along 2nd street at night – the street lights and local shops/eateries give this area a lovely ambience that’s worth checking out if you’re in the area! 

Check out the street art downtown – there are some spectacular murals in the downtown area. 

support local artists:

Go to La Peña Gallery and Mexic-Arte – these are 2 lovely Latinx galleries. The owners of La Peña care so much about uplifting the local Latinx artist community and providing an awesome space for emerging artists, established Latinx artists, and local elementary school students to show off their work and be inspired by each other.

The Blanton – this is a lovely gallery and fun space to explore. Ellsworth Kelly’s Austin is our favorite place to take photos with the rainbow glass stained windows imparting gorgeous colors on the walls and ground.

 

feel like a college student again:

Explore the UT campus – I love exploring Universities! It always reminds me of my time at the University of Oregon and that feeling of wonder, excitement, and pure joy of what the future will hold. The UT campus is huge and has some lovely buildings and outdoor spaces to check out. The most iconic building is the University of Texas Tower, where you can go on daily tours to have a nice view of UT and the surrounding areas. 

See the holiday light display at Mozart’s – this lakeside location is charming anytime of the year, but during the holidays, they put on quite an impressive light show! It’s our favorite place to see holiday lights while enjoying some pastries and vegan hot chocolate.

 

support hyper local artists:

Go to open studio night at Canopy – the artists at Canopy are awesome and provide a serious local perspective of Austin. I highly suggest a visit to open studio night, which happens every 5 weeks. You can see some amazing art and talk to the local artists! Fernando used to share a studio here.

Have a drink at Eastcider’s – after Canopy, you can cross the street and go to Eastciders for a locally made Cider or drink. If you brought your workout clothes, you could go next door and do some bouldering at Austin Bouldering Project. It is definitely an exhilarating activity!

unique experiences in East Austin:

Take a class at Sky Candy – if you still have energy, you can drive East on Springdale just past Airport Blvd and take an intro class at Sky Candy. You can try out aerial dancing via lyra, ring, trapeze or silks. Our daughter used to take the circus arts class and had a blast!

See a movie at Alamo Drafthouse – this is my favorite cinema of all time! You can enjoy a movie in a comfy chair while enjoying food and drinks. You must order the cauliflower wings with vegan ranch! OMG – so yummy! Afterwards, you can walk around Mueller, go to Mueller Park and see the old airport hangar. We love this area!

Check out the street art near S. 1st St. You can’t leave Austin without the iconic Greetings from Austin postcard mural photo! Afterwards, go to Bouldin Creek Cafe and walk around the neighborhood.

Best Time to Visit Austin

The best time to visit Austin largely depends on what you’re looking to experience, but early spring (March to May) and early fall (September to November) are considered the ideal times. During these seasons, the weather is comfortable, events are plentiful, and the city’s vibrant outdoor and music scenes are in full swing.

Spring (March to May)

Spring is one of the most popular times to visit Austin, as temperatures range from the mid-60s to low 80s Fahrenheit (18-28°C). Wildflowers like bluebonnets blanket the Texas Hill Country, making it a great time for scenic drives and picnics. Events like South by Southwest (SXSW) in March and the annual Rodeo Austin offer plenty of excitement. Outdoor activities, such as paddleboarding on Lady Bird Lake or hiking in local state parks, are particularly enjoyable in the mild weather.

Fall (September to November)

Fall is another excellent time to experience Austin. The heat of summer fades, with temperatures hovering between the 70s and 80s Fahrenheit (21-29°C), making it perfect for outdoor adventures like biking along the Colorado River or catching the sunset at Mount Bonnell. Fall also brings major events like the Austin City Limits Music Festival (ACL) in Zilker Park and college football season, adding to the city’s electric atmosphere.

Other Times to Visit

• Summer (June to August): While summer can be scorching, with highs often reaching the mid-90s (35°C+), it’s a great time for water activities at Lake Travis or Barton Springs Pool. Plus, many venues offer shaded beer gardens and cool happy hour spots.
• Winter (December to February): Winters in Austin are mild, with average highs in the 60s (15-20°C). It’s a quieter time, perfect for exploring museums like the Bullock Texas State History Museum or enjoying the city’s food scene without the crowds.

 

where to stay in austin

1. Hotel Van Zandt (a hip area of town, close to everything)
2. Fairmont Austin (amazing location downtown and luxury hotel)
3. Travis Heights Modern (I love this area of Austin – you’ll feel like a local)
4. Austin Motel (SoCo location and super hip area)
5. The Otis Hotel (a truly gorgeous, unique hotel)
6. East Austin Hotel (budget-friendly in an up and coming location)
7. South Congress Hotel (lovely hotel in a great location)

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fun paid experiences in austin

1. Austin Sunset Boat Cruise on Lady Bird Lake – this would be an epic experience!
2. 2 hour Bike Tour of Austin – best way to see the city!
3. Kayak Rental – this is one of my favorite things to do in Austin in the Spring
4. Austin Ghost Tour – explore downtown Austin’s most haunted places
5. Austin Morning Walking Tour – see the best of downtown ATX with a guide

 

 

So, that’s our list of our favorite places to eat, stay and places to go in Austin, Texas! What are your favorites?

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THE 5 ITEMS WE WERE SO HAPPY TO HAVE FOR ALL OF OUR TRIPS:

1. Merrell women’s light hiking shoes – these are amazing because they are lightweight, but are extra grippy and helpful! I also have this pair that I always get compliments on: Merrell Rainbow shoes. Fernando loves his Asics trail runners which are also grippy and perfect for walking on cobblestone streets.
2. Thermoflask water bottle – like a Hydroflask, but more affordable! We don’t go anywhere without these water bottles full of purified water.
3. North Face Aphrodite 2.0 capris – Seriously, I wear these pants every.single.day! I couldn’t live without these ultra-comfy, lightweight pants that dry so quickly. They are 100% worth the money!
4. Osprey Day Pack – this is an awesome lightweight backpack! We easily put the belongings we need at hand for traveling around the city and on public transportation.
5. Travel-friendly chewable toothpaste tablets – these are so fantastic for keeping your teeth clean on the go!

OUR FAVORITE EUROPEAN SERVICES:

1. DISCOVER CARS – If you want to rent a car while you’re in Austin, our favorite car rental aggregator is Discover Cars. We frequently rent cars and they always have the best prices and great quality vehicles.
2. NORD VPN – perfect to use your technology in other countries!
3. Airalo E-Sim – this let’s you use your phone anywhere in the world without having to get a physical sim! We use this all the time when we travel outside Europe!
4. Big Bus Tours – the perfect way to see the city when you first arrive!
5. Get Transfer – transfers between all of the airports and cities