I would be hard-pressed to think of a city that I adore more than Austin, Texas. Being from Houston it is easily accessible for short weekend trips, which I take there as often as possible. If you have never visited allow me to introduce you to the capital of Texas and you will see what the adoration is all about:

The grounds of the Texas State Capitol are beautiful, but make sure to take a trip inside as the views there are equally stunning. 

The music scene is huge in Austin on any given night. However, for a true music lover’s trip be sure to visit during the annual Austin City Limits Music Festival. The festival is two consecutive weekends every year as summer turns into fall and features acts from all genres. 

Zilker Park, which is also home to the Austin City Limits Music Festival, offers an array of exercise options so fun that you won’t even realize you are working out. Summertime is perfect for a dip in Barton Springs Pool. Kayaks, canoes and paddle boats are available for hourly rental. There are also running trails and makeshift volleyball games all throughout the park. At the outer edge of the park be sure to check out the Congress Avenue Bridge where at dusk the resident bats emerge to find their nightly nourishment. It may sound silly, but these bats are a BIG deal in Austin with hundreds of people watching their emergence during the height of tourist season. 

No doubt you have heard the saying “Everything is bigger in Texas”. Well that can certainly be said for our appetites and it is no wonder why with the options provided here. Pictured above are Home Slice, Walton’s Fancy & Staple , Hey Cupcake!, The Salt Lick BBQ and Torchy’s Tacos.

 Home Slice has some of the best pizza south of New York City. Just be sure to get there early. The lines get very long at both their dine in restaurant and to go window.

Walton’s Fancy & Staple is owned by the silver screen sweetheart Sandra Bullock. It is exactly what you may expect from her. It is beautifully decorated, though not overdone. The people who work there are friendly and the deli and baked good offerings are awesome.

If too much shopping has you needing to refill your calories head to Hey Cupcake! The shop is ran out of an Airstream trailer with a cupcake on top. You don’t get sweeter than that! 

The Salt Lick BBQ is true Texas cooking! There are several locations across town, but I can personally vouch for the Driftwood location. The turkey was very tasty and no one in our party left without feeling completely gluttonous. 

Looking for a casual dine in experience with tacos so good that the company has expanded from a food truck to over 30 locations… look no further than Torchy’s Tacos. You can’t go wrong with any of their tacos, but my personal favorite are the fried avocado tacos.   

On  South Congress Avenue shops fill both sides of the street.  It is a very popular destination not only for the stores, Maya Star being my can’t miss shop there, but the murals as well. In fact walking up and down the street getting photos of all the different murals is a pastime for many weekend tourists. 

So if you have yet to visit Austin are you starting to see why you should?  And if you are like me and you have been many times this post may have you rushing back to experience the city once again. Grab your friends and have a blast!