@Crazyhair: OMG I have SO MANY ideas for Austin! I lived there for 4 yrs before I moved to Chicago & have my masters from UT (hook em!) FI’s fam is from TX so the plan is eventually to move back.
What are you and your friends like? If it were me, these are my best ideas:
1. Rent a houseboat on Lake Travis
2. Bring all the girls to Hamilton Pool & swim in the cave
3. Get a bunch of bikes and ride down to Rainey Street on the Town Lake bike trail. Best bars in town are in the Rainey St area. It’s not as young as Dirty Sixth, not as douchey as West Sixth and not as off the beaten path as East Sixth (but if you are an Austin regular & know to expect a gritty/offbeat scene definitely go to East Sixth!)
4. Dress to kill & go see a band that you love at Stubbs or Antones or any of the other classic live music venues
5. Sip on cocktails mid afternoon at Hotel San Jose on South Congress
6. Sip on cocktails at Hula Hut or Oasis where you get a lake view for sunset
7. Sip on cocktails upstairs at the Mohawk on Red River at night
8. Sip on cocktails late night at Continental Club on S. Congress and see whatever random blues music is happening
9. Drive down to New Braunfels and go tubing
10. Drive down to Greune & have dinner at the Grist Mill, stay for dancing at Geune Hall
11. Brunch at Taverna on 2d bc they have $5 bottomless bellinis
12. Breakfast tacos at Tacodeli (South location is the best one)
13. Hipster fabulous dancing at Barbarella on Red River
14. Shop at Strut. The one on South Lamar has its discount room upstairs (do not pass this up I bought a ton of cute clothes there when I went to work at SXSW). Girly fabulous & reasonable prices
15. If any band is playing a day show at Waterloo Records go there
16. Swim in Barton Springs
17. Rent kayaks and paddle around Town Lake
18. Franklin’s BBQ. Or drive out to Salt Lick
19. Food truck trailer park on S. Congress or S. 1st
20. See a movie at the Alamo Drafthouse