austin, y'all!

austin kicked off our four city tour this

president's day weekend, and it was a

great place to start! after hearing so 

much about this up-and-coming city

in texas we may have been a bit over-

expectant, but we eased into the texas

lifestyle and had some of the best food

here. austin is a great mix between the

laid back texas vibe combined with

 its own personality + flavor mixed in

there. it took a bit of time for us to find the

best parts, but i always enjoy discovering a

new place and uncovering the hidden gems.

what's not to love about a state capitol,

old vintage signs, and cowboy hats everywhere?

we were really excited to find the charming street

of south congress -- this area is exactly how i

pictured austin, and it is a colorful, laid-back,

unique place with a lot of texan charm.

allens boots is a MUST- stop in austin. you walk in

the doors and the amazing, pungent smell of leather

hits you. then you stagger around the thousands of

cowboy boots...every size, shape, and color...just 

taking them in. it is TEXAS through and through.

^^ just perusing for a pair... jk, they are seriously

in the price range of $800-$1000 here! and such

quality -- those texans don't mess around!

BOOTS on BOOTS on BOOTS

after that shopping we stopped at the famed

torchy's tacos in their charming food trailer location.

it was some good eating, but the house made green chili 

QUESO

is really the award winner here for us. it makes regular

queso seem like a joke! the flavor is perfected, and

there is a huge scoop of their homemade guacamole

right in the middle as you dip the queso. this is all 

eaten with their homemade chips, underneath the

colorful lights and big texas skies. i approve!

i also approve of the doughnut truck right down the

street ... gourdough's! BIG FAT DONUTS is the 

perfect slogan, because that's exactly what they are.

 i stuck with the simple "naughty & nice" flavor which 

is cinnamon sugar with honey butter drizzle. it was 

melt-in-your-mouth good and so thick and fluffy! 

chase got cake batter, yum! there are endless flavors.

 ^^ the best kind of date is a donut date.

we walked all along south congress on full stomachs 

and explored the darling shops and markets ^^

walking the river by downtown, and stopping at more famous

food spots. i don't know if i'm proud or embarrassed

about how much we ate in this delicious city!

don't forget to throw in some sparkling coconut flavored

la croix (why is this drink only popular in the south?!)

and some live street music to complete the great day!

can't pass up a good candy shop! especially when 

it has our VERY favorite sour cherry slices. ^^

it was fun to explore UT's campus, see their giant football

stadium, (hook 'em horns!) the LBJ presidential library,

the greek row (we found chio & sig) and the fun area.

i adored the darling restaurant environments

along south congress. dusky, relaxed, perfect! ^^

^^ our fifth food truck stop of the day ... but who's counting?

as if we needed more treats! ^^

those beautiful texas skies produce some good sunsets ^^

 thanks austin, for a real good time!

xo

^^ and let's not forget the constant country music

blasting in our rental car as we pulled out of austin

and drove on to san antonio + houston. texas forever!