Austin, Texas
There may not be another city in America with as much forward momentum as Austin. Tex-Mex food, the Texas Longhorns, Sixth Street, Dell Computers and Willie Nelson are now joined by Franklin Barbecue, Tito’s Vodka, Whole Foods, Alamo Drafthouse and Matthew McConaughey as local icons of culture with national reputations. Simply put, Austin has rode its climb as the nation’s fastest-growing city since 2010 to transition from just the capitol of Texas to one of America’s most vibrant cities with the tech industry jobs, music festivals, cocktail bars, James Beard-nominated restaurants, boutique hotels and running trails to prove it. To visit Austin is to take a break from the outdated concept of Texas - sorry, no tumbleweeds - and get a glimpse at a potential future for America - a hot, hungry and health-conscious city no longer confined to tradition.
Know Before You Go
Art
E.A.S.T. or East Austin Studio Tour, spans two weekends in mid-November each year. It has become a gem of an outing among art-loving locals.
Fitness
They call it the Lady Bird Lake now, but locals of the pre-Recession sort still call it Town Lake. Whichever name you use, the hike and bike trail is divine.
Movies
Alamo Drafthouse is one of Austin’s finest exports to cities like Brooklyn and San Francisco, which means we take our movie-going seriously. Plus the food is great.
Nightlife
Sixth Street’s reputation - largely forged in the ‘90s - as Austin’s nightlife hub has been replaced by both East 6th St. and Rainey Street; go to either if you’re looking for a less grimy offering with the same penchant for bars and late-night eats.
Music
Stubb’s, Mohawk, Cheer Up Charlie’s, Empire Control Room - venues located in the Red River Cultural Heritage District along Red River Street - are where music careers are launched in Austin today. Let’s pray they re-open soon.
Shopping
Locals probably won’t tell you for fear of losing out on some hard-to-find threads, but the vintage shopping here is unreal. Passport Vintage and La Ropa Vintage are a couple to get you started.
Can’t-Miss Neighborhoods
South Congress
Almost every visitor to Austin comes to this busy avenue a mile-and-a-half south of the Texas Capitol Building at some point in their stay. You should, too. Yes, you’ll run into tourists. Yes, you may have to wait awhile to get your pizza from Home Slice or burger from Hopdoddy’s, but you won’t regret any of it. There are great hotels here - South Congress Hotel and Austin Motel being a couple favorites - not to mention dozens of high-grade houses for rent.
East Side
Every city seems to have a part of town where gentrification is most prevalent and, for Austin, this is it. One way to bypass the gentrification is to visit the George Washington Carver Museum, whose collection recently experienced a Millennial-savvy upgrade. Once you’ve done that, get some soul food at Hoover’s. Now, you’re educated, fed, and ready to explore coffee shops on Cesar Chavez, boutiques on 11th and party on East 6th until 2 a.m. closing time.
Clarksville
What used to be a hub of Austin’s black community in the early 20th Century has slowly but surely become Austin’s most quintessential neighborhood if you’re looking for a gauge on quality of life. Walking distance to Whole Foods’ headquarters, Waterloo Records and Book People, two of the longest-standing indie record and book stores in America, Clarksville offers fine-dining at Josephine House, a classic burger at Counter Cafe and a perfect patio at Better Half.
When To Go
Maybe you’ve been to South by Southwest. That’s great. Now come back and really experience Austin the way locals do. Save summer for everywhere else, and visit Austin when the temperatures are below back sweat. March is usually a great jumping off point for spring trips. September through November are also fantastic months to enjoy college football season, a rowdy outdoor concert or a city-wide art showcase. Pick your poison.
Featured Local: Joah Spearman
I’m Joah, the founder and CEO of Localeur. I can’t lie, I started Localeur for selfish reasons. I wanted to know where locals hang out in all the cities I was visiting during my years owning a sneaker boutique in Downtown Austin then running the first-ever fashion part of SXSW Festival. When I’m not visiting a new city, you can find me in Austin at a concert or running on the trail or eating the fried milk dessert at Uchiko.
Joah’s Must-Dos
Blanton Museum
Austin lacks the kind of art and museum-going culture of its Texas peers in Dallas and Houston, but the Blanton Museum is worth a visit. Located on the Southern end of the University of Texas campus, the Blanton is going to double as your go-to for Instagram-worthy trip picks and cultural stimulation. The Ellsworth Kelly exhibit “Austin” is just next door and included in the price of the museum, so you’re getting a two-for-one experience when you visit.
Uchiko
Austin is a glorious city for Tex-Mex and breakfast tacos and BBQ, but the sushi is divine. Born from its bigger brother institution, Uchi (located in both Austin and Houston), Uchiko is a more sleek offering from award-winning chef Tyson Cole. The dayboat scallop is unreal, the fried milk dessert is the best single dish in the city of Austin, and the atmosphere will have you realizing your ideas of Texas may need updating. They open at 5 p.m. and the happy hour until 7 p.m. is the most affordable way to experience this place, so show up at 4:55 to guarantee yourself a seat.
Joah’s Recs
no-comply Skate Shop
In the summer of 2021, when a demolition threatened the beloved skate shop no-comply, more than 4,000 people sent in emails to the City of Austin to end the threat. Such is the life of a local business in Austin these days…hovering between near-death and cult status. Perhaps this is a fitting reality for a skate shop, especially one with a name like no-comply. Carrying the city’s best collection of decks, skate sneakers and apparel, no-comply is now celebrating 15 years stronger than ever. Not into skating? What’s wrong with you? Just kidding, but their coffee and snack bar, Idlewild, is also worth a visit.
Comedor
Bone marrow tacos. Order them. Then consider ordering them again. Comedor has been called the Best New Restaurant in Texas by Texas Monthly and one of the Top Ten New Restaurants in America by Esquire. These statements are not hyperbole. The best looking, best designed restaurant in Austin is also one of the best meals in Austin if upscale Mexican food is up your alley. You’re definitely missing out if it isn’t.
JuiceLand
Local businesses are so much better than chain businesses, but you know what’s even better sometimes? Locally-owned chains. That’s exactly what JuiceLand is. Founder Matt Shook’s love for the juice business goes back nearly two decades, and it shows; JuiceLand has kept its connection to Austin’s health-conscious, fitness-heavy culture while expanding from a single location to more than two dozen throughout the city. Original juice concoctions make it almost impossible not to find something you’ll love.
DrinkWell
This woman-owned business has been serving up some of the city’s best cocktails and neighborhood vibes for more than a decade now. Located in the North Loop area where locals are known to do vintage shopping away from the tourists on South Congress, DrinkWell is an award-winning bar that matches its top-tier cocktail program with a solid bar food menu that’ll make it easy for you to linger a little longer than you planned… as one should at a neighborhood spot.
