Visiting in December

I%26#39;ll be making a short trip to Austin in December to visit my sister and was wondering what some of the ';must'; things to do are? My sister recently moved there so she%26#39;s still finding her way around. Any good BBQ places that are to die for? I%26#39;ll only be there for 2.5 days, but I%26#39;m hoping to return in April %26#39;07. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

Visiting in December

Here are some must-do%26#39;s in my opinion:

Mt. Bonnell - you climb 100 stone steps to get to the top and it%26#39;s a great photo op place. You overlook Town Lake (Colorado River) and really get a nice view.

The Oasis/Lake Travis - another great photo op. Food isn%26#39;t the greatest in the world but the view is awesome. Go on a nice sunny day and sit outside. We usually go off hours (not lunch/not dinner) to avoid the crowds and just hang out with drinks and appetizers.

The Capitol Building - downtown Austin. It%26#39;s a must-see in my opinion. Very beautiful and historic. Walk around inside and on the grounds.

Whole Foods - downtown on Fifth and N. Lamar. Definitely NOT your ordinary grocery store. There%26#39;s a parking garage under the building so that won%26#39;t be a problem. This place really is not to be missed even if you have a Whole Foods at home. Trust me, you don%26#39;t have one like this (the headquarters is here).

Town Lake - a trail winds around Town Lake downtown. If you need to walk off some BBQ this is the place to do it. Great for people watching and getting a good feel for the Austin crowd.

Driskill - this is a beautiful old hotel on Sixth Street. Have a drink or lunch in the cafe. Walk around Sixth Street to see where the action is if you%26#39;re a college student. LOL!

South Congress - walk up and down S. Congress (just south of downtown over the bridge) and see all the funky stores. This area of town prides itself on being ecclectic.

BBQ - Everyone has an opinion about BBQ and what is good and what is not. My favorite downtown is Ironworks. You order at the counter, then pay the cashier, and sit wherever you want. Very casual but very good.

Lots of other suggestions. Not sure how old you are or what you%26#39;re interests are so let me know if you want more ideas.

Have a great time!!!

Visiting in December

Well, I%26#39;m 40 and my sister is 37....we%26#39;re both single, although, she%26#39;s engaged. We%26#39;re not into clubs, but we do enjoy a neat bar to hangout at and have a few adult beverages ;) . We%26#39;re both active and probably don%26#39;t act our age. Anymore tips you have would be great. Whatever I don%26#39;t get to do on this trip I%26#39;ll be sure to checkout the next time I%26#39;m in Austin.

We%26#39;re about the same age and my favorite place to hang out is the Warehouse District. I love going to Saba Blue Water Cafe for appetizers and drinks. Happy hour during the week is half off. There are lots of other bars to check out in the same area - just walk around and see what you like. Six looked like it was pretty busy last time I was out. It%26#39;s co-owned by Lance Armstrong.

If you love beer, you should go to the Ginger Man.

A new place that I just heard about that sounds like fun is Joe%26#39;s Bar and Grill. It%26#39;s at Fifth Street and West and is supposed to have a bunch of games you can play while you drink. Also they have an outdoor deck which I love when the weather is great (meaning not too hot!).

Pete%26#39;s Dueling Pianos is a fun place on 6th to have a drink and listen to the pianos. It can get very lively with people paying more to hear ';their'; school song.

If you%26#39;re here after the middle of December try to see the Hippie Christmas lights on 38 1/2th Street(off Guadalupe). Imagine Halloween, Christmas, Easter, Barbie, Barney, recycle, you name it and there will be funky lights for it. Kettle Korn sets up a trailer, walk the 3 or so blocks. Don%26#39;t try to drive it - you%26#39;ll miss all the special things in the backyards!

And finish off with a peppermint ice cream at Amy%26#39;s right there on Guadalupe!

Howdy! I was wondering if anyone would recommend any Christmasy stuff and am glad that someone already mentioned the 38th Street lights. Do make an effort to check those out, depending on when you%26#39;re here. Your sister will know where they are. Unfortunately, they%26#39;re not what they used to be as property taxes and electric bills have persuaded some of the residents to move elsewhere (dear TA lurkers: the guy with the volcano house has moved :( ) but it%26#39;s still phenomenal --- and in a hippy do-your-own-thing way. If you%26#39;re lucky, it will be about 45 degrees, as good as the walking weather in Austin gets.

You may hear or read about the Armadillo Bazaar, a Christmas arts and crafts show that starts about December 10 (maybe earlier) and goes until the end of the Holidays. IMHO, it%26#39;s probably not much different from what you%26#39;d find in NJ. On the other hand, you might enjoy the Trail of Lights, which is a fairly commercial exhibit but still wondrous at points. The Trail is in Zilker Park, and the best way to get there (maybe the only way anymore) is to take a shuttle bus through the trail or walk through it.

Must-see year round attractions include our Capitol, awing visitors to Austin since 1886 and seven feet taller than the national Capitol (of course!). There%26#39;s also the Bob Bullock Texas History Museum, which has a Texas dose of pride built in but is very informative and interesting. That should kill 2 days.

Now, barbecue?! In Austin, in my highly subjective opinion, the best barbecue is at Texas Rib Kings, at the intersection of U.S. 183 and Burnet Road behind the Olive Garden. It%26#39;s a little store right next to some big chain bar %26amp; grill. They use pineapple in their barbecue and boy is the meat tender! Downtown, there%26#39;s the Iron Works, which I%26#39;ve recently been to after a long absence and I have to say it%26#39;s getting better, but it%26#39;s not nearly as good as it was in the 1990s, when Jay Leno recommended it to all his friends. I also like Green Mesquite%26#39;s food, but I may be in the minority on that, and at any rate the service is very uneven. I wouldn%26#39;t waste a trip on the Salt Lick; if you do go, try the restaurant on Loop 360, but better still avoid that in favor of my other recs. If you like tourist barbecue, and have a long time to wait for food (I mean more than an hour), hit the County Line, either on 2222 or on Bee Cave Road, just past the Capital of Texas Highway.

But, as other posters will confirm, if you REALLY want barbecue, you need to load up the car. Best bet is to head to Lockhart, perhaps 30 miles southeast of Austin on U.S. 183, and try the food at either Smitty%26#39;s or Kreuz%26#39;s (';Krites';). They%26#39;re the granddaughter and the grandson of the owner of the original Kreuz%26#39;s. These Germans serve fork-tender barbecue without sauce, or even knives, on butcher paper. You get your choice of crackers or bread; the condiment room has sodas in bottles and cheese, pickles, peppers, and Blue Bell ice cream. Smitty%26#39;s, located in the original business%26#39;s building off the town square since 1899, has a dining room lined with cafeteria tables and folding chairs, plenty of pictures of the Longhorns, and walls reeking of a century of barbecue smoke. Kreuz%26#39;s is in a large red barn that you can%26#39;t miss from 183. You%26#39;re likely to wait for your food even in the afternoon on a weekday. It%26#39;s worth it.

That%26#39;s a start. Someone else will tell you that Smitty%26#39;s is better than Kreuz%26#39;s, or that you really need to go to Taylor and try Moeller%26#39;s, or go to Cooper%26#39;s (should be Cuper%26#39;s) in Llano, or City Market in Elgin, and so on. There%26#39;s plenty of room for differences of opinion, but the bottom line is central Texas is great barbecue country.

Thanks everyone!! I%26#39;m really hoping to try some good BBQ while in Austin - I realize it%26#39;s subjective and being from NJ I%26#39;m sure I don%26#39;t know what *good* BBQ really is. Although, I did really enjoy Kansas City so I%26#39;m hoping you Texans can provide a nice contrast to what I know.

Thanks again!!

I%26#39;ll add one thing about barbecue. Remember that often you will be offered moist, more moist and then lean barbecue. Yes, that means that moist is fat!. It has nothing to do with sauce. We always choose the leanest available - it%26#39;s never ';dry'; - just not dripping with fat.

If you like chopped beef, you can specify which version of ';moist'; you want chopped.

Welcome to Austin, and let us know how you enjoy the trip?

Looks like you%26#39;ve got a ton of great suggestions. I%26#39;d recommend alot of the same. Also, Chuy%26#39;s is great for tex mex food, and for BBQ, you can drive out to the Saltlick BBQ in Driftwood, TX (http://www.saltlickbbq.com/) which is right south of Austin (maybe 1 hr from downtown)... it is ';dry county'; which means you bring your own beer and wine to dinner w/ you. (don%26#39;t go to the Saltlick360 in Austin though-- it%26#39;s not as good.) One thing we enjoy doing when we go to Saltlick-- visit the two wineries in Driftwood (Mandola Vineyards and Driftwood Vineyards), do some tastings, buy a bottle of TX wine and take it to dinner at Saltlick with you! (just be sure to bring 2 wine glasses for yourselves) Saltlick is a great country atmosphere too. Great cobbler and pecan pie too. :-) -- Oh, and don%26#39;t go too late on Fri or Sat b/c there%26#39;s always a long wait on weekend evenings.

As the other review mentioned, for downtown, I highly recommend Saba Blue Water Cafe%26#39;s happy hour (try their mojito%26#39;s and fabulous appetizers!!) and gingerman.

Thanks everyone for all your tips - I plan on printing this out before I leave and bringing it along. In three weeks I%26#39;ll be in Austin!