Road Trip - Entry 8 - The Final Destination - Austin, TX

Saving the best for last! 
Well, we can't say that Austin was the best stop on our list. We loved them all. But, we can say that Austin tops the list. It was a wonderful way to end our two week road trip. Filled with great food, cool, vibrant sights and beautiful scenery, Austin left us wanting more of this Capital city.
We had very limited time in this vibrant, musical, food inspired town. So, we had to make sure we were on a very tight schedule to ensure that we saw everything we wanted to see in this short time. One of the to do's on our list was to see the bats fly over Congress Bridge. 

1. See the Bat's on the Congress Avenue Bridge: 

2. Eat...Eat...Eat
When in Austin, you EAT!! The food is delicious and it's everywhere you go so you will never have an excuse to go hungry. In my last post I mentioned eating at Salt Lick BBQ. While we didn't get to eat there we heard nothing but great things. If you find yourself outside of town I would definitely recommend looking into it!  
Other Eating Options:

~ Terry Blacks BBQ
At Terry Blacks, they chop the BBQ right in front of you. You go in choose your style and your sides and there it is. Served, right then and there! 

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 ~ Jo's Coffee Shop 
Go to the Jo's Coffee Shop on Congress for the "I love you so much mural." But, don't just go for the cute picture. Make sure you taste some of their delicious beverages and food. 

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~ Avenue B. Grocery
I think the pictures say it all. It was the PERFECT place to stop and grab a sandwich on a beautiful weekday. 

Austin, being the food center of the world, also houses some of the most wonderful food trucks. On any of the main streets in Austin you can find a parking lot surrounded with multiple food trucks. For example, if you head over to Gordough's Donuts truck on 1st S. Street you will also find a taco truck, a hotdog truck along with welcoming picnic tables and good parking options. These food truck parking lots are PERFECT for that family outing. Everyone can get exactly what they want. 

3. Explore the Capitol 

4. MUSIC
There are tons of great, local music venues surrounding ALL of Austin. Just take a stroll down sixth street, or head on over to Red River and you will find nothing short of amazing, fun music. Go catch a show at the "Granddaddy of all local music venues," The Continental Club and you won't be disappointed. Austin's local music scene is vibrant and exciting, so much fun! Throughout the years it has also housed many famous artists. Let's not forget to mention that the famous Willie Nelson also calls this his home. In fact, you can even head over to West Second Street to find the statue of Willie right outside of the Austin City Limits Studio. 

5. Texas Star

6. Murals

One common theme on our road trip from North Carolina to Texas was Mural Findings. Every single place we traveled had a unique mural of some sort. We had so much fun spotting out these murals and taking some fun, random pictures. Well, let me tell you, Austin was the winner of mural findings. They had so many to choose from and although we were short on time, we did manage to get a look at some really great ones that this town had to offer. 

- You're My Butter Half mural - MLK Blvd. - On the back of the United Way for Greater Austin building
- I love you so much mural - Congress Ave. - on side of Jo's Coffee Shop 
- Hi, how are you? Frog Mural - Guadalupe Street
- Planet K "Texas" Mural - Guadalupe Street
- Live Music Capital of the World - 6th Street

7. Cannon Lady - 6th and 7th Street 
8. South Congress Books
9. Uncommon Objects - beside Jo's Coffee on Congress
10. Towers Observation Deck
11. Barton Springs - You have to pay to go in but it looked like an amazingly refreshing afternoon stop
12. Yard of Polka Dots - We couldn't actually find 
13. Hamilton Pool Reserve
14. Waterloo Records 

15. Where to stay

Staying in downtown Austin can be very expensive. But, not to worry, your options are endless. There are some really great places to stay just right outside of downtown. We stayed off of Congress Ave. right over the Congress Avenue Bridge. The cost was significantly lower than it would have been had we tried to stay in downtown. It was super convenient. In fact, many people were walking just over the bridge into downtown and made it look safe and easy. It was certainly a good option.  

​If you are set on staying in downtown you definitely want to weigh on the option of staying at The Driskill. This antique stay in downtown dates back to 1886. If you decide to not stay at The Driskill, you may want to consider at least walking through it's gorgeous entry way. The ancient architecture and historical designs show true history brought alive with a modern touch. We definitely walked through to observe it's beauty. 

If you are wanting to get out of the hustle and bustle of downtown Austin, drive right up the road to experience the best sunsets and views in Texas. Our second night in Austin we drove out to Lake Travis. We were fortunate enough to get a groupon coupon for the Vintage Villas. This was the absolute PERFECT way to end our road trip. Our room was complete with a jacuzzi tub and a balcony that overlooked the gorgeous Lake Travis. This view was not complete without the perfect sunset which Josh and I were able to take in with a glass of wine on our private balcony. 

And, if you're wanting to get a great meal but not leave your sunset behind, don't worry, there's just the place. The Oasis restaurant, which was just up the road from the Vintage Villas had the same scenery with some great food to accompany it. 

Well, this concludes our road trip to and from the midwest. Josh, and I left Austin the next morning only to drive all the way back to Birmingham where we stayed the night and hit the road early again where we finished off that next day in our own bed for the first time in two weeks. We LOVE to travel in all forms and fashions but road tripping definitely topped the charts. There is something wonderful about being able to pile the car with all of your stuff, not worrying about weight and baggage and hit the open road.

​Two weeks, 4000 miles, nine states, countless southern cities, one Toyota, multiple donuts, a lot of coffee, an open road, two folks in love and a leaf that hung on the back of the car the entire trip. It was definitely one for the books.