Austin Escapades: A Thrilling Weekend of Food, Fun, and Friends

Flight from KC to Austin

On January 31, Carrie and I headed to the airport for Austin, TX. Carrie and Corrie had tickets for Justin Timberlake on Monday night, so we decided to make a trip of it. We planned to meet Corrie (from Houston) and Javier (from Dallas). Javier and I planned to hang out Monday night and visit some beer spots while Corrie and Carrie attended the concert.

We rented a house for the trip and had a great time. We ate at wonderful spots and had drinks at some good places too. I'll share some of the spots we visited with recommendations if you find yourself in Austin.

Crawfish for Lunch

After Mexican food on Friday night to start the trip, we went for a late lunch at Shoal Creek Saloon, where we had crawfish. It had been a long time since I had crawfish, and it did not disappoint. Corrie had to remind me how to eat crawfish, and we made quick work of 2 lbs. We spent a few hours here enjoying the food and beverages. Corrie mentioned that her brother, Curt, and sister-in-law, Leah, met and worked at Shoal Creek Saloon, which was cool to hear. It was a good spot with good drinks and a fun environment.

Other food enjoyed at Shoal Creek Saloon included Jambalaya, which was fantastic, and a family platter that included soft shell crab. It was my first time having soft shell crab, and I loved it!

Selfie in front of The Garage

Saturday night found us at The Garage, a unique cocktail bar that Javier had found and made reservations for. The Garage is located in an actual parking garage. A good-sized bar with seats around the bar and edges made for a unique experience. It was a little chilly in The Garage because it was, in fact, a garage for parking cars. It was really cool, though. We had a great time trying different drinks and people-watching.

That night, we went back to the house and enjoyed the evening drinking wine and eating snacks. We kept it simple after being out most of the day.

Sunday found us at Jacoby's Restaurant and Mercantile, which was an excellent find by Carrie, I believe. Once again, this place had excellent drinks and food. I had chicken fried steak and waffles. So good! I couldn't finish it all, but we also had some appetizers. Before we left, we got some strawberry cake to take home. As our trip was coming to an end on Tuesday night, Carrie mentioned this was one of her favorite spots of the whole trip. It was really good, and I highly recommend a visit to Jacoby's Restaurant and Mercantile.

Oasis Texas Brewing Company

Sunday afternoon/evening found us at Oasis Texas Brewing Company on the Colorado River. Good beer and incredible views. We enjoyed watching the sun go down and seeing the beautiful views while drinking good drinks. The Oasis Texas Brewing Company was a cool spot with beautiful views of the river and, of course, the sun going down. A lot of seating with various bars and places to eat made for a fun place to watch the setting sun.

We did manage to get some culture while we were in Austin by visiting The Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum, which Carrie had been wanting to visit. We toured the museum for a few hours and made it to all of the floors. I am so glad we were able to tour the LBJ museum. His presidency was overshadowed by the Vietnam War. He did so many great things for the country, but the war took away from his legacy.

Empty Bottles From Trip

We had a great time with our visit to Austin, Texas. A fun town with a bit of crazy traffic, but we had a wonderful time. Thanks to Corrie for driving us around for much of the time. We usually try to snap a picture of the empty bottles at the end of our trips with Corrie, and we made it through a few bottles. Some really good wine that Corrie brought with her on the trip, which was great!

I realized I did not post any pictures of Justin Timberlake. Well, I will leave that for Carrie to provide. Carrie did say it was a fun concert and they had great seats. I am good with missing the concert and instead touring around Austin with Javier, drinking good beer.