Visiting Austin. What are some of the must do's in Austin? - Texas (TX) - Page 4 - City-Data Forum

kayoticworld · 06-20-2013, 01:47 PM

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, I just wanted to say thanks for all the suggestions you guys left. We had an awesome time in Austin. Just thought I'd leave a quick breakdown on the things we wound up doing. I know we probably hadn't scratched the surface but given our time constraints this is what we did.

Day 1 we did drive out to Gruene to eat at the Gristmill. My whole family enjoyed the scenery and atmosphere. The food was great. I just wish we had spent more time exploring the town and different shops, but the town itself is gorgeous. We have a town somewhat similar to it in Georgia named Helen that we love.

Back to San Marcos Outlets. My thoughts on this place..............it was ok. I found it interesting that it is the no 2 tourist attraction in the whole state (behind the Alamo). There were a couple of deals and I think the women really enjoyed it. I will say that I was quite surprised at the fact we were only there about 4hrs. These women know what they are looking for! What I don't quite understand is how in the world can duplicate stores exist right across from each other? I mean, I get that the outlets are owned by different companies......I just don’t get how its financially feasible or practical for them to coexist with each other side by side.

Day 2 We drove to Mount Bonnell. Absolutely gorgeous! All I can say is wow. The view of the city skyline is phenomenon. We drove around the neighborhood afterwards looking at beautiful and often unique homes. We then drove to the state Capital building. We joined one of the tours and learned a lot about the building itself and Texas state politics and history. I got a bunch of great shots there also. We left the Capital and drove out to the Salt Lick. I now understand why this place was recommended. Thanks to a tip from someone on this forum, we stopped by a convenience store and picked up a six pack (only the wife and I drink beer) and had a blast. The BBQ was good. The atmosphere is what I took away most from our experience. We then drove up to Round Rock (Since one of the personnel at the place we were saying told my mom she liked the outlets at Round Rock better). I have to admit it seem like they did have better deals than San Marcos. Ex the Coach store in San Marcos didn't seem to have much of a sale going on. The one in Round Rock, well let’s just say the ladies had a field day. I even found that the Kenneth Cole and Perry Ellis had better deals too. We drove back to around the area we were staying and had Amy's Ice cream for the first time.

Day 3 Headed to the Cathedral of Junk. Got there around 10:30am but the guy who owns the place wasn't there. We decided to head to the Whole Foods flagship store and come back later. My wife had that look in her eyes the sec we stepped in the Whole Foods. I won't bore you with the details, I'll just say she had a good time. We made our way back to the Cathedral of junk. I guess the phrase "If you build it, they'll come" really holds true. Although there was no one there but us at the time, speaking with the artist( or junkman, depends on your perspective) he stated he gets over 10,000 visitors a year. It was really cool and he had things there that I hadn't seen in decades. We drove to Barton Springs pool only to find out the place was closed. Apparently closed on Thursdays for pool maintenance, but we also saw news crews and vans there that had us concerned. I later on that night found out (watching the news) that some college kid had drowned there the night before. We made the best of it and headed over to the creek area on the other side of the pool's spillway.
We later are at Fonda San Miguel. Awesome experience all the way around! We all capped the night off by heading to South Congress Ave for First Thursdays and to watch the bats fly from under the Congress Av bridge. Austin in beautiful lit up at night.....got some more great shots.

Thanks Austin!

CptnRn · 06-20-2013, 04:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kayoticworld

Sorry to resurrect an old thread, I just wanted to say thanks for all the suggestions you guys left. We had an awesome time in Austin. Just thought I'd leave a quick breakdown on the things we wound up doing. I know we probably hadn't scratched the surface but given our time constraints this is what we did.

Day 1 we did drive out to Gruene to eat at the Gristmill. My whole family enjoyed the scenery and atmosphere. The food was great. I just wish we had spent more time exploring the town and different shops, but the town itself is gorgeous. We have a town somewhat similar to it in Georgia named Helen that we love.

Back to San Marcos Outlets. My thoughts on this place..............it was ok. I found it interesting that it is the no 2 tourist attraction in the whole state (behind the Alamo). There were a couple of deals and I think the women really enjoyed it. I will say that I was quite surprised at the fact we were only there about 4hrs. These women know what they are looking for! What I don't quite understand is how in the world can duplicate stores exist right across from each other? I mean, I get that the outlets are owned by different companies......I just don’t get how its financially feasible or practical for them to coexist with each other side by side.

Day 2 We drove to Mount Bonnell. Absolutely gorgeous! All I can say is wow. The view of the city skyline is phenomenon. We drove around the neighborhood afterwards looking at beautiful and often unique homes. We then drove to the state Capital building. We joined one of the tours and learned a lot about the building itself and Texas state politics and history. I got a bunch of great shots there also. We left the Capital and drove out to the Salt Lick. I now understand why this place was recommended. Thanks to a tip from someone on this forum, we stopped by a convenience store and picked up a six pack (only the wife and I drink beer) and had a blast. The BBQ was good. The atmosphere is what I took away most from our experience. We then drove up to Round Rock (Since one of the personnel at the place we were saying told my mom she liked the outlets at Round Rock better). I have to admit it seem like they did have better deals than San Marcos. Ex the Coach store in San Marcos didn't seem to have much of a sale going on. The one in Round Rock, well let’s just say the ladies had a field day. I even found that the Kenneth Cole and Perry Ellis had better deals too. We drove back to around the area we were staying and had Amy's Ice cream for the first time.

Day 3 Headed to the Cathedral of Junk. Got there around 10:30am but the guy who owns the place wasn't there. We decided to head to the Whole Foods flagship store and come back later. My wife had that look in her eyes the sec we stepped in the Whole Foods. I won't bore you with the details, I'll just say she had a good time. We made our way back to the Cathedral of junk. I guess the phrase "If you build it, they'll come" really holds true. Although there was no one there but us at the time, speaking with the artist( or junkman, depends on your perspective) he stated he gets over 10,000 visitors a year. It was really cool and he had things there that I hadn't seen in decades. We drove to Barton Springs pool only to find out the place was closed. Apparently closed on Thursdays for pool maintenance, but we also saw news crews and vans there that had us concerned. I later on that night found out (watching the news) that some college kid had drowned there the night before. We made the best of it and headed over to the creek area on the other side of the pool's spillway.
We later are at Fonda San Miguel. Awesome experience all the way around! We all capped the night off by heading to South Congress Ave for First Thursdays and to watch the bats fly from under the Congress Av bridge. Austin in beautiful lit up at night.....got some more great shots.

Thanks Austin!

It is great to hear back from someone after they visit. I'm glad you enjoyed the sights.

Phisch · 06-21-2013, 06:41 PM

I think you guys had a great itinerary!

Pinkribbonaustin · 06-21-2013, 10:43 PM

It's 99 here now and to cool off on one of your days I recommend the Bob Bullock History Musuem especially for your daughter and your parents. Nice order at the counter cafe on 2nd floor and awesome gift shop in lobby. No fee to visit those two.

Just found this awesome photographers website this week and it's fun to look at. That graffiti wall is a few blocks from Whole Foods on Lamar which has been mentioned and an awesome place for all of you to eat. You can even take your trays of food and go up to the rooftop deck if you can take the heat. Otherwise dine inside.

Austin,TX and beyond everyday. Panorama365 by Scott David Gordon
2ND Street District | Austin, Texas The 2nd St. (at Congress) District is my favorite. Lots of shops, sidewalk cafes, etc. If you go, don't miss Toy Joy with your daughter!