Austin has it all – a vibrant culture and art scene, inspiring cuisine, scenic outdoor experiences and more. We recently took a family trip to Austin. I went with my mother-in-law, sisters-in-law, and some of our other extended family. All ladies, and so much fun! Below are a few things I’d recommend for anyone looking to visit!

Austin – Eat!

As usual, a lot of eating was involved!

What we loved:

Fareground Food Hall

A great place to stop for lunch and a drink. There are lots of different vendors there so everyone can get what they want.

Ah Ding Den

The cutest spot for cocktails and snacks! Such a fun vibe.

Comedor

The best modern Mexican in a beautifully designed space! We shared lots of plates here.

La Condesa

Also Mexican, and we had a yummy brunch here. Great atmosphere.

Aba

Aba was somewhere I visited in Chicago last year and loved. They are Mediterranean-inspired with influences from Greek, Turkey and beyond. We shared lots of small dishes here in a beautiful outdoor space.

Austin – See & Do

Our stay was 2 nights and 2 days. It was 107 degrees while we were there (!), so we decided to do an indoor spa day. The second day we braved it outside for eating and shopping on South Congress.

What we loved:

Shopping on South Congress

Favorites were Neighborhood Goods, Cove, and By George. They also have great chains like Rag & Bone, Gorjana, Outdoor Voices, and more.

Relaxing at the Fairmont Spa

Heavenly! We laid in lounge chairs, relaxed, and read books all day long in between treatments.

Visiting the Fareground Food Hall

The Blanton Museum of Art

So many great pieces, and the museum is gorgeous – a work of art in itself!

Mural Hunting

There is so much great street art in Austin – we barely scratched the surface.

What we missed:

Lady Bird Lake

It was wayyyy too hot for water activities, but Lady Bird Lake was so pretty to walk by. On a better day, the paddleboarding and other watersports looked fun.

Live Music

I know it’s basically a crime to miss live music in Austin, but the crowds were out of control when we tried to head out to hear some live music. It wasn’t for our group this time around.

Austin – Stay

We stayed at the Kimpton Hotel Van Zandt. The hotel was perfect for us. It was in a great location and convenient to many things, and had a good coffee shop as well as restaurant and bar.

My MIL treated us each to our own rooms. The rooms were large and updated with nice amenities – I appreciated the yoga mat they included in the closet for workouts!