Vacationing in Austin — The Next Trip List

The May long weekend in Canada is usually when I plan a trip to the cottage to kick off the summer, but the slow spring this year had me craving some actual warm weather, so we planned a last minute trip to Austin.

This was one of those trips that lined up perfectly - from the hotel that was an amazing match for our trip that opened that weekend, to arriving just as Wildflower ramped up. Here’s your guide to what to see and do on a 3 day trip to Austin.

Stay

The East Austin Hotel just opened in late May and is the ideal home base for an Austin stay. It’s tucked away a little from downtown which means you get a nice flavour of local Austin life, from BBQ trucks, local yoga studios and cute patios. It’s easy to access all parts of the city from here. Rent a bike and explore the bike trails, or grab a Lyft and head to South Congress. Or just stay close to home - the East Austin Hotel has an a cute restaurant (Sixth and Waller), a rooftop bar (The Upside) , and a beautiful pool.

See

The list of what to see is a long one, but for a three day trip we kept things simple with a short to-do list. We cycled over to Barton Springs pool (and admired views from the waterfront trails along the way). We did a day trip to Hill Country and admired the wildflowers at Wildseed Farm, strolled with a glass of wine in Fredericksburg, tasted some fresh peaches at Das Peach House. We were feeling extra ambitious and visited San Antonio too! Well worth the drive to check out the river walk. And of course a few stops were made at Trader Joe’s and Target. ;)

Eat

Obviously Austin is known for its mouthwatering barbeque scene. We tried out some yummy spots, in particular Rolling Smoke which was a few minutes walk from the East Austin Hotel. My favourite spot was Mattie’s, a short drive from South Congress with an absolutely dreamy patio under leafy trees and twinkle lights. We also took the short walk from the hotel and ate at Hillside Farmacy, located in in a former actual pharmacy. Both restaurants had amazing coctails best enjoyed on a warm Texas evening.