Hello all, My DD and I are attending the ATX Festival (Austin Television Experience) next month (along with a first college visit to UT Austin). Do you have any “must visit” coffee shops, boutiques, restaurants that you can share?!
Eat at Threadgill’s at its original location. It’s where Janis Joplin got her start, and you can get a mean chicken fried steak there!
I don’t know if it’s still there, but I adored the gingerbread pancakes at the Omelettry back in the day…
How many days will you have? You are visiting at the perfect time to go off the grid a bit and visit some amazing old fashioned spring fed swimming holes that are about 30-40 minutes out of town.
Kerby Lane has breakfast all day. Uchi or Barley Swine would be good fancy places, and South Congress Cafe. (You could wander South Congress and walk in just about any restaurant and have a good meal.) Torchy’s for tacos all day, Juan in a Million for breakfast tacos. Food trucks are big. I will have to think where you could find a bunch of them parked together.
Visit the Bob Bullock Texas History Museum if you haven’t. It is right across the street from campus. See the movie.
If you have time for museums, drop by the LBJ Library, the Blanton Modern Art Museum, and the Ransom Center.
There is a big bookstore…let me think of the name…
One evening go out and watch the bats come out from under the Congress bridge.
Yes, Threadgill’s original location on North Lamar, not the Riverside Drive (newer) location. Omelettry is still here but moved a year or two ago from it’s long-time Burnet Road location to one on Airport Blvd. No need to go out of town for swimming holes when Barton Springs Pool is right here in the city in Zilker Park.
Will you have a car? The Austin airport is several miles southeast of town, so if you’re flying, be prepared for that.
The street that borders the west side of campus is called Guadalupe, known by locals as “The Drag.” You can walk up and down that street and see lots of interesting sites … stores, restaurants, homeless people, preppy students, people with spiked hair and piercings everywhere… you name it, we got it. 
Qui (run by the Top Chef winner Paul Qui) was quite amazing when I was there in October. That famous burger place is fun. The big bookstore-- across the street from the big Whole Food-- which I am blanking on the name also @Lizardly, is fantastic.
Book People!!!
If you want a bit of “official Austin”, the state history museum
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bullock_Texas_State_History_Museum
Is great
Paul Qui was arrested for assaulting his GF a couple of months ago. He went to rehab, not sure what the rest of the story is.
Uchi or Uchiko are both outstanding; if you don’t love sushi, Uchiko has more choices. I think Uchi is prettier. Both are pricey, but happy hour is a good deal. Salty Sow is great for happy hour and has a nice patio. Ramen Tatsuya is the bomb.
I bet Hopdoddy is the burger place @jaylynn refers to in #6. Long lines but good burgers. Ate at Threadgills Riverside location a couple weeks ago and was underwhelmed. For homestyle southern, I like Hoover’s better. Tacodeli is good for breakfast and lunch.
There is a food truck park on Barton Springs called “Picnic”, but my fave truck is Micklethwait bbq, just down the street from Franklin’s. Really good without the crazy wait.
+1 on the Bob Bullock Texas State History museum and swimming holes.
Another vote for Bob Bullock State Museum. Cool place! Also, if you are looking for a place to stay, I highly recommend the [Tram House](Comanche Trail Vacation Rentals: & more | Vrbo). We stayed there a few years ago and it was awesome!
Breakfast at Trudy’s
Iron Works BBQ for the best BBQ
Barton Springs
LBJ Library
Mount Bonnell for the view
Sooo many great options!! I wish we had more time! We only have three days in Austin and one day in San Antonio (with a plan for MiTerra and dinner at Boudro’s on the Riverwalk.
Those are great San Antonio choices!
DO stop at one of the spring fed swimming holes on your way out of Austin! So fun!
“my fave truck is Micklethwait bbq, just down the street from Franklin’s. Really good without the crazy wait.”
genius move to park your bbq truck near Franklin’s for when people get tired of waiting in line or things sell out. 
Try not to break any major laws while you’re there so you won’t have to meet my BIL who is Austin’s chief of police. He’s quite a character.
@doschicos, I know, right? Franklin’s staff has been known to send customers over to Micklethwait’s when Franklin’s runs out. LA Barbecue and Stiles Switch are also worth a stop.
First Lady, Michele Obama had Micklewaites barbeque delivered to her plane before she left Austin. They catered DD’s wedding. :-).
Thanks y’all for the wonderful suggestions!! We loved Austin and San Antonio! Never enough time!! Started out with a fabulous dinner with a local friend at Lamberts…Frito Pie…no words!!! After dinner, over to Congress Bridge to see the bats…just my luck, apparently first two weeks in June the bats are pregnant and don’t come out until really late…hundreds of disappointed bat lovers! lol! We still saw a beautiful sunset and met some other really cool tourists. Coffee and dessert to follow at Mozart’s on Lake Austin, which was incredible. Loved the whole SoCo scene…great shops, coffee at Jo’s and yes, best burger ever at Hopdoddy!!! We also took a trip to Book People and agreed it is an awesome book store and bought some really cool souvenirs.
And what can I say about UT Austin except…WOW!!! What an incredible school!!! It was the first tour for my DD but of all the schools I had visited with my DS…this was the most impressive. The size, the energy, the facilities, the tour guide, the pools…and to conclude at the top of the hill overlooking the Bell Tower and the State Capital…goosebumps!!! The bar is now quite high for any other places we visit!!