Living in Dallas has many benefits, one of which is being 3 hours away from Austin (by car 🚗) which happens to be hands down in the top 5 most beautiful cities in the great state of Texas. Of course when Chris’ youngest brother, Carson, turned 21 at the end of January and we found out that in February we had a three day weekend and we booked a trip down to the Hill Country. ❤️
Austin is one of those cities that just engulfs your soul and releases your stresses. The people are wonderful, the sights are breathtaking and the list of things to do around the city is endless. If you’re outdoorsy, there are trails, cliffs and endless areas to hike and take advantage of the lake. If you are more into the music and nightlife scene, areas like ‘The Domain’ , ‘Rainey St’ and of course, ‘6th St’ are some of the more popular areas to go. Since Carson had not been to Austin before we decided to get a hotel halfway between Rainey + 6th St leaving a variety of food + nightlife options available.
We arrived Friday mid afternoon and got unpacked at the hotel, freshened up and went to El Taquito- we had the BEST margarita's and it happened to be happy hour so I definitely did not have a care in the world. The food was absolutely delicious with an authentic Mexican flavor that beats any Tex-Mex Dallas has to offer (I love Dallas - trust me I do, but let's be real..).
Friday night we went out to Clive Bar (a few blocks down Stoney's Pizza and the Food Truck Park). The atmosphere was great - it was chill enough to relax, enjoy ourselves and have a good time without being completely empty or overpacked. Like most bars in Austin, the indoor/outdoor vibe was perfect with the breeze, the Austin skyline and the best company.
(photo above from Clive Bar)
Saturday morning we went to L'Estelle House on Rainey which happened to be a few doors down from Clive Bar. We enjoyed a fresh breakfast in the bar area which is covered but the remainder of the quaint yet modern restaurant is outdoors. A Jamaican reggae band came and played throughout brunch. Afterwards, we drove/walked around Downtown Austin and UT, went to the Graffiti Wall and then got some rest at the hotel.
Overall, it was a great trip and I can not wait to go back for some outdoorsy time once the weather warms up a bit more. Summer's in Austin are absolutely to die for! Stay tuned as we will definitely bring you the latest and greatest of that trip.