This marks our first post about a US city! Home sweet home.

And what better way to celebrate Americana living than traveling to Texas, baby. Austin, TX to be exact. Austin holds such a special place in our hearts. This was my fifth (Luke’s fourth) time in ATX and I might grow more in love with this city each and every time we visit. Many of you may not know this, but we were so set on moving to Austin in 2016 that I went so far as to purchase concert tickets for Adele in anticipation of living there in six months… Still went to Adele (obvi) but ended up in Raleigh, NC instead. A decision that we forever celebrate!

So. What is so magical about Austin? Here are a few of our faves: breakfast tacos, food trucks, SoCo shopping, endless live music, Zilker Park, the bat bridge, the CUTEST Airbnbs, progressive peeps, and an overall good-times-vibe (is that a thing? no? who cares).

Greetings From Austin Mural on 1st Street — *Greetings From Austin* Mural on 1st Street

The purpose of this trip was to attend the Austin City Limits Music Festival for our third time. This is our favorite music festival (we’ve been around the fest block a few times) because the crowd is a bit older, the food is delicious, the music is so diverse, and we can enjoy the city before and after the event.

We are going to highlight a few of our favorite stops along South Congress and near Zilker Park. We rarely find ourselves in the heart of downtown anymore, but I have included some info at the bottom of this post with some tried and true stops to get a taste of the town. Our experiences at ACL are also embedded throughout, but please comment or message us if you want to know more!

Where to Stay in Austin

Our usual spot is the Austin Motel. It is under new management, which has upped the price a bit and modernized some of the booking processes, but it is still quirky and weird and a fun place to stay. There is a retro pool on-site, the iconic (and phallic) welcome sign, and endless food options in every direction. For this ACL, we went with an airbnb tucked away near S. Lamar, but future visits will always bring us back to the Austin Motel.

As for Airbnbs, they are plentiful and stunning. Our Airbnb was located in a quiet neighborhood to give ourselves a bit of an escape from the crowds. The Owl House was an adorable studio with thoughtful art and comfortable furniture. This was a great fit for us on this trip and would highly recommend.

View On Airbnb Owl House: Cozy Modern Studio: Walk Downtown, ACL

Where to Eat and Drink in Austin

You really can’t go wrong here… Almost any local restaurant you pop into will be delicious and that is mostly how we stumbled into most of our faves.

Jo’s Coffee: This is a bit of an obsession of mine. I can admit that! Of the five times I have been to Austin, I have probably visited their location on South Congress ten times? I can’t get enough of their breakfast tacos, pastries, and ICED TURBOS. What is an iced turbo? Only the greatest beverage of all time. A concoction of iced coffee, chocolate, hazelnut, and cream over crushed ice. In my new low-carb life, I now am preferential to the Belgian Bomber, the same beverage but less sweet. Win win! This is also a great location to people watch and is located just next door from the Austin Motel and is home to the famous “i love you so much” sign.

Güero's Taco Bar: We stumbled into this taco spot in 2012 and keep coming back. They have fresh hot chips, an always overflowing salsa bar, and a pretty extensive menu. We stopped here to fuel up before heading into Day 1 of ACL and we remained full all day! If you want to sit outside, they have misters during the peak of Texas heat, so don’t be shy.

Chi’Lantro BBQ: This Korean BBQ spot is available inside the festival and all over town. We stopped by their S. Lamar location for late-night eats after ACL and their rice bowls really hit the spot. They are most famous for Kimchi Fries, so be sure to get an order of those! All locations are cashless and that is my jam.

Carpenters Hall: Located in the gorgeous Carpenter Hotel, this restaurant bar served up one of the best late-night omelettes of my life. Truly. I do not know how they turned simple eggs into that fluffy masterpiece, but it was so perfect alongside some craft cocktails and Luke’s cacio e pepe noodles (also to die for). Stop in for a drink, or stay for a meal, you can’t go wrong here.

Magnolia Cafe: This 24/7 cafe serves up breakfast classics and Mexican faves at all hours of the day. We stopped into the South Congress location for brunch on our last day and were in awe of their efficiency. This is a popular place! And they know that. There is a shop next door, free coffee, and a mimosa stand in the garden to keep you entertained as you wait. We waited for about 45 minutes and both agreed it was worth it. The breakfast platters are cheap and HUGE. I had eggs smothered in their house queso over an english muffin and wanted to cry because it was so good. Come hungry and you won’t be disappointed.

Shady Grove: We made a last minute decision to pop into this beautiful courtyard restaurant on our walk back from ACL (alongside thousands of our closest friends…) and closed out our weekend in Austin in bliss. The outdoor tables are clustered around trees and lights are hanging everywhere. We grabbed some frozen margaritas while waiting for our table and relaxed in their spacious waiting area. We were too hungry to wait for an outdoor table, so we ended up inside and while a totally different vibe, I was into it. I spotted a fresh frozen watermelon margarita on the menu and can definitely tell you that you MUST order it. So freaking good. Their burgers were also fantastic and we were shocked to learn that our server was from MD and knew of our high school and hometown. It was a lovely full-circle moment.

Not from this current trip, but some other great stops:

Easy Tiger Bakeshop and Beer Garden: A great beer garden on 6th Street located by the creek with outdoor games and a lush atmosphere. The soft pretzels are delicious!

Amy’s Ice Creams: A must-visit dessert stop on South Congress. Their flavors are so unique and perfect for the many many hot days in Austin.

Home Slice Pizza: We are warning you - the slices are outrageously large. We once ordered three each and almost passed out after the second. This is a great window-service option for late night pizza though! 10/10 would recommend as drunk (or sober!) food.

Torchy’s Tacos: An Austin classic for cheap tacos with multiple locations around town.

Hopdoddy Burger Bar: We stumbled in here on South Congress one rainy afternoon a few years back, before the craze of Shake Shack, and mygod. Some of the best burgers ever. Luke still talks about the burger he ate there - and we are Shake Shack fanatics. I apologize to the Whataburger die-hards for not giving you an honorable mention. We failed you.

Things to Do in Austin (outside of ACL Festival)

Obviously this trip was all about the music. HELLO Lizzo and Kacey Musgraves. But we have made our way around town in the past and seen some things not associated with food, alcohol, or music. It may not be an extensive list… but we still have a list!

Tour the Capitol Building: As the capital of Texas, Austin has a really beautiful Capitol Building with a rotunda that I could stare at for days. Free to enter! Worth a browse.

Shop Along South Congress: As you may have figured out, my heart belongs to South Congress. When you aren’t eating here, be sure to shop here. The stores range from high-end boutiques to quaint antiques. Leave room in your suitcase for some souvenirs!

Visit the Bat Bridge: One of the most iconic experiences in Austin is to watch the thousands of bats take off from under the Congress Avenue Bridge. They are at their largest population from March to early fall and take off around sunset. Arrive early to get a good spot! The bridge fills up quickly with lots of people looking to catch the bats. The view of the river is pretty stunning!

Hit Up the Barton Springs Pool: Headed here in the hot months? Bring your bathing suit and take a dip in the Barton Springs Pool near Zilker! The pool is 3-acres large and open year-round.

Scoot or Bike Around Town: Electric scooters and bikes have taken over Austin. If you are up for the adventure, rent one and explore the city! You will cover a lot more ground and delay the inevitable sweat that everyone is covered with while enjoying the outdoors.

There are so many other things that I hope to accomplish in Austin, like climb Mt. Bonnell or paddleboard at Lady Bird Lake. I will be sure to update you when we get the chance :)

Final Notes on Austin City Limits

Before we close out this list of our faves in Austin, I will share a smidge more about visiting the city for ACL. ACL Festival is always the first two weekends in October and if you want to explore the city without crowds, avoid visiting during this time. The hotels and Airbnbs sell out pretty quickly once the lineup is announced, so think ahead if you are planning a trip for ACL! We love that this festival is centered in a city and the views from Zilker Park are gorgeous. The lineup always includes rising stars and a few legacy acts - this year they booked The Cure and Guns & Roses to fulfill that niche. The festival is pretty family-friendly and you can enter and leave a few times throughout the day if you want to eat offsite or take a dip in Barton Springs. We always find that the folks who come are a little more laid back and older than the typical festival crowd (there are still plenty of college kids!) and I think that is because this festival is at the tail-end of the “festival season”. We are forever fans of this event and we can easily be convinced to make another trip down there - so try us :)