Anyone Familiar With Austin, TX?

[RUPD3658]

I am going to Austin for 4 days in April for a conference.

I am a big history buff. Anything to do there other than pig out on the great BBQ?

[rogueusmc]

LBJ Library is on the UT campus...I found it interesting.

And there is night club row that is famous for being a happenin' place.

[sol_invictus]

I was stationed at Fort Hood in the late 80s and if you like dance/music clubs, Austin is a happening town. I don't know your age but, if you are close to college age, you should be able to easily find entertainment.

[bradclark1]

There's a bar just down the road from the capital building that has 300 different kinds of beer. [:D]

[rogueusmc]

I asked my sis what she thought...

Driscoll Hotel...alot of history here having to do with JFK I think.

Trail system...if you are a runner, you will love the trails.

Capitol...there is alot of history regarding the Capitol building. It is built of stone quarried in Oklahoma by slave labor and transported down to Austin. It is the only state capitol building taller than the nation's Capitol.

If you have your own transport, New Barunfels and Gruene are just down the road about 30 or 45 minutes.

Lee

[RUPD3658]

Thanks for the info. I am too old for the dance clubs and my wife managed to talk her way into coming (on the State's tab[;)]) so my choices are limited.

How far is the Alamo? We will be renting a car.

Anything for kids? My 4 year old is also coming.

Rouge, what are New Barunfels and Gruene?

[ravinhood]

I don't know if the Motel Villa Capri is still there or not but they have the best silver dollar pancakes you ever tasted heh. When I was a kid we went there once a year for an annual bricklayers union banquet and always stayed there and I had them pancakes and of course barbeque at the banquet that night. lol What a life.

[sol_invictus]

The Alamo is in San Antonio, which is about an hour from Austin if I remember correctly. If you go to San Antonio, take the river walk and if possible, go to some of the old Spanish Missions in the area.

[SeaMonkey]

Rupd,

In Austin, the state capital, lots of government bldgs, ho hum. Try 6th Street, lots of great bands and music, mostly local.

Eat at O'Briens, Capital or Congressional Avenue, or ask the locals for directions to the newest hangout, plenty of friendy people.

Try Lake Travis, or the park on Lake Austin(Barton Springs), perhaps a bit cool this time of year, but beautiful scenery. Drive around.

Take US 35 south to San Antonio, find the Riverwalk(Congress street) on state hwy 181, the Alamo is right there, Hemisphere Arena, go see the Spurs play...World Champs....this year Detroit will unseat them.

Find the Silo, ole Austin Highway behind the Valero Bldg, great place to eat. Find your way to La Fogata, have the greatest Margarittas, frozen for me please. Check out their Seviche', get some of their great Mexican food(best on the planet).

Stay at Marriot, Riverwalk, take the barge trip down the river, walk around and check out some of the old Hotels (Crockett) and establishments, not to mention the Alamo.

This is the center of our Texican culture, enjoy......and y'all welcome back anytime .[:)]

If this isn't enough...I'll think of some more later...

Oh yeah enjoy some fine Tequilla, not that cheap stuff for shots, something for sipping if the weather is cold, damp and blustery.

I recommend "Reserva, de la Familia", winner 2 years in a row.....next best value "Patron", enjoy only the Anejo brands.

[rogueusmc]

San Antonio is about an hour to hour and a half down I35. The Alamo is there and, as someone has already said, the riverwalk. They have a big mall on the riverwalk and the the Casa Rio is the best mexican food on the riverwalk.

New Braunfels and Gruene are on the way to San Antone.

Gruene is right across the river from Schlitterbaun (just stop in New Braunfels and ask, folks will gladly give you directions)...it is an old historical town renovated and now it is craft and antique shops. Gruene hall is there and is the oldest honkytonk in Texas. It's right next to the Grist Mill...an old mill that has been turned into a resturaunt.

[bradfordkay]

If you find the time to take a road trip, I'll wager you would enjoy visiting the Chester Nimitz museum in Fredericksburg - about an hour and a half west of Austin. A must for every WITPer... You'll also pass the LBJ Ranch on the way, but my bet is that you'll prefer the Nimitz museum.

[gnasche]

I grew up in New Braunfels and rogueusmc is all over this. Gruene draws a lot of people for it's history. Gruene Hall, the Grist Mill and more antique stores than you'll want your wife to know about. New Braunfels is most famous for it's river (people float on inner tubes and chill out) as well as Schlitterbahn, the largest water park in the world (or at least that's what people say). If you're interested in a little spelunking, Natural Bridge Caverns is near NB and San Antonio.

Also, if you're interested in seeing 1.5 million bats...Austin is the place.

http://www.austincityguide.com/content/ ... austin.asp
http://www.newbraunfels.com/
http://www.touringtexas.com/gruene/
http://www.naturalbridgecaverns.com/
http://www.schlitterbahn.com/

[TexHorns]

As you can tell by my name I am a UT grad. Spent 5 glorious years there in the mid-late 80's.

There used to be a Texas History museum on campus. THe capital has some historical monuments and paintings. I beleive there is another Texas history museum near the capital. It is relatively new I believe. There is also a museum on the UT campus that has art, but also historical coolections. Sorry I can't be more specific as it's been 20 years since I was in Austin regularly. 6th street is over rated and for the younger crowd. Town lake is nice for walking or running. Lake Austin and Hamilton Pool should be great in April for swimming. Mt Bonnel is great for a pretty view of the river and hill country. The Magnolia Cafe on Lake Austin Blvd, I beleive, is a must for breakfast. Huge omelet's and the biggest and best ginger bread pancakes you ever tasted. Also, for a unique dining experince, The Emerald Restraunt. No menu's. Located in the hill country off HWY 71 I believe, in an old stone house in the middle of nowhere. Irish fare. Very romantic.

I apologize if the streets are wrong. Please look up addresse's before trusting my memory.

Oh, and don't forget to check out that National Championship trophy. Actually you can check out the baseball one or the football one.

Hookem Horns and enjoy your visit to Austin.

[doddleson]

If you are a military history buff (which I assume you are given what Matrix Games sells), I would recommend the Texas Military History Museum on Camp Mabry in Austin. They have dozens of vehicles on display, many in working condition, and beautiful exhibits inside. The first weekend of every March they have an event called Muster Day where they drive all of the operational vehicles around the parade ground. Very nice. Here is a link if you are interested:

http://kwanah.com/txmilmus/

Regards

[RUPD3658]

Thanks to all for the advice.

Due to the conference schedual I wasn't able to see too much. I did get to see the famous clock tower in Austin and got down to San Antonio for the Alamo and the river walk.

Next year is Chicago. I have been to the museum of science and industry there but will need ideas on new places to see.