Everyone needs the kind of friend who will spontaneously text them, “We’re going to Texas!“
And I will always be the kind of friend to excitedly respond, “Okay, when are we going!?”
I looked down at my phone and saw this text from my friend Val. We booked our flights and hotel shortly after. I just moved back to my hometown and am going through a breakup. Val knew that planning this Texas trip was exactly what I needed. We had both always dreamed of visiting Texas and even potentially moving there.
We decided to fly out on a Friday morning—well, we tried to! We missed our flight by one minute. We were one minute late to the doors being shut. Luckily, a very nice Delta agent allowed us to fly standby for the only other flight to Austin that day, and we made it on that plane. A few hours later, we landed in the 100 degree weather, ready to enjoy the Austin sunshine!
Here are some highlights of the things we did during our weekend trip in Austin:
- We visited a rooftop bar called Zanizbar, which ended up being my favorite. You take an elevator up to a gorgeous seating area surrounded by an abundance of plants. All of the workers even dress up in Hawaiian shirts! The menu isn’t very big, but the items on it are phenomenal. Val got a poke bowl and I got the Kahuna burger. WOW was this burger delicious–it was topped with grilled pineapple, sweet onion, cheddar, napa cabbage, teriyaki glaze, and kewpie mayo. I got the Tradewinds to drink, which was a pink frozen drink made with rum. I don’t typically order frozen drinks, but this one was great!
- If you’re looking for some good bbq in Austin, Cooper’s Old Time Pit Bar-B-Que is the place to be! You walk up to the counter and order your bbq by the pound. I got ribs and brisket–recommend both, but the brisket was my favorite! Next, you get to choose what sides you want. They have a spicy jalapeno mac and cheese and cornbread which are both excellent. They also offer plenty of free toppings including bacon, pickles, onions, etc. located next to the sauces. These meals are definitely shareable–I recommend ordering one serving of meat for two people and then getting individual sides.
- The Baked Bear wins for the best dessert spot! Warm cookies with ice cream smashed inbetween makes for the perfect dessert in the Texas heat. I got bear batter ice cream in between a cookie monster and gooey butter cake cookie. You can add all sorts of toppings to your creation too!
- We had to stop at the Museum of the Weird to see what it was all about. It was only about $13 for a ticket and it was worth it to see all of the weird things inside. I won’t spoil it too much but there are some pretty strange creatures inside! There are three floors of things to look at but it isn’t super long to go adventure through.
- South Congress Ave has the cutest boutiques to shop at. From homemade jewelry, to vintage thrifts, there was so much to see and we shopped for hours. There was even a Kendra Scott with a cute cafe inside it!
This trip was a blast and I can’t wait for the next adventure! Where do you think I should go next?
