PLEASE PIN ME!

~ Carmen

We  recently completed a 2,224 miles epic Texas Barbecue Road Trip  (see Texas Barbecue Road Trip)! You can’t have a complete tour of Texas hill country without spending at least a day or two in Austin, Texas.  Since Austin prides itself in its motto “Keep Austin Weird”,  we decided to spend our one allotted day in the weirdest part of Austin, South Congress Avenue (SoCo).

A Day in Austin, Texas

Shopping on South Congress

A trip to Austin is not complete without a couple of hours browsing along South Congress’s many eclectic shops and boutiques.

The most famous of these is Allens Boots.  If you love cowboy boots or have even the tiniest interest in owning a pair, you have to stop in Allens.  I’ve never seen such a selection.  From the basic $99 to the “who could afford to where these?” boots, Allens has it all.  If you are traveling, they will ship the boots to your house!

Yes, I bought the red pair of cowboy boots (and a blue pair, too)!

We spent quite a bit of time browsing in the SoCo antique and consignment shops.  One of our favorites was Uncommon Objects.  It is an antique/odd&ends kind of place with everything from old records and  belt buckles to scary looking dolls.

Don’t look directly in their eyes!

Food!

Austin, Texas is famous for its abundance of award winning restaurants.  South Congress is lined with food trucks, sit-down establishments, and bar & grills.

Had to take a picture!

Cool Airstream Food Truck

For lunch we tried the highly rated (trip advisor & yelp) Home Slice pizza.  The reviews were right on the money.

They make a mean slice of pizza!

For supper, we drove to west Austin to eat at Rudy’s Barbecue.  Franklin’s BBQ is the most famous barbecue restaurant in Austin, but it is known for a two to four hour wait.  With only a day to spend in Austin, we didn’t want to spend any of that precious time waiting in a line.  I had eaten at some other Rudy’s locations and knew we wouldn’t be disappointed.  We weren’t.  The service was excellent and so was the grub!

After supper, we drove back to South Congress Avenue, enjoying the beautiful Texas evening and stopping in some of the numerous bar & grills that come alive at night.

Great sports bar with a huge patio!

Iconic Austin Motel Sign

Austin Motel

When we’re not toting our little camper around, Joe and I love staying in unusual hotels and bed & breakfasts (see Sleeping in a Feed Mill).  So when planning our day in Austin, Texas, booking a night in the Austin Motel (austinmotel.com) was high on the priority list.  Built in 1938, it has kept its doors open in good times and in bad. Staying in the iconic Austin Motel will feel like you are stepping back in history.  The owners have worked hard to maintain the motels “look” while adding modern conveniences.

Motel Grounds Decor

Keep Austin Weird!

We will definitely be going back to Austin.  Next time we want to stay at least three days.  There were so much we wanted to see, but we just ran out of time.

Have you been to Austin or want to go?  We’d love to hear your comments.  Please reply below.  We’d love to get to know you better.  Keep up with all of our travel, camping, and cycling tips by following us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest.  Leave us your email (blue box at the bottom of the post) to subscribe to our weekly newsletter and never miss a post!

~ Carmen

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