We are taco lovers, especially Karen. She could probably eat tacos for every meal. So when I (David) wanted to plan a surprise long weekend trip for her birthday, I starting wondering where we could go specifically for some good tacos. One day while at work, I ran across an episode on Austin from one of our favorite travel podcasts: Extra Pack of Peanuts. After hearing them talk about the taco scene, I knew that we were headed to Austin for Karen’s birthday. As a teacher, Karen has limited time off during the school year. So I had to figure out how to spend a long weekend in Austin while fitting in plenty of tacos to eat during those 3 days.
This ended up being one of our favorite long weekend trips ever. Keeping the destination and itinerary a secret until we got to the airport was part of the fun. But it was also the trip that really proved to us that if we maximized our time well during a long weekend, it was possible to travel to all sorts of places during the year. And that’s even with both of us working full-time (including one of us as a teacher!)
So below is how we spent our 3 days in the Texas state capital. It may not be the itinerary for everyone, but if you’re a taco lover, it may be right up your alley. Hopefully we are able to inspire you and provide some recommendations for your own perfect long weekend in Austin!
FRIDAY
Evening:
- Fly to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport
- Lyft to Embassy Suites, Austin Downtown South Congress
Why did I choose this particular Embassy Suites? For starters, we are a Hilton Honors family. (Click here to read why we chose this as our primary hotel brand and rewards program). But most importantly, it was in an ideal location that was within walking distance of all the places we wanted to visit. And if we didn’t want to walk, they had a free hotel shuttle that would take us or pick us up anywhere within a mile or two. (A couple bucks in tips is way more budget-friendly than ridesharing!) The two-room suites also gave us plenty of room to spread out and relax. In addition, Embassy Suites has an excellent free breakfast (made-to-order omelettes, anyone?) and a complimentary cocktail reception each evening with free snacks and drinks! Lastly, it was just a reasonable $20 Lyft ride between the hotel and airport.
SATURDAY
Morning:
- Free breakfast at the hotel
- Butler Metro Park and Barton Springs Municipal Pool
Butler Metro Park was right by the hotel and is a nice city park along the Colorado River. If you’re a blues guitar fan, be sure to stop by the Stevie Ray Vaughan statue. The famous Barton Springs Municipal Pool is also just under a 2 mile walk from the hotel. That distance may be too long for some, but it is along some nice walking and jogging trails with plenty of use from the locals.
We happened to be there on a cold and rainy weekend, so we had no plans to get in the Barton Springs pool. It is filled with water from nearby natural springs and is a popular spot during warmer seasons. We also visited too early in the year to see the Congress Bridge bats at nearby Lady Bird Lake. But if you’re there from mid-March to early-November, be sure to watch around 1.5 million bats fly out from the bridge at dusk.
Afternoon:
- Lunch at Mellizoz Tacos, El Primo and Churro Co.
- Tea at Jo’s Coffee
- Early dinner at Burro Cheese Kitchen
To kick off our taco party, we asked the hotel shuttle to drop us off at Mellizoz Tacos, a food truck serving a variety of unique tacos. We had the fried avocado and shrimp tempura tacos with some delicious chips and queso. And we weren’t disappointed! From there we walked down 1st St. and stopped at the famous “Greetings from Austin” mural en route to El Primo.
This small trailer in a parking lot had a much simpler menu. Here we tried a spicy carne asada taco with the standard toppings of onions and cilantro. Honestly, this may have been our favorite taco of the trip. Simpler is sometimes better!
On our walk over, we noticed the Churro Co. food truck across the street, so we decided to finish off lunch with some dessert. If you haven’t ever tried a churro with cajeta (Mexican caramel), it will change your life!
From 1st St., we took a short walk east through a residential neighborhood to get over to South Congress Ave. We stopped for a chai tea at Jo’s Coffee, known for the “I love you so much” mural on its side. Be prepared to be patient, both to order a drink or take a picture with the mural. It’s a crowded place, but was a nice area to take an afternoon break.
After our tea, we crossed the street to check out the Burro Cheese Kitchen food truck. It wasn’t quite dinner time yet, but hey, we were here for a weekend of eating! We got the Burning Mac, which was a grilled mac and cheese sandwich with a spicy kick. It was good, but we thought it was pretty overpriced for a small sandwich (around $10). Overall, we had a great afternoon checking out some of the Austin food truck scene.
Evening:
- Free cocktail reception at the hotel
- Late dinner at Whataburger and Sandy’s Hamburgers
We walked the short distance back to the hotel for the free cocktail reception. This Embassy Suites had a great assortment of snacks in addition to the beer, wine and cocktail selections. If you’re like us, hunger will strike later in the evening. So we walked over to the nearby Whataburger to get some late night burgers. Now, some of you are probably thinking, “Seriously? You went to Whataburger?” But in our defense, we counted it as part of the Texas experience. And to be fair, it wasn’t bad!
Afterwards, we crossed the parking lot to get to Sandy’s Hamburgers, an old-fashioned burger joint and Austin icon. While we passed on getting more burgers, we did get some delicious soft-serve frozen custard for dessert! These two restaurants are only about a quarter mile away from the Embassy Suites if you’re looking for a quick, cheap bite. And that wrapped up a delicious first full day in Austin!
SUNDAY
Morning:
- Free breakfast at hotel
- Gospel brunch at Stubb’s BBQ
The big attraction of this morning was the gospel brunch at Stubb’s BBQ. There are obviously a ton of barbecue places in Austin. And while we heard about the legendary Franklin Barbecue, we didn’t want to spend hours standing in line. So instead, we got tickets for Stubb’s. Tickets can sell out, so be sure to buy them ahead of time! And we highly recommend spending the few extra dollars for a table with a view of the band. We were lucky to get a table right next to the stage to rock out with the New Soul Invaders.
Not only do you get some excellent live music, but the buffet consisted of an assortment of BBQ meats like brisket and sausage, as well as all the yummy sides you expect, such as beans, mac and cheese, and biscuits. Oh, and don’t forget the pecan pie and the rest of the dessert table! It’s a cozy venue with a lot of interaction between the guests and the band. So you leave feeling like you were just at a party with friends.
Afternoon:
- Texas State Capitol tour
- Sightseeing around Downtown Austin
- Craft beers at Barrr
After brunch, we decided to check out the Texas State Capitol since it was only a 15 minute walk from Stubb’s. We joined a free guided tour where we learned more about the building and Texas history. As fans of “King of the Hill”, it was fun to hear where some of the Texas references from the show came from.
From the Capitol, it is a mile walk back to the hotel right through downtown. So we threw in some sightseeing on the way back, including the Moody Theater venue for Austin City Limits Live and of course, 6th street. “Dirty Sixth” is a popular entertainment area with a wide selection of live music and bars. If you’re looking for a bar to sing and dance along to a live band, look no further! If you’ve been to Broadway in Nashville, this is basically the same idea. While this isn’t really our scene, we did enjoy walking down the street and looking around at what was available.
We did make one last stop before returning to the hotel. As craft beer fans, we were hoping to try some local brews and noticed a little patio bar called, well, Barrr. It was actually attached to the YETI flagship store across the street from the Embassy Suites. So not only can you just hang on the patio, but you can bring your drinks inside while browsing the store.
Evening:
- Free cocktail reception at the hotel
- Dinner at Torchy’s Tacos
After relaxing a bit at the hotel cocktail reception, we headed to the restaurant everyone told us we had to check out in Austin: Torchy’s Tacos. This chain has a huge menu of delicious taco topping combinations and deserves the hype. We got the Fried Avocado (if you haven’t figured it out, we like avocado), the Democrat (barbacoa) and chips with Hillbilly Queso (chorizo and melted cheese? Yes, please!) The location we went to was just down the street on South Congress and is about a mile walk from the Embassy Suites, but we took advantage of the hotel shuttle again. There is also a slightly closer location across the river from the hotel. Needless to say, we went to bed that night full and satisfied for a second day!
MONDAY
Morning:
- Free breakfast at the hotel
- Lunch at Taco Joint, Don Gume’s Tacos and Howdy Donut
- Head back to AUS Airport
For our last day in Austin, we rested a bit at the hotel after breakfast until we headed out for an early lunch before checking out. Located within a 5-minute walk is Taco Joint. They have a fairly standard menu and we ordered the Street Taco (sirloin) and the Pastorito (carnitas), neither which disappointed. On the way back to the hotel, we stopped at Don Gume’s Tacos, a small taco truck where we finally got our first breakfast taco of the trip (better late than never, right?)
And as a donut lover, there was no way Karen was going to let us walk back to the hotel without a stop at Howdy Donut. This cute little donut shop is right across the street from the Embassy Suites. Soon after, we were headed back to the airport, and while our flight got delayed, Southwest was able to move us to an earlier flight so win-win!
And that was our long weekend in Austin! We’d love to go back sometime during the summer to swim at Barton Springs and watch the bats. Have you been to Austin? What were some of your favorite things to do and eat? Leave us a comment below, and thanks for reading!
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