Austin Airport to Pflugerville (Dallas, Spring: rentals, neighborhoods, school)

[ctribucher]

Hi everyone,

I've just reconnected with an old friend from college who lives in Pflugerville.

I would love to see her again and she graciously invited my DH and I to come visit her in TX.

We are very much in the preliminary travel planning stages, but I do have a couple of questions:

1. How far is Pflugerville from the Austin airport?

2. What are the "can't miss" sites that we should definitely take in while we are visiting? We will probably stay 4-5 days, and my friend will be working during that time. What should we do to entertain ourselves?

I've never been to TX (unless you count a brief layover in the Dallas airport) so I'm very excited about this potential trip.

TIA for your help.

[TexasGirl@Heart]

AUS is about 1/2 hour from Pflugerville, unless you run into traffic which is highly likely.

Are you looking for things to do in Pflugerville or in Austin? What is your age range, what do you like to do in your free time, etc....?

[BentBow]

The airport is about 30 minutes away on a Saturday morning. 8 am or 5 pm your looking at an hour and 30 minutes.

You have to take in 6th Street at least one night to say you did it.
The Capital building is a cool look at Texas history.
Lake Travis for a swimming outing, with a stop at the Oasis for a sunset dinner.
Mount Bonnell, for the view.
Zilker Park, and Barton Springs for a dip in the cool waters.
Other then that, there is live music everywhere.

[ctribucher]

Thanks!

DH and I are in our mid 30s, my friend is a bit older. We like to do a lot of different things - go hiking in a local park, watch college football in the fall, take in museums, window shop in any fun downtown areas, walk through historic neighborhoods... we're open to everything!

I have no idea what Pflugerville is like. Is it a suburb of Austin?

Originally Posted by TexasGirl@Heart

AUS is about 1/2 hour from Pflugerville, unless you run into traffic which is highly likely.

Are you looking for things to do in Pflugerville or in Austin? What is your age range, what do you like to do in your free time, etc....?

[ctribucher]

Sounds like we should factor in time for traffic.

What is 6th Street?

I like your other suggestions, thank you!

Originally Posted by BentBow

The airport is about 30 minutes away on a Saturday morning. 8 am or 5 pm your looking at an hour and 30 minutes.

You have to take in 6th Street at least one night to say you did it.
The Capital building is a cool look at Texas history.
Lake Travis for a swimming outing, with a stop at the Oasis for a sunset dinner.
Mount Bonnell, for the view.
Zilker Park, and Barton Springs for a dip in the cool waters.
Other then that, there is live music everywhere.

[TexasGirl@Heart]

Sixth Street is a street in downtown Austin that is most often over run with college kids. It's a collection of bars and restaurants.

For funky window shopping...going to SoCo area. South Congress, across the river and there are all sorts of funky shops to satisfy your shopping needs. Also, call the bat hotline...512-416-5700...and check when the bats will be flying out from under Congress Ave bridge. They fly out nightly....it's like huge black ribbons in the sky...quite a spectacle to see. The largest population of Mexican free-tailed bats live under the bridge.

[atxcio]

Originally Posted by BentBow

The airport is about 30 minutes away on a Saturday morning. 8 am or 5 pm your looking at an hour and 30 minutes.

You have to take in 6th Street at least one night to say you did it.
The Capital building is a cool look at Texas history.
Lake Travis for a swimming outing, with a stop at the Oasis for a sunset dinner.
Mount Bonnell, for the view.
Zilker Park, and Barton Springs for a dip in the cool waters.
Other then that, there is live music everywhere.

Great list, I'd add --
* From Zilker park, or one of the other spots on the Ladybird Lake trail, rent a tandem kayak (or 2 singles) and paddle around the lake (no motors allowed, so it's really mellow)

* Maybe rent a mountain bike and hit the Barton Creek Greenbelt (entrance off Zilker park also): Bicycle Sport Shop - Bike sales, service and rentals. Austin, Texas

* Hit South Congress and waste away part of the day with the hipsters and slackers in the coffee shops like Jo's

* Warehouse district and WEST 6th street in downtown (stop by Whole Foods flagship store)... music, food, and less crazy than East 6th.

Other suggestions would be based on when you are coming. Like college football? If you are here during the season, catch a Longhorn game... even if you can't get a ticket, come for the tailgates -- they are incredible. You can watch the game from there! There are various festivals which also would be worth attending, depending on when you are here.

And yes, Pflugerville is a suburb of Austin. Most of what you'll want to do to experience Austin will be around downtown and just south of it. Hill Country is to the west -- you should at least drive out there to see some of the scenery.

[ctribucher]

These are really great suggestions, thanks!

How hard is it to get tickets to a Longhorns game? I bet that would be really fun - occasionally we catch their games on TV and it looks like a blast.

My husband would love the mountain biking and the kayaking as well.

Originally Posted by atxcio

Great list, I'd add --
* From Zilker park, or one of the other spots on the Ladybird Lake trail, rent a tandem kayak (or 2 singles) and paddle around the lake (no motors allowed, so it's really mellow)

* Maybe rent a mountain bike and hit the Barton Creek Greenbelt (entrance off Zilker park also): Bicycle Sport Shop - Bike sales, service and rentals. Austin, Texas

* Hit South Congress and waste away part of the day with the hipsters and slackers in the coffee shops like Jo's

* Warehouse district and WEST 6th street in downtown (stop by Whole Foods flagship store)... music, food, and less crazy than East 6th.

Other suggestions would be based on when you are coming. Like college football? If you are here during the season, catch a Longhorn game... even if you can't get a ticket, come for the tailgates -- they are incredible. You can watch the game from there! There are various festivals which also would be worth attending, depending on when you are here.

And yes, Pflugerville is a suburb of Austin. Most of what you'll want to do to experience Austin will be around downtown and just south of it. Hill Country is to the west -- you should at least drive out there to see some of the scenery.

[atxcio]

Originally Posted by ctribucher

These are really great suggestions, thanks!

How hard is it to get tickets to a Longhorns game? I bet that would be really fun - occasionally we catch their games on TV and it looks like a blast.

My husband would love the mountain biking and the kayaking as well.

It depends on who UT is playing. The games tend to all be sellouts, but second hand tickets are easy to come by for the lesser opponents.

A schedule is located here: MackBrown-TexasFootball.com

Games like LA-Monroe, UTEP, Kansas, Central Florida and even Colorado should be fairly easy to get tickets.

If your husband wants some more challenging kayaking, the San Marcos and Guadalupe river are easy day trips (about 40 miles). Tubing down those rivers is also a favorite past time around here. Kayaking on Ladybird Lake in downtown is more of a relaxing, laid-back, easy ride. Nice views of the skyline and parks.
http://www.rowingdock.com/
http://www.texasrowingcenter.com/
http://www.zilkerboats.com/ (don't rent the canoes, the kayaks are much easier and more stable)

[ctribucher]

That makes sense - though we don't have any preference on who we would see UT play. I went to a large Big East school, and DH went to a small Big South school. We would root for UT of course, but have no real "vested interest" in the outcome.

Though we have the National Whitewater Center here in Charlotte, I haven't been brave enough to try it out. I think we'd stick to a more gentle ride while I build up my courage... Ladybird Lake sounds like just my speed.

Thanks again for the suggestions.

Originally Posted by atxcio

It depends on who UT is playing. The games tend to all be sellouts, but second hand tickets are easy to come by for the lesser opponents.

A schedule is located here: MackBrown-TexasFootball.com

Games like LA-Monroe, UTEP, Kansas, Central Florida and even Colorado should be fairly easy to get tickets.

If your husband wants some more challenging kayaking, the San Marcos and Guadalupe river are easy day trips (about 40 miles). Tubing down those rivers is also a favorite past time around here. Kayaking on Ladybird Lake in downtown is more of a relaxing, laid-back, easy ride. Nice views of the skyline and parks.
Rowing Dock on Town Lake in Austin Texas | Rowing Memberships & Lessons | Kayak & Paddle Boat Rentals
Texas Rowing Center in Austin, TX
Zilker Park Boat Rentals (don't rent the canoes, the kayaks are much easier and more stable)