Austin Texas is one of the most popular cities in the country to visit and for good reason! This mid-sized city is easily walkable, bikeable, or bird-able. Plus, there is a little bit of something for everyone. Vibrant music, lively nightlife, tons of outdoor activities, and hundreds of tasty restaurants are what make Austin so appealing. So read on and decide how you are going to spend a long weekend in Austin, Texas!
I traveled to Austin Texas in October, and the weather was perfect. I also did not rent a car, you will not need to with this itinerary. There are many accommodations (check my hotel list out here) and Airbnbs, but I ended up staying at the Fairmount Hotel, which was so relaxing and centrally located. With so many options, it can be hard to narrow down what to do. Here is my recommended itinerary for a perfect long weekend in Austin. This itinerary is tailored to those who enjoy the outdoors, but also like to sip on a few too many cocktails!
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FRIDAY: DAY ONE
- Breakfast: The Peacock Austin
- Put on your comfortable walking shoes and walk around!
- Visit the Capitol Building
- Rent Electric Bikes and bike around Ladybird Lake. If you love the outdoors, this trail is a great way to see many different areas and the picturesque Ladybird Lake. We easily did the 10-mile loop (on electric bikes).
- Lunch: Tacodeli
- Go back to the Fairmount Hotel and freshen up for the night.
- Have happy hour drinks and watch the sunset at P6 at the LINE Austin.
- After happy hour go down to the Congress Avenue Bridge. Swarms of bats fly around right after the sunsets. It is truly quite a sight to see!
- Late Dinner: ComedorTX. Make sure to order the Bone Marrow tacos! They are delicious.
- Night Out:
- 6th Street or West 6th Street
- Maggie Mae’s
- There are so many different types of bars/clubs, you really can’t go wrong.
SATURDAY: DAY TWO
- Brunch: Launderette
- Pool Day: The Fairmount Hotel Pool!! The pool attendants went above and beyond to make sure we had the best day filled with drinks, snacks, and fun! (the JW Marriot Pool is a fun spot too).
- Dinner: Terry Black’s BBQ or La Barbeque
- Night Out:
- Rainey Street
- Container Bar
- Banger’s Outdoor Beer Garden
- If you have some late-night munchies, go over to the food trucks! There is a whole area in the middle of Rainey Street filled with tasty food trucks.
SUNDAY: DAY THREE
- Breakfast: Veracruz All Natural Breakfast Tacos
- SUP on Ladybird Lake or go hike Barton Creek Greenbelt area
- Check out South Congress (SoCo Austin)
- Shop the cute boutiques
- Jo’s Coffee
- Amy’s Ice Cream
- Late Lunch or Dinner: Perla’s Seafood
- Sadly Depart
TRAVEL TIPS FOR AUSTIN TEXAS:
- Make reservations at all restaurants if possible.
- For longer distances rent the Austin B Bikes or Jump Bikes. They are located all around the city, I personally think they are more fun than Uber.
- Electric Scooters are also located all around the city.
OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS:
- Deep Eddy’s Vodka Distillery
- UT Tailgate. Depending on the time of year you go and if they have a home game, there should be some great tailgating!
- Lake Travis or Lake Austin Party Boats. If you have a larger group, I recommend carving out a day to do this!
- Other Tasty Restaurants:
- Franklin’s BBQ
- Valentina’s Tex Mex BBQ
- Hula Hut
- La Condesa
- Second Bar + Kitchen
- Polvo’s
- Torchy’s Tacos
- Taquero Mucho
- ATX Cocina
- Jeffrey’s
- Food Trucks. They are all over the place.
I hope this guide will help you plan how to spend a long weekend in Austin. If you need any help planning or have any questions, please reach out or message me on my contact page! I would love to hear about how your trip went as well. Tell me in the comments below!
Looking for more weekend trips in the USA? Check out my many other United States Destinations!
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