Is there a big conference or special event in Auston during the March 31 time period? I'm going to be in Austin then, and have thus far found it impossible to get a downtown hotel room. All the downtown hotels I contacted have no vacancies.

I was finally able to reserve a room in a hotel located a few miles from downtown, which leads to another question: What is the parking situation downtown? Is it difficult finding street parking or parking lots?

Nothing major going on that weekend. There is an educators convention and some sort of business development gathering called Pathfinders. There is also a national video game event that weekend. Maybe the confluence of the three has caused rooms to be booked.

I have never really had trouble parking downtown. Kind of depends on (1) whether you are talking day or night and (2) location downtown you are talking about. There should be plenty of garage parking. Street parking will be readily available during the day. Night might be a little more difficult around 6th Street.

The Spamarama festival (a celebration of that potted meat delicacy) is on April 1 so that's probably why the rooms are booked! LOL! If you like art and you're in town April 1-2, the Austin Fine Arts Festival is happening downtown.

Thanks for the information! I'll be downtown mainly during the day, so it's good to know parking won't be a problem.

Austin Motel has been booked for a couple of months...they said there is a custom car show across the street from them. So we're staying at the borrring Radisson.

I went to Expedia and saw several hotels available in Austin March 31. Try that.

Thanks, but I had already tried Expedia, and many other Web sites. I want a downtown hotel, and do not want to spend more than $150. Expedia has only 2 downtown hotels listed, and both are more than $200. All the other Expedia Austin hotels are outside downtown.

Austin is like other southwest and southern US places in the Spring, especially late March into April. The weather is nice then before the real heat hits. Weekends are going to be the most popular, and pricey. I've seen the same thing happen in Vegas in that timeframe.

The weather should be nice, but do remember it was 90 degrees in the city today!

Your 90's in March are a little unusual, according to my Austin sources, LOL.