There is nothing quite like a vacation with all of your best girlfriends. This year I decided to celebrate my birthday in a new city with some of my close friends. My birthday is in January so I wanted to choose a city that wasn’t going to be TOO cold, a new experience for all of us and most importantly, FUN! What better city than Austin, Texas. I mean, after all its motto is “Keep Austin Weird”.
How to Get Around
Currently, Austin does not have Uber or Lyft due to a city regulation forcing drivers to be fingerprinted. Austin has their own non profit ridesharing company called Ride|Austin, which is just as affordable and reliable. I suggest you download and set up the app on your smartphone prior to your visit.
Where to Stay
When searching for hotel accommodations, Austin has many excellent options. Depending on your style and budget, below I have listed three of my recommendations. All of these hotels are located downtown and make it easy to get around on foot or a short Ride|Austin away.
Hotel San Jose is an adorable boutique style hotel located off South Congress Avenue. The hotel offers unique amenities where you can borrow a Polaroid camera or an iPod loaded with the hotel’s favorite tunes, or grab a bike and explore Austin on your own. If your looking to start your morning off right then head to the corner where you will find Jo’s Coffee Shop. Craving pizza? Check out Home Slice Pizza for some of the best pizza in town.
The Courtyard Marriott is located in a great location downtown. The hotel has a restaurant and even a Starbucks for all the coffee lovers! You can walk to many restaurants, bars and even to the famous 6th street. If you love doughnuts this might be the perfect place to stay because Voo Doo Doughnuts is right around the corner.
The W Hotel is known for its posh and trendy style, which is exactly what you will find at the W Hotel in Austin. They’ve got you covered whether your looking to have a spa day, pool day or just to grab cocktails in the lounge. Location is close to many restaurants, bars, and shopping.
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What to Do
Explore the Mural Scene
Dive into your artistic side and explore Austin’s street art. The “I love you so much” mural can be found on the side of Jo’s Coffee Shop. The “Greetings from Austin” mural can be found here.
Go to a Trailer Park
I know, it sounds crazy, but just do it! It’s not what you’re thinking. Austin has “trailer parks” which are filled with food trucks. Yes, FOOD trucks! Anything and everything from tacos to thai food. What’s not to love?
The AWAY Spa at the W hotel is top notch, from the ambiance to the service. We ended our trip in Austin with a massage to detox from our fun filled weekend of eating and drinking. It was the perfect ending to our trip. The staff at the spa were very professional and friendly and made our experience unforgettable. They even included a foot massage and a gift for my birthday. I mean, really? I would recommend this spa to anyone who is looking for some relaxation.
Visit The Deep Eddy Distillery
The Deep Eddy Distillery Tour with The Austin Tour Company was awesome to say the least! The tour is SO worth the $25! We met at the Omni Hotel where they had a luxurious bus pick us up and transport us to the distillery. If you want to pre drink on the way to the distillery (about 30-40 minutes) you are welcomed to bring your own alcohol on the bus. When we arrived to the distillery we were given a tour and educated on the process behind how specifically Deep Eddy Vodka is made. One cocktail of our choice was included in the price. The distillery also offers flights of vodka if you’re interested in sampling for only $10. We were able to hang out and enjoy the grounds for a few hours before they transported us back to the Omni Hotel. Overall, this was a great experience!
Where to eat
Pretty sure you can’t leave Austin without eating at Torchy’s Tacos AT LEAST once! We ate here twice because the tacos were THAT amazing! It’s hard to recommend a specific taco because they are all so delicious. Whatever your preference is…you can’t go wrong! Don’t forget to try the guac and cheese dip!
We were introduced to Hopdoddy by a local who we met while out at a brewery. When we arrived the line was out of door and around the building. If that’s not a good sign then I don’t know what is! I can tell you it was worth the wait. The truffle fries are ON POINT! If you’re in the mood for a juicy burger I recommend you go here.
Sophia’s offers a modern twist on Italian cuisine. It’s really a lovely and intimate spot with eye catching decor. All pastas are homemade and taste so fresh. We started with the meatball appetizer, which was tender and flavorful. I ordered the Cacio e Pepe, which was delicious. Great size portions that are filling, but don’t leave you feeling like you need to go home and lay on the couch. Great spot for a girls night or a date night.
La Condesa offers great food, drinks, service and ambiance. If you are craving Mexican food I recommend you go here. Their signature cocktails were all very tasty!
This is for all my vegan foodies. If you haven’t tried The Beer Plant than your missing out. We went for brunch and it was actually their first day introducing their brunch menu. We sampled a few items on the menu and were actually pleasantly surprised. The chik’n and waffles and avocado toast with beet bacon were our favorites! If you’re looking to challenge your palate this might be the place. Everything on the menu is 100% plant based.
St. Genevieve has that swanky, yet laid back feel and is a great spot for brunch with your girls. They offer an amazing bloody mary bar and mimosas with specialty mixers. They also have an upper level with a roof top, which offers a fun and lively atmosphere. No complaints on the food. Everything we ordered was great.
O-M-G! Don’t leave Austin without stopping at VooDoo Doughnuts. You will highly regret it, especially if you are doughnut obsessed. They offer a variety of doughnuts for very reasonable prices. If you are gluten free or vegan, don’t worry because they cater to all types of dietary restrictions. I personally loved the maple bacon doughnut.
Where to Cocktail
Hops and Grains is a nice brewery with tasty beers. They offer flights if you want to sample their menu. The inside provides plenty of seating via picnic tables. You will also find a great selection of board and card games. Tours of the brewery are given on Thurs & Fri at 5pm and Sat. at 1, 3 and 5pm. Tours are FREE, last about 45 min.
We stumbled upon Corner after the winery we went to was closed for remodeling. As we walked by it had a great vibe with a huge bar outside. We sat at a table outside and enjoyed happy hour cocktails. I recommend the Jalapeno Hibiscus Margarita.
We loved The Grove Wine Bar. Great atmosphere and food. It’s the perfect spot for a girls night. We ordered some appetizers to share and cocktails before heading out on the town. The Grove Wine Bar offers a flight menu which includes samples of different wines or champagne. Clearly, you know my first choice was the Champs! Just heavenly!
Nightlife
Rainey Street is a street of historic, bungalow style homes, that have been converted to bars. This street offers so much character and is a great place for a night out on the town with your girlfriends. You can walk the street and bar hop. I recommend Lucille and Banger’s, although each place has a great atmosphere depending on your preference.
6th street is a very well known street in Austin. We realized that 6th street is actually rather long and divided into 3 parts. There is east 6th street, west 6th street and what locals call “dirty 6th street”. I recommend you check out each area if you have time so that you can experience it in full effect. You will find everything from live music to trendy restaurants and bars. We decided to party on the West side. By this time it’s hard to remember all the places we visited, but we had a great time bar hopping, dancing and celebrating my birthday.
What’s your top recommendation for Austin? Share away!
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“I want to go to there!” I’ve never wanted to go as much as I do now, after reading this!
You should plan trip there Darla! You would love it.
Haven’t been to Austin but looks like you all had fun! =)
We had such a great time! No complaints! The food in Austin is amazing if you’re a foodie. Tacos are life there! lol. If you have a chance you should definitely consider visiting.
But I did like it. Going to be doing a tour in August and I need all the information I can get on different cities. Thanks
So much fun!! Beautiful pictures!
Thanks Natalia! 😘
Glad you had such a FUN time in our city!! I’m pretty in love with it. And a (very, very) belated Happy Birthday, girl!!
Thank you so much Kelsey!
Sounds like you had a great birthday weekend. My favorite restaurants in Austin are probably Trudy’s, Hula Hut, and Iron Cactus. There is so much good food there.
I did! I will definitely have to go back and check out the restaurants you mentioned!
Hi! I was actually attracted to this post because I’m from Austin, lol. So just having a look – you listed some great places and must see / must do things for the first timer in Austin.
Thanks Jin!
Austin seems to be a really cool place to visit, with an excellent foodie scene and great things to visit. I love street art so visiting the murals of Austin would be a priority. The Deep Eddy Distillery Tour sounds amazing as well, I’d love to do that too!
You’re SO right Joanna! Definitely a big foodie scene and lots of things to do!
I have yet to visit Austin but am hoping to visit soon with one of my best friends! These recommendations will come in handy, thank you! Looks like you had a wonderful birthday trip!
Thanks Tracy! Hope my post can help you plan your trip.
I love Austin! Definitely want to go back for a girls’ weekend. And ooooomg I love torchy’s – have been dreaming about their friend avocado tacos! Yummm
Torchy’s is amazing! I dream about those tacos!
A girl’s weekend in Austin sounds like so much fun! I definitely would check out The Deep Eddy Distillery Tour 🙂
It was a blast Candy!
Lived in Austin for about 3 years! If you ever get the chance to go back to Austin, you absolutely have to try Swift Attic, Launderette (brunch & dinner), Emerson & Rye & Bar Chi! Yhese are among the most mouthwatering & savory places I’ve tried in Austin.
Oh! And rent electric bikes (at Rocket Electrics) & ride around the entire Lady Bird Lake trail & the city. It’s stunningly beautiful and you get to see so much of the city in a short amount of time.
Thanks so much for these recommendations! I will definitely be going back to visit Austin. I would love to visit next time in the Spring or Summer!