Recently, I mentioned that one of my travel goals for 2016 is to explore more cities and sights in the United States.

I’ve always dreamed of strolling through the French Quarter in New Orleans, visiting more of the national parks out west, and doing a deep-dive into some of the unique regional cultures we have here in the States. More specifically, there are many places within Texas that I’d love to visit and highlight on this blog. In the off-chance that I haven’t mentioned this before, I think that Texas is a pretty incredible place to travel to.

Case in point: my new Houston Highlights series!

This month, I took the first step towards achieving that goal with a fun weekend trip to Austin. Not that you ever need a reason to travel, but this particular weekend did happen to be my 24th birthday weekend, so I was pretty stoked to be getting out of town and doing something different.

Austin isn’t new to me; I’ve spent a decent amount of time there in the past. However, it had been an unusually long time since my last visit, so I was lucky to have a local guide there to help me make the most of my time: my sister!

Brooke is three years younger than me, and right now she’s attending the University of Texas in Austin. So, not only does she have an insider’s perspective on the best spots in the city, but she also happens to be one of my best friends!

Luckily for me, she was super excited to show me around the city and take me to her go-to places for eating, drinking, and Instagram-worthy photo ops. Austin is known for its music, food, and artsy/hipster scene, so having a local show you around is the key to experiencing all of the city’s best hidden gems.

Here’s how we spent the weekend:

Friday Night

Banger’s Beer Garden

Austin is a top-notch food city, so when Derek and I arrived to my sister’s apartment around 7pm, we came hungry.

For our first of many mindblowingly delicious meals, we headed to Banger’s Sausage House & Beer Garden on Rainey Street. In true German beer garden fashion, the seating consisted of long communal tables with bench seating. After a not too long out-the-door wait, we squeezed in at one of the inside tables (thanks to some freakishly cold Texas weather, which made the outdoor beer garden temporarily intolerable).

As the name implies, the menu consists of…well…sausages and beer!

Of course, these aren’t your ordinary hot dogs. I ordered the “Drunk Chicken”, a chicken sausage cooked in beer and red pepper flakes, and topped with caramelized onions and garlic aioli. Being in a mood to really treat my taste buds, I also ordered a side of jalapeno mac & cheese.

The description says it all, but I’ll be clear: It. Was. Amazing.

Like, I’m pretty sure I still dream about it nightly. So freaking good. And since I’m not really a beer-drinker (the kind of phrase that tends to get you kicked out of German beer gardens), I complemented my meal with an Austin Eastcider.

Drinks on Rainey Street

Insider tip: While 6th street is the most well-known party spot in Austin, locals and those in-the-know head to Rainey Street.

This historic street has less notoriety than “Dirty Sixth” and ten times the charm. All of the establishments are old homes that have been converted into various funky bars and pubs. It’s a pretty mixed crowd, tending to swing a bit towards the 20-to-30-something hipster side, but great for all nonetheless.

Saturday

Torchy’s Breakfast Tacos

Derek and I were up earlier than Brooke on Saturday morning…a solid three or four hours earlier. Eager to make the most of our one full day in Austin, we headed out in search of one of the things Austin does best: breakfast tacos.

We actually have a Torchy’s Tacos in Houston, but for whatever reason we hardly ever go. Regardless, Torchy’s started in Austin and it’s a local staple, so it seemed only right to pay a visit while we were in town. Plus, neither of us had ever experienced the glory that is Torchy’s breakfast tacos.

Feeling gluttonous, I ordered two: one with bacon and eggs, and the other with potato and eggs, and both covered in plenty of cheese. You get a choice of sauces, and I opted for tomatillo and creamy poblano ranch.

Beware Coffee

After getting our fill of tacos, we headed around the corner to Beware Coffee, a charming little coffee truck with hands down the best mocha I’ve ever tasted.

It’s located directly adjacent to Spider House Cafe, an edgy Austin hotspot. However, after getting a taste of Beware’s coffee, none of Austin’s (hundreds of) other coffeehouses stood a chance. I was sold!

My mocha literally tasted like a liquefied dark chocolate bar. A fancy and expensive dark chocolate bar. I’m talking sinfully good.

They also have plenty of delightfully hipster options. As a prime example, my sister ordered a latte with hemp milk and coconut.

South Congress

Oh, SoCo. This little street has got to be the most Austin-y location in Austin.

Along this little section of South Congress Avenue lies a world of eclectic retailers, boutiques, antique shops, music and record stores, popular restaurants, and a handful of food trucks. I make it a priority to visit South Congress every time I’m in town, because it feels like such a quintessential Austin experience.

Some of the must-visit shops include:

• Uncommon Objects: Possibly the world’s most interesting antiques store. From taxidermy to vintage jewelry, religious figurines to terrifying mangled babydolls, musical instruments to Americana memorabilia, postcards to anatomy posters and everything in between, you can find it all in this jam-packed little shop.
• Lucy in Disguise: The costume store to end all costume stores. We’re talking elaborate head-to-toe replicas of character costumes, masks, props, party supplies and more.
• Maya Star: An unbearably cute boutique stocked with tops, dresses, skirts, pants, jewelry, and other accessories. Let’s just say that if I ever won the Powerball, my first move would be to purchase one of everything from this store.

HOPE Outdoor Gallery

Also known locally as Graffiti Castle or the Graffiti Park at Castle Hill, this unique attraction was once an abandoned concrete eyesore. Today, it’s a three-story educational art project that provides muralists and graffiti artists a chance to share their messages publicly. It’s open for everyone to use, and there is a variety of work to be seen.

From the messily scribbled “Tommy was here” kind of notes to the full-wall works of genuine art, it’s certainly a sight to behold.

Hey Cupcake

This weekend was a birthday celebration, which means it wouldn’t be complete without a delicious treat of some sort, right?

There’s actually a Hey Cupcake food truck on South Congress, but we opted for the brick and mortar location. I got the Vanilla Dream, and trust me, as a self-proclaimed chocolate addict, the Vanilla Dream is the only way to go.

Michi Ramen

Eager to experience more of Austin’s great food scene, we asked Brooke to pick one of her local favorites for dinner on Saturday night. Knowing that we’re big fans of pretty much all Asian cuisine, she and her boyfriend Alex took us to Michi Ramen.

It was totally packed when we arrived around 7:30, but the hour+ wait ended up being completely worth it. I ordered their namesake Michi bowl, which comes with ramen noodles, grilled pork slices, roasted seaweed, blackened garlic oil, mushrooms, and green onions (I also added a marinated soft-boiled egg) and I downed the whole thing.

Drinks on West Sixth Street

Of course, it wouldn’t be a complete weekend in Austin without a little taste of Sixth Street’s famous nightlife, would it? After dinner, Derek and I went out for a few drinks on West Sixth, the tamer and less wild version of the more popular East Sixth.

Amy’s Ice Creams

Amy’s is perhaps Austin’s most popular spot for desserts and frozen treats, and thanks to their super late hours (some stores are open until 1am) we were able to indulge a bit after our low-key night out on West Sixth.

While I always go for the classic dark chocolate with crushed Oreo’s, they have plenty of other fun and funky rotating flavors like  “All Thai’ed Up” (sweet cream with ginger, fresh basil, coconut cream, coconut rum, lime juice, and toasted coconut), “Bee Cave Crunch” (sweet cream blended with Mexican vanilla, cinnamon, honey, candied pecans, and pecan pieces), “Honey Habanero” (sweet cream blended with Good Flow honey and fire-roasted habanero peppers), and and “Maple Bacon” (sweet cream blended with maple syrup and candied bacon).

Sunday Morning

Breakfast at Güero’s Taco Bar

Our final morning in Austin was a short one, since both Derek and I had to get back to Houston to get ready for the week ahead (since, you know, that was the week I started my new job!!)

But before we headed home, Brooke escorted us back to South Congress for a quick bite at Güero’s Taco Bar. I had the huevos rancheros and fresh orange juice, and while this wasn’t our favorite meal during our visit  (hey, it had a lot of tough competition!) it was a good ending to a fun-and-food-filled birthday weekend.

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Have you ever been to Austin? What was your favorite thing you did, saw, ate, or experienced? If you’ve never been, would you want to go?