austin, y’all!
austin kicked off our four city tour this
president’s day weekend, and it was a
great place to start! after hearing so
much about this up-and-coming city
in texas we may have been a bit over-
expectant, but we eased into the texas
lifestyle and had some of the best food
here. austin is a great mix between the
laid back texas vibe combined with
its own personality + flavor mixed in
there. it took a bit of time for us to find the
best parts, but i always enjoy discovering a
new place and uncovering the hidden gems.
what’s not to love about a state capitol,
old vintage signs, and cowboy hats everywhere?
we were really excited to find the charming street
and area of south congress — this area is exactly how i
pictured austin, and it is a colorful, laid-back,
unique place with a lot of texan charm.
allens boots is a MUST- stop in austin. you walk in
the doors and the amazing, pungent smell of leather
hits you. then you stagger around the thousands of
cowboy boots…every size, shape, and color…just
taking them in. it is TEXAS through and through.
^^ just perusing for a pair… jk, they are seriously
in the price range of $800-$1000 here! and such
quality — those texans don’t mess around!
BOOTS on BOOTS on BOOTS
after that shopping we stopped at the famed
torchy’s tacos in their charming food trailer location.
it was some good eating, but the house made green chili
QUESO
is really the award winner here for us. it makes regular
queso seem like a joke! the flavor is perfected, and
there is a huge scoop of their homemade guacamole
right in the middle as you dip the queso. this is all
eaten with their homemade chips, underneath the
colorful lights and big texas skies. i approve!
i also approve of the doughnut truck right down the
street … gourdough’s! BIG FAT DONUTS is the
perfect slogan, because that’s exactly what they are.
i stuck with the simple “naughty & nice” flavor which
is cinnamon sugar with honey butter drizzle. it was
melt-in-your-mouth good and so thick and fluffy!
chase got cake batter, yum! there are endless flavors.
^^ the best kind of date is a donut date.
we walked all along south congress on full stomachs
and explored the darling shops and markets ^^
walking the river by downtown, and stopping at more famous
food spots. i don’t know if i’m proud or embarrassed
about how much we ate in this delicious city!
don’t forget to throw in some sparkling coconut flavored
la croix (why is this drink only popular in the south?!)
and some live street music to complete the great day!
can’t pass up a good candy shop! especially when
it has our VERY favorite sour cherry slices. ^^
it was fun to explore UT’s campus, see their giant football
stadium, (hook ’em horns!) the LBJ presidential library,
the greek row (we found chio & sig) and the fun area.
i adored the darling restaurant environments
along south congress. dusky, relaxed, perfect! ^^
^^ our fifth food truck stop of the day … but who’s counting?
those beautiful texas skies produce some good sunsets ^^
thanks austin, for a real good time!
xo
^^ and let’s not forget the constant country music
blasting in our rental car as we pulled out of austin
and drove on to san antonio + houston. texas forever!