My Weekend Trip to The Live Music Capital of the World

If you love music, beer and food, you owe it to yourself to visit Austin, Texas, at least once in your life.  It is one of my favorite places in the country.  On Friday, my lovely girlfriend informed me that we would be headed to the airport after work for a surprise weekend trip.  Until we checked in at security, I literally had no idea we'd be headed to Austin.

Our plane landed in Austin at midnight.  By 12:45 am, we were at an Irish bar on Sixth Street enjoying live music.  One of my favorite things about the city is that you can see live music at practically every bar, every night.  And by 1:30 am, don't be surprised if there's a drunk fiddle player standing on the bar.

Another great thing about Austin is the food, especially after hours.  We stumbled out of the bar at 2 am and headed down 5th Street, where several food trucks cook up greasy grub for drunken revelers into the wee hours of the morning.  I polished off the evening with a Greek Gyro and one of the best burgers I've ever had.  Of course, good food always tastes better at 2:30 in the morning.

I had been to Austin before, but I had never been to the Moody Theater.  It is one of the most legendary music venues in the country and is now home to the long running "Austin City Limits" series on PBS.  It's located in downtown Austin on Willie Nelson Way (Second Avenue) and you will know you are there when you see Willie's statue on the corner.

That night, we saw a veteran of the Texas Country scene, Pat Green, play a sold out show at ACL.  I hadn't seen, or heard of, Pat Green before.  He was good, but honestly, I could have seen anyone play this venue and still had a great time.  When you walk into this place, it feels instantly familiar. I couldn't help but remember all of those great shows I have seen from this venue on television over the years.  If these walls could talk, they would have an amazing story to tell.  And the sound in the theater is phenomenal. It truly is one of the greatest music venues in the world.

If you ever go to Austin City Limits, I strongly suggest you have dinner or drinks across the street at Lambert's.  It's one of the best restaurants in Austin and the drink menu is superb.  I had a jalapeno infused libation called the "Sanchez" which lit my mouth, and my liver, on fire.

Another must-visit is the Driskill Hotel, which is located downtown on Sixth Avenue.  Their lounge is  routinely ranked as one of the greatest bars in America and it is a classy joint that doesn't mess around with their booze.  Try the "Bat-tini", the self proclaimed "official drink of Austin" and save room to visit their restaurant, which serves some of the best pastries you will find anywhere in the country.

Sunday, we set out to visit another local shrine, the Stevie Ray Vaughan statue, located on the banks of the Lady Bird Lake, not far from downtown and the Congress Street Bridge, which is famous for its colony of bats.  It was a glorious 70 degree day and I enjoyed a cup of coffee while nursing a hangover and paying my respects to Stevie Ray.

We finished off our weekend getaway with lunch at another local landmark, Stubbs Barbecue.  If you've ever seen the Stubbs BBQ sauce in the store, this is the place where it originated.  Located north of Sixth Street, in the Red River District, which is a haven for the local hard rock and metal scene, Stubbs is famous for its brisket, cornbread, collared greens and live music.  It's one of the funkiest venues I've ever seen and hosts concerts year round on a their intimate inside stage. along with bigger shows in their outdoor amphitheater.  It's a must see if you're going to Austin and was a great way to end our two day excursion.