Downtown Austin

Downtown Austin is a district of Austin, Texas.

Get around

Austin has a vibrant pedicab community of bicycle taxis that operate during the evening hours on and around the 6th street entertainment district. A pedicab can be a fun way to get around as well a scenic experience. Currently there are over 200 pedicabs operating in Austin that charge a fare based on tips.

See

• Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum, 1800 N Congress Ave., ☏ +1 512 936-8746. M-Sa 9AM-6PM, Su 12PM-6PM. This is one of the nicest museums in Austin. There is probably more than you want to know about Texas history here. The IMAX theater is also located here. 

• Women and Their Work Gallery, 1710 Lavaca St.. A visual and performing art organization that serves as a catalyst for contemporary art created by women living and working in Texas and beyond. For over 30 years, W&TW has brought groundbreaking art to Austin, with exhibitions, performances, literary readings and educational workshops. 

• Austin Museum of Art, 823 Congress Ave. Reflecting the unconventional spirit of Austin, AMOA-Downtown offers informative and informal art experiences oriented towards the interests of a broad general audience. The galleries serve as the Museum's primary exhibition site and present continually changing exhibitions and education programs that showcase an array of twentieth-century and contemporary art. To complement the art on view, the Museum presents a broad range of accessible, interdisciplinary, and hands-on public education programs for school children, families and adults. AMOA-Downtown also features the Community Room, a place for activities and private functions with gallery access. 

Do

• milk + honey spa, 204 Colorado St, ☏ +1 512 236-1112. 9AM-9PM, 7 days a week. milk + honey spa is a modern, elegant, design forward day spa in the heart of the 2nd Street District. It is a good option for travelers looking for a massage, facial, or nail treatment. moderate. 

Eat

• Best Wurst, 6th and San Jacinto; 6th and Red River. W-Su 7PM-3AM (San Jacinto); F-Sa 8PM-3AM (Red River). Downtown Austin's original bratwurst food stand serving hot bratwurst, Italian sausage and beef sausage on a hot grilled bun with plenty of sauerkraut to go around "all night long!" Tell everyone you ate at the original Best Wurst! 

• Casino El Camino, 517 E 6th St. (between Red River and Neches), ☏ +1 512 469-9330. Su-M 24 hours, Tu-Sa 11:30AM-7PM. Over 21 only. Bar that serves juicy 3/4 pound patties of certified Angus Beef. Also available: chicken sandwiches, hotdogs, veggie sandwiches, etc. Everything is SLOOOOOW-cooked so expect 45 min. to an hour waits for food at peak times, but it's worth it. Dark decor, eccentric jukebox, and nice back garden. 

• Cuba Libre, 409 Colorado St, ☏ +1 512 472-2822, info@cubalibreaustin.com. M-F 4PM-2AM, Sa 6PM-2AM, closed Sunday. Kitchen: M-Th 4PM-10:30PM, F 4PM-11PM, Sa 6PM-11PM. Happy Hour: M 24 hours, Tu-F 4PM-7PM. Caribbean cuisine with some Pan-Asian overtones but also some Southwestern touches such as mesquite grilling and a bit of Mediterranean thrown in the mix. If you like seafood there is something you will like here. Nice fusion restaurant. Moderately expensive. Dinners $12-18. 

• Frank and Angie's Pizzeria, 508 West Ave (next to Hut's Hamburgers), ☏ +1 512 472-3534. M-F 11AM-10PM, Sa 12PM-10PM, Su 5PM-10PM. Pizza and Italian food. Supposedly Quentin Tarantino's favorite restaurant in Austin. 

• Hoek's Death Metal Pizza, 511 E 6th St., ☏ +1 512 802-5298. Rock out and eat some of Austin's most delicious "metal" pizza. 

• Hut's Hamburgers, 807 W 6th St, ☏ +1 512 472-0693. Daily 11AM-10PM. A great, inexpensive 50s diner style hamburger joint on 6th St. near downtown. Every burger available with regular beef, bison (buffalo), chicken, vegetarian, or Hawaiian. Usually packed after a football game. Once you have completed your sinning here, the Whole Foods flagship store is right down the street. 

• Iron Works BBQ, 100 Red River St, ☏ +1 512 478-4855, fax: +1 512-478-2272, general@ironworksbbq.com. M-Sa 11AM-9PM. Decent BBQ very close to the Austin Convention Center downtown. BBQ plates, sandwiches, and side dishes. Dinners $6-12. 

• Koriente, 621 E. 7th St., ☏ +1 512 275-0852. Su-F 11AM-9:30PM, Sa 1PM-9:30PM. Asian fusion restaurant with many vegetarian and vegan options, including summer rolls, vegetarian curries, and sweet potato noodles. Tofu is available on most entrees. 

• Leaf, 419 W. 2nd St., ☏ +1 512 474-5323. Daily 11AM-4PM. This eatery is focused on serving fresh, tasty salads. Choose from the menu or make your own! A few of their soups are vegetarian and/or vegan. 

• Opal Divine's Austin Grill, 700 W 6th St, ☏ +1 512 477-3308. M-Tu 11AM-11PM, W-Th 11AM-12AM, F 11AM-2AM, Sa 10AM-2AM, Su 10AM-11PM (kitchen closes 1 hour before closing) (Sa-Su brunch 10AM-3PM). Serving up American food menu at three Austin locations, all of which have large outdoor decks for those who prefer to dine or enjoy an adult beverage with nature. 

• Scholz Garten, 1607 San Jacinto Blvd, ☏ +1 512 474-1958. The oldest continuously operating restaurant and also the oldest business in Texas, started just after the Civil War. Good German and other hearty fare. As the name implies, Scholz Garten also has a biergarten and serves many different types of beer. A traditional Democratic party hangout where Ann Richards is supposed to have plotted her successful run for governor. In the middle of it all, the Capitol is a few blocks away and the University of Texas is just north. 

• Serranos, 1111 Red River St, ☏ +1 512 322-9080, symphony@serranos.com. Su-Th 11AM-10PM, F-Sa 11AM-11PM. This is a great, reasonably priced Mexican place located on 11th and Red River. It's close the Red River music scene. On Tuesdays they have two for one fajitas. 

• Stubb's BBQ, 801 Red River St, ☏ +1 512 482-8422, restaurantmanager@stubbsaustin.com. Tu-Th 11AM-10PM, F-Sa 11AM-11PM, Su 11AM-9PM. Quintessential BBQ joint located near downtown. In addition to the great BBQ, the kitchen turns out some great side dishes, which are often overshadowed by the smoked meats. This unique venue has two concert venues, one indoor and one outdoor that can accommodate over a thousand people. Dinners $10-15. 

• Texas Chili Parlor, 1409 Lavaca St. (near the Capitol and south of UT), ☏ +1 512 472-2828. Daily 11AM-2AM. Get your red on. Serves the national dish of Texas, chili, in all heat ranges as well as other great Texan-American fare. This downtown neighborhood chili parlor is reportedly the local Republican hangout when "The Lege" is in session. Featured in Quentin Tarantino's movie "Death Proof." 

• Whole Foods Market Cafe, 525 N Lamar Blvd, ☏ +1 512 476-1206. Daily 8AM-10PM. 
• Amy's Ice Creams, 1012 W 6th St, ☏ +1 512 480-0673. Su-Th 11:30AM-12AM, F Sa 11:30AM-1AM. 

Sleep

Budget

• 1 Firehouse Hostel, 605 Brazos St, ☏ +1 512 201-2522, austinfirehouse@gmail.com. A hostel located in Austin's oldest standing firehouse. Dorm rooms, "euro-style" private rooms (shared bath), and suites (private bath) available. The hostel also has free wifi, free computer terminal, free breakfast, laundry facilities, and locker storage. $29-35 dorm beds, $79-99 euro privates, $119-159 suites. 

Mid-range

• Hampton Inn & Suites Austin - Downtown, 200 San Jacinto Blvd. (between Lady Bird Lake (formerly Town Lake) and 6th Street), ☏ +1 512 472-1500. A comfortable hotel with a luxury feel for the budget-minded traveler. Amenities include pool and free hot breakfast. From $159. 

• Radisson Hotel & Suites Austin, 111 Cesar Chavez at Congress, ☏ +1 512 478-9611, fax: +1 512 473-8399. Meeting facilities which can accommodate up to 600. 

• Hawthorn Suites Austin Central, 935 La Posada Dr, ☏ +1 512 459-3335. 

• La Quinta Inn Austin Capitol, 300 E. 11th St, ☏ +1 512 476-1166. 

Splurge

• Driskill Hotel. Gorgeous and historic hotel - regarded as a centerpiece for Austin's high society. The Driskill has been lauded as one of the most haunted hotels in America, so you might catch a few ghostbusters around. If you'd like to not go entirely bankrupt but still check out this truly beautiful Austin landmark, try out the 5-star Driskill Grill at lunch time or visit the bakery. 

• Four Seasons Hotel Austin, 98 San Jacinto Blvd., ☏ +1 512 478-4500, fax: +1 512 478-3117. Check-in: 3PM, check-out: 12:00 noon. Try to score a room on the lake side, and shoot for floors 7-9, above the heinous electric wires that mar the view (and add extra "atmosphere" to the pool area). These rooms are also a prime viewing spot for the bats that live under the bridge to the right, who make their mass exodus at dusk. Construction is beginning on the city side of the hotel for the new Four Seasons condos. Standard Rates from $385/night. 

• Hilton Austin, 500 E 4th St., ☏ +1 512 482-8000. Austin's convention center hotel. The city owns this beautiful, enormous new hotel in the heart of downtown, just off I-35 and 6th st. This hotel has Austin at its doorstep. It's eminently possible to stay here and enjoy yourself and never have to travel beyond walking distance. 6th St, the Capitol, and the university are all within 1-1.5 miles. 

• Omni Austin Hotel Downtown & Suites, 700 San Jacinto Blvd, ☏ +1 512 476-3700. Luxury downtown hotel with shops and offices on the ground floor. Close to the Capitol and 6th St.