First time in Austin
 

My husband and I will be in Austin over Memorial Day Weekend. He is here for a conference. we love history and I will be on my own for the days. Good places to eat would be great. We are staying near the conference center. Is any hotel better than another. What would you suggest to fill my days? Do we need a car? What will the weather be? any other info would be wonderful. thanks for all your help.

Welcome (in advance) to Austin.

If you love history please visit the TX State Capitol Building. Entrance and tours are free.

There's a great museum of Texas history called the Bob Bullock TX State History Museum. In addition to the museum you can watch IMAX movies including (but not limited to) The Story of Texas.

http://www.thestoryoftexas.com/the_museum/about.html

If you like art, the Blanton Museum of Art is just across the street.

http://www.blantonmuseum.org/

There is a free museum neaby on the UT campus called the Henry Ransom Center. The displays change all the time, but one constant is a Guttenberg Bible which is pretty cool.

http://www.hrc.utexas.edu/

We also have Duck Tours:

http://www.austinducks.com/

For evening entertainment you are within walking distance of 6th Street which has dozens of restaruants and bars with great live music.

Most if not all of these sites can be reached by riding the 'Dillo bus which is free. There are also city buses, here's some info:

http://www.downtownaustin.com/transportation/transit/

There are some very unique stores on South Congress.

Most any hotel near the convention center is OK. I recommend you stay as close to 6th and Congress as you can and stay west of I-H35.

The weather will be hot and humid (sorry!!) so find a hotel with a pool.

If you have any other questions post back and I will answer if I can.

I just thought of something else. Just before dusk go to the Congress Street Bridge and you can watch the bats fly out. It's really cool, at dusk a gazillion bats fly out of the bridge and it looks like a big black cloud. This is a big attraction and of course, it's free. :[

http://www.io.com/house/bats1.html

Everything that PM said except I'd first say that 6th street tends to be full of college kids partying...I don't know your likes or age, so I might reccommend South Congress Ave instead.

I'd say you need a car, but you could do without one if you can hoof it for a mile or two. You can ride the 'Dillo for free during the days. Depends how far you venture at night. You can catch a taxi pretty easily. (Not like NYC, but there are more and more each week it seems)

IF you are staying near the convention center there are several good hotels there. You probably have that covered. As for places to eat: Austin literally has dozens of great (not just good) places to eat. Tell us what you prefer and if you plan on getting a car or not. There are several good resaurants near the Convention Center - Iron Works BBQ, Moonshine Cafe (the stuffed trout ROCKS) PF Changs, Dona Emilios, Mongolian BBQ, Eddie V's, Roys....

Chances are that Memorial Day will be upper 80's or low 90s' and humid. Check weather.com right before you start packing.

Austin is quite correct about 6th Street and college kids but hopefully they will all be out of town over Memorial Day weekend. :-)

Another area for live music that might be more appropriate for people over 25 is the Warehouse District. That's on 4th Street, just a few blocks west of Congress.

Suggestions about history were dead on.

If the weather is really warm/hot and you need to cool off, head on over to Barton Springs pool. This natural springs fed pool is a constantly cold 68 degrees, so you'll definitely get refreshed.

There is also a nice botanical garden in Zilker Park that you can check out as well. May is a wonderful time to check it out.

poolqueen --
Please post with details when you come back. We're going to Austin for the first time in July.

Someone recommended the Broken Spoke to us for country music. Comments from you Austinites?

gtg, I've only been to Broken Spoke once. I'm no Country and Western fan so I didn't care much for it. But if you are into C&W music and dancing, the Broken Spoke is very popular.

If you end up getting a car, you'd probably enjoy dinner at the Oasis Restaurant. Be sure to google the Austin sunset times when you're here, and get to the restaurant an hour or so before sunset. Food is OK, drinks good, but the views over Lake Travis are spectacular!

http://www.oasis-austin.com

As far as the Broken Spoke, it's one of those Austin icon places. You just gotta do it :)

I've been there during an Asleep at the Wheel ho-down, and what a gig it was!! Packed to the brim with all sorts of folks. They've got a nice dance floor and plenty of seating at tables. I've never found their food very good, so we just go for drinks.

Another restaurant that's fun in the summer (if you're here on a Wednesday) is Hill's Cafe on South Congress. Owned by Bob Cole (local DJ and voice of the Texas Longhorn Band), it's filled with Texas memorbilia and autographed pics of celebrities who've eaten there. Bill Clinton was there recently when he was stumping for Hillary during the primaries. But it's the music that's fun in the summertime. Wednesday evenings.

Threadgills is another place that has live music.

Actually, so many restaurants have some sort of music, esp. on the weekend nights.

Hula Hut is a neat Tex-Mex restaurant, right on the lake in town, with a pier that hangs over the water for dining. The outdoor bar is always a busy place at happy hour. Love their Thai nachos!

Definitely the bats in May! One of the coolest things you'll ever see... or for that matter, smell, lol!

Welcome! We're happy to have ya!! <):)

Asleep at the Wheel ho-down! :-d

Thanks for all your ideas. It sounds great. We are thinking about the Marriott near the convention center. I can't wait to try the restaurants. As always the fodorites are helpful. I will post when we return. One more question is it safe to walk at night along 6th st or anywhere downtown. .

Not sure which Marriott that is...

Sixth is safe at night, but I wouldn't wait till 2AM to head back to the hotel.

Bats aren't out in full force yet in May, but still, will see some. They give birth I think later in June. They leave en masse to get food for their babies.

Broken Spoke is a true Texas honky tonk. Always lots of dancing there for sure. Threadgills has food and music, but their food isn't so good (IMHO).

All of the following are on Congress Avenue or South Congress (south of the Colorado River)
For good Mexican food, you must go to Las Manitas downtown for a great breakfast. Manuels and Gueros both have great lunches and dinner. The margaritas at Gueros are really good. (Chuy's is also good, but more Tex Mex than the authentic food at these restaurants and not on Congress.)
HomeSlice pizza on South Congress Avenue is a great place to grab a slice at lunchtime, fast, cheap and very good. Vespaio/Enoteca is great for authentic, more upscale Italian food, but still very casual.
South Congress is a great place to shop. Allen's boots on SoCo is wondeful to browse. Did you know there are $6,000 boots? Check it out! Lots of fun.

My bro-in-law is the chef at Z'Tejas (the original Z'Tejas) on 6th Street so I can recommend that as a good place to eat. Great Tex-Mex with a twist.

I checked and I'm assuming you mean the Courtyard Mariott at the Convention Center? Excellent location. Steps away from everything. You could go without a car, easily.

We ended up at the Hilton. Is that ok as well. Sounds like we can eat our way through Austin. Another diet week. Is the Lady Bird Garden a worthwhile trip? Is the duck tour a good way to get the feel of the city? Thanks again for everything.

Poolqueen,
We hope to be in Austin this summer. There are two Hiltons. Can you tell me which one you're at? Is it the 4th Street one or the Garden Inn (which I believe is a little farther from the centre of town).

Everyone, including a colleague here whose hometown is Austin, has told me that we have to go to the Broken Spoke. We won't have a car so she said we'd have to take a cab there but that they'd be happy to call a cab for us to return to the hotel.

Have a great time -- I'm definitely looking forward to your trip report!

Did anyone mention the Driskill? It's beautiful and historic.

http://www.driskillhotel.com/

While at the UT art museum also walk over and visit the LBJ Presidential Library (free) and consider taking a UT campus tour and or tower tour.

The duck tour is a fun, funky look at downtown including a splash into Town (Lady Bird Johnson) Lake. You may want to consider going back to the lake to eat at Hula Hut which sits right on the water.

I think you would enjoy some of your alone time exploring the shops on South Congress. If you like ice cream don't miss the local favorite - Amy's Ice Cream. Also don't know where you are coming from and if you have Whole Foods there but the big one on - I think it is Lamar - is amazing. You would have fun just looking around as well as eating there.

I'd add Shoreline Grill for eating. Next to the 4 Seasons on Town (Lady Bird) Lake. Great food and location.

We haven't been to Lady Bird Garden, but everyone we know who has thinks it's well worth it.