Our Trip to Austin

When the Mr. and I travel, we pretty much plan our trip around food (need proof? See our Nashville trip). So our weekend getaway this past weekend to Austin, TX was also planned around food. And relaxing and exploring the city too. It was the first time we both visited Austin and I have to say that we both really liked the city! So today I wanted to share a few of my favorite places we discovered (and ate at) this weekend.

Since we arrived early Friday morning, we headed straight for Gordoughs for some giant donuts. Kevin had a maple glazed one and I had the Miss Shortcake, a donut topped with a generous amount of cream cheese frosting and fresh strawberries.

After stuffing our faces with donuts we stopped in Stitch Lab, the most adorable sewing shop and studio ever. I seriously could have stayed there all day. I picked up some gorgeous floral fabrics, though I could have taken a yard of everything. They have great classroom space and offer classes for all levels.

We made our way over to South Congress Avenue and checked out all the shops along the street. Though most of them were pricey (like $250 for a cotton dress pricey) I found some of the antiques at Uncommon Objects to be reasonable. They had bowls and bowls of wooden type blocks and other ephemera.

We headed back to Melizoz Tacos, the taco trailer right next to Gordough’s, for lunch. The fried avocado taco was one of the best tacos I’ve ever eaten, I highly recommend it! Then we stopped at Dolce Neve for some gelato. If you’re a gelato fan then you have to try it! Everything is made from scratch right in front of you and is absolutely delicious.

Directly across the street from the gelato shop is Roadhouse Relics, a neon shop and gallery that specializes in vintage-inspired neon signage.

We stayed at the Heywood Hotel in East Austin and just loved it. It’s a small boutique hotel (only seven rooms) just east of downtown that is just perfect. If we ever are in Austin again we will definitely be staying there again.

One day we ate an early dinner on the patio of Moonshine Grill. They serve southern comfort food in huge portions. I’d recommend sharing something!

Since the sky was pretty clear that evening we headed over Mount Bonnell to check out the view. We hung out until sunset and enjoyed the view.

We went back over to South Congress for dinner at Hopdoddy and got burgers and drinks. The line was really long but moved quickly and even though I’m not really a burger fan (I opted for the bison) it was worth the wait. The bread is baked in house and the cocktails were delicious.

On Saturday we checked out the farmer’s market downtown. They had a great selection of produce and local meat, something that’s not so common at home. I grabbed a bag of vanilla macrons from Cake and Spoon to take with me but they didn’t last long. While downtown we walked over to Serve, a cute store that has just about every kitchen gadget you can think of. I picked up a cute tea towel and some cutting boards.

On Sunday we had brunch at Contigo. Best. Brunch. Ever. If you’re in Austin on a Sunday you MUST go here. It was amazing and now I know why a lot of people say it’s the best brunch in town.

We stopped by Starling Eyewear‘s little trailer and I got a pair of really cute readers. I’ve been in the market for a new pair of reading glasses and was so excited when we stumbled upon their trailer. They sell stylish ready-made reading glasses and sunglasses in single vision and progressive lenses at a really affordable price.

On Saturday I met up with Miranda, a sweet and super talented blogger friend I met at Alt Summit 2013. She recommend we met at Lick, a local ice cream shop. Since I always am up for sweets I met her there and we got to catch up and I got to meet her adorable kids. The ice cream was heavenly (try the citrus cake and juniper). I loved it so much I went back with Kevin the next day.

Kevin and I went for a long walk along the trail that goes along the Colorado River. We timed our walk perfectly and walked over the Congress bridge in the evening just as the bats were flying out. It was a pretty cool and somewhat ominous sight.

Sunday was pretty chilly and gray so we went over to the Alamo Drafthouse and finally saw The Grand Budapest Hotel. We’re big Wes Anderson fans and have been wanting to see the film for weeks but it wasn’t showing a home. And in case you’re wondering, I took this photo during the pre-show—I didn’t want to get kicked out!

We ended our trip with some delicious appetizers to-go from Bufalina Pizza, which was only a few shops down from the hotel. Overall, it was a wonderful weekend and I can’t wait to go back!

What are your favorite places to visit in Austin?