At the end of this month, I’m loading up momma and babyjesus for a trip to Austin, Texas. I’ve got three days of seminars, but they don’t have a clue as to what to do.
Babyjesus loves the zoo. How would you rate the Austin zoo? SeaWorld in San Antonio? What else?
Give me some ideas. Just please remember they should be family friendly, although smart-ass suggestions are also encouraged and appreciated.
The Austin Zoo is fairly small, it may not be worth the bother. The San Antonio Zoo, OTOH, is big, and (if you are planning on going to SA for SeaWorld at some point) worth the trip.
Hmm, as an Austin native, it is really hard for me to say what visitors would find fun. Try these links:
I’m not sure where you’re from, but you should try to eat as much barbecue as possible. Go to The County Line for beef ribs and a good atmosphere, The Salt Lick for generally good BBQ and a real central Texas hillcountry feel, or Rudy’s for the best overall BBQ.
Lots of lakes in and around Austin, but they are at fairly low levels due to a drought this summer, so I’m not sure what condition they’ll be in right now. Otherwise, Lake Travis would be a great stop for you.
Also a warning: there is a lot of road construction going on right now on IH-35 and on many downtown roads. Give yourself some extra time to get around and don’t expect to find easy parking downtown.
Do we actually have more than just me in Austin now? Perhaps enough of a quorum for a dopefest (hint hint)?
I’m wanting to go to one. Hell, momma even knows about my bad habit here. If I can be a catalyst, I’d be happy to help.
Demise, I gave those sites a quick once-over. I’ll get into them a little more later. Six Flags looks fun though. Maybe Thursday or Friday after Monday-Wednesday seminars. I’ll need to decompress quite a bit.
As far as BBQ, I’m from Little Rock. BBQing a cow is just plain Wrong! But, you know what they say about Greece and Greecians, “When in Rome”. I might give it a try.
Important thing to remember - Texas is FREAKIN’ HUGE. Six Flags would be an overnight trip to Dallas/Ft Worth and back. Sea World and Fiesta Texas in San Antonio are doable as a day trip - SA is about 70 miles from Austin.
The Salt Lick is a must-do. All you can eat, and it’s the best barbecue around. They bring meat 'till you beg them to stop! Make sure you go with someone who’s been there before, or you’ll probably turn back thinking you’ve missed it when you still have 10 minutes worth of driving to do. It’s out in the booneys.
There are some great museums on the UT campus, both for natural history and art. As for the zoo, I’ve lived in or near Austin for most of my 29 years, and I’ve never found the fabled Austin Zoo. Go to San Antonio for that. You’ll be glad you did.
I was out at Lake Travis about two weeks ago - it’s about 20 feet low, but the water’s GREAT. Cool, clear, and excellent. Go to Pace Bend Park or Bob Wentz Park at Windy Point. They have the best beaches and easiest lake access.
How about taking a tour of the State Capitol building? If you’re in the mood for some Mexican food, try Chuy’s on Barton Springs Road. And definitely take a day (or two) trip to San Antonio to see the Riverwalk and the missions. You’ll be glad you did.
Chuy’s? They’re ok… Ninfa’s at I35 and 183 is much better. Mmmmmmmm…enchiladas verde…[drool]
And Kilt-wearin’ man, The Salt Lick is good, don’t get me wrong, but Rudy’s ( it’s a fair distance north on 183, right around the Duval exit) is better. The ‘sause’ (that’s what they call it) at Rudy’s is incredible. It isn’t all you can eat, but it damn sure is the bomb.
That’s near my neighborhood!
As for a decent tex-mex place with a great view, go to the Oasis, about sunset time. It has about 3 floors of patio overlooking lake Travis. It’s off of 620. I forget the actual address, but you can find it on austin.citysearch.com
Hey there. Watch your mouth. Whatever your opinion of Ninfa’s is, no Tex-Mex is much better than Chuys, and damn little, if any, is better than it.
No one’s told him about Bartons Springs yet have they? I guess at the end of October it will probably be too cool for you to go take a dip (68 degrees year round), but this huge spring-fed pool is really neat. And really cold. I wouldn’t go unless it’s at least in the mid eighties.
But bring the suits, and if it’s warm enough (a distinct possibility), you really should go.
Demise – Will have to try the Salt Lick. Name like that, gotta be good. Now is that a hillcountry or hillbilly feel? There’s enough of the latter around here, although I are one.
K-man – We’re talking about going to SA on Thursday or Friday. I still gotta check the 6-Flags website to see if they’re going to be open.
Kepi – A cow-orker was down there a few months ago and said the Capitol was a must do. He said the Presidential Library was a must do also.
Nerd – Oasis sounds like a great “nice place” to eat one night.
Neuroman – I don’t swim much, but momma and baby will definitely bring their suits. You also made me think. What’s the weather like at the end of October? Short sleeve or long sleeve?
I checked the Austin City Limits website and saw all the crap you have to go through to get tickets to a taping. Does anybody have a friend?
If everyone wants to try and get together for dinner (Salt Lick since I’ll get lost going or Oasis for the view), its ok with momma. I ran it by her last night and she said ok. Not real committed, but if we schedule it, she’ll go. I’m getting into town on Sunday, the 29th, and have plans for Monday night and probably Friday night. Any other night would be fine.
They aren’t the same?
Hmmm, well, the dining area is large and open, with wooden picnic tables set up. It is most definitely a shorts or jeans and t-shirt type place. Not terribly hillbilly though…
It isn’t terribly tough to find, but it is a way out there on a county road. I suggest printing a yahoo map out and keep an eye peeled.
Dunno if I can make it out to dinner, but if we can get enough interest in Austin or SA Dopers, I’ll try.
The weather at Halloween may be mild, or it may be cool. We’ve been getting some cool fronts lately. All the same, it’s usually doesn’t get that cold in winter. I think that the temperature hit 32 degrees for one night this last January. They keep Barton Springs at the same temperature year round, so the swimming should be just fine (the spring comes out at 68 degrees.)
Actually, I like the Austin Zoo because it is small. It’s basically a petting and animal rescue zoo (one bear, one lion, several tigers, etc.) and it’s perfect for preschool children. If you have small children, they get to feed alfalfa to the animals and there’s train and pony rides. They have haunted train rides every Halloween, but you have to call for reservations this year.
Having come from Houston, I like the small scale of things around here. There’s hundreds of little places like the zoo to visit.
In other years, tubing might be an idea, but the Guadalupe is flowing about a third of the water needed to make a good trip. You might want to try Schlitterbahn; it’s a water park in New Braunfels.
The Salt Lick is good, but Lockhart barbecue is an economic index!* Actually, you can’t go wrong with the Salt Lick. Besides, the drive out is still nice, if a little built up.
And the best Tex-Mex place is a little place in South (maybe East) Austin; the actual place depends on who you ask.
And there ain’t no hilbillies around here; they’re all cedar choppers! 
*Economist Magazine used the daily totals from Kreutz’s as the Lockhart Barbecue Index, to monitor oilfield activity in the Texas Chalk. Whoever had a good day went to Lockhart for barbecue, hence the strong correlation.
Maybe, maybe not. Hillcountry could refer to a bunch of gully-jumpers.
cf - Since I’ve got class Wednesday, momma and baby can probably do the Austin zoo that day. It’ll give babyjesus a chance to wear his Blues Clues costume on Halloween. We always take the camcorder and make a tape of all the animals at the zoo and then make a copy to take to his daycare. So far we’ve got tapes from Cincinnati (a really great zoo) and Memphis (not bad).
Has the food at the Oasis gotten better? Last time I was there (about 3 years ago, give or take) the only reason to go was to get a couple of beers, an order of nachos, and watch the sun go down over the lake. We generally went somewhere afterwards for dinner. I recall their food being pricy and not as good as the cost suggested…
But maybe they’ve fixed that.
No, they haven’t.
But the nachos and margaritas are quite nice.
I’m giving ths a bump to see if you’ve thought of anything else. It looks like the zoo (both) are in. I’m going to the LBJ Library to see what it’s like (they’re going to build Clinton’s about 6 blocks from where I work). Everything else is still just going to be by ear.
Jesus-
if you do go to the Salt Lick, remember that they accept cash only
definitely go to the LBJ museum- I went several times last semester and the fountain in the back is the most beautiful one on campus
have fun!
Cash is the only way Visa lets me travel.
One last bump.
D’oh! Let me get going on it…