OT: Going to Austin this Weekend

Local Hokie here in Austin reporting.

- If you want to get sloppy with the drinking and such 6th Street Downtown will be your obvious go to. It's full of college aged drunks and weirdos so while it's an experience it's not my favorite drinking scene in Austin. They do shut it down on Fri/Sat night so you don't have to worry about cars. Off the beaten path down on 4th and 5th are a number of good choices too. I really like Frank's (Hot Dog Sausage bar).

- If you want a slightly more adult drinking scene wander down to Rainey St at the end of Red River & Ceasar Chavez. More upscale bars with lots of cocktails to go along with some bars that have a good set of taps. They have everything from a german sausage and beer hall to dive bars, to anything else. (Personal favs include Clive, Javelina, Lucille's. The container bar looks cool, but has a lame crowd imo). There is also a good food court truck there.

- The WEC Le Mans Series is going on down at the Circuit of the Americas this Thur-Sat. It should be cheap and the track is cool, but it probably isn't high on your list.

- BBQ, one must discuss BBQ when talking Austin. Franklins is worth it if you want to spend 3-4 hours waiting. If you'd prefer a quicker choice my favorite is the Mickelthwait Craft Meats Truck on 11th. It's got better sides and bread than Franklins for 95% of the brisket experience. Black's, Iron Works, La Barbecue are also good choices.

- Tacos, another thing that must be mentioned with Austin. I personally prefer El Chilito (2 locations, on on Manor Rd and one on E 7th), but you can't go wrong with local legend Torchy's Tacos. Any spot you walk up to will prb have tasty stuff. Bomb Tacos will prb be at Bar 91 on Rainey and is my fav taco spot down there. As far as TexMex goes, there are lots of options, but your safest bet is Chuy's. Undermined slightly by the fact that it's now a national chain, but it's origins are on Barton Springs and it's good. Baby A's is great for the stiffest margarita you'll ever have, but it's otherwise kinda generic.

- Steaks; Bob's Steak and Chophouse downtown runs spots on the local sports radio so maybe they're good, but I can't speak to it personally. The Austin Land and Cattle is really special and the only locally owned steakhouse in town surprisingly. Could be a good spot for your big dinner. There are plenty of options, as long as you avoid doing some chain you'll be alright.

- Spots to visit: South Congress has a lot of cool shops, food and drink (Home Slice Pizza #thumbsup, Amy's Ice Cream). If you want green space Zilker or Auditorium Shores are good spots. The campus is pretty, and you can find paddleboard/kayak/canoe rentals all along the river lake. On the west side of town @ 10th & Baylor St is the Graffiti Art park which is a living art park that local artists are constantly painting over. The Capitol is cool to look at but not really worth visiting. It's easy to wander around the core of downtown and it isn't super huge. The Bob Bullock Texas State Museum of Myth and Legend is also cool in that it's narrative is clearly biased. If you are up for hiking the Barton Springs Greenbelt is gorgeous and it should have water in it, McKinley Falls State Park is also a very nice spot for hiking as well. If it get's too hot visit Barton Springs Pool in Zilker which is a constant 57 deg.

- If you for whatever reason need to take in a Movie to escape the heat or fill time; go to see one at an Alamo Drafthouse. If you don't have one near you its the best movie experience you'll ever have.

- There is so much food, i could put a huge list, but just about everywhere is good. Austin has so many locally owned restaurants as long as you avoid chains you'd recognize you can't really go wrong. But here's a list of some good spots anyway; 24 Diner, Austin Daily Press, Uchi/Uchiko, Salty Sow (amazing happy hour 4:30-6:30), Easy Tiger, Odd Duck, Gordoughs, Threadgills, Kerbey Lane Cafe.

- No bachelor party discussion could be complete without mentioning the "gentleman's clubs" here in Austin. Austin is a generally attractive town and I haven't had a bad time at any of the ones I've visited, but each is sorta different and as a general rule BYOB = full nude, bar service = topless. My personal recommendations are for Perfect 10 up north if you want to have bar service, and XTC Cabaret on Springdale if you want the full nude BYOB deal. Prices are p standard ~$20 at the door, ~$20 per dance. Yellow Rose is the Austin classic and is the biggest of the bunch in terms of space, they offer tasty food (which is good from other folks i know have visited it). So it might be worth considering. I've been told by many folks to avoid Expose on S Congress fwiw.

I hope that helps, if you post about what you're sorta looking to do, I can offer some further thoughts.

The Ginger Man is a must.

I was there for a weekend in April. First night I went to Shady Grove, which is primarily outdoor seating and had good food, but the wait was kinda long. The second night, I started out with the famed purple margaritas from baby a's (I think this is a quintessential Austin experience, and I'm not sure why else one would go there, but I can attest to the margaritas being both strong and purple). I wound up at Shakespeare's on 6th street where pitchers of long island ice tea were $5 and I had a real good night. I think the next day we went to Banger's which was great and in a really cool part of town (2nd street district I think?). Looked like there were a lot of good places in that area. There were a handful of other places we went, but I can't remember them at the moment.

The places that I didn't get to go that were recommended by friends who live there were Franklin's BBQ, and Hopdoddy's, which is supposed to have some incredible burgers. Both of these places will require waiting in line, especially Franklin's, from what I saw/was told.

There are also a fair amount of river-adjacent parks and sidewalks, and kayaking on Lady Bird Lake is a nice change of pace from the bar & restaurant scene.

Not really specific to Austin, but I also went to Top Golf there, and that was a blast. Oh and Roundrock Donuts is good.

Really, it's tough to go wrong anywhere you go; Austin is pretty much a sprawling sea of establishments that serve good food and beer. It's everything it's hyped up to be.

I thought Moonshine Patio Bar and Grill was really good to last time I went down there. But your right you really can't go wrong anywhere you choose to eat. It is all good.