Let’s talk about Austin TX! If you’ve been, you already love it. If you haven’t, I bet this little ladies travel guide to the city will have you looking into airfare.

Short version: its awesome. Their slogan is “Keep Austin Weird” and we definitely explored all the weirdness Austin had to offer…

The “we” is my tribe of fellow Boston-area photographers who I love to the core. But this is a totally separate topic that needs its own post.Thanks to Molly & Ange for the iPhone snaps above!

My Austin TX wedding videographer friend Candace of Vida Film Productions was the sweetest in sending us suggestions! We rented a car for the weekend so she said we had to start lakeside at Hula Hut. Highly recommend a car rental, by the way—Austin is super spread out and you don’t want to miss any of it.

Hula Hut was the perfect post-flight stop with a vaca vibe, outdoor waterfront seating and margaritas. Though the margs were TINY…

Our #1 planned stop was Rainey Street, a magical road filled with houses-turned-bars that have so much charm and outdoor seating.

Lots of live music & yummy drinks. Lucille’s was my favorite for cocktails (also the cheapest!) and Un-BAR-lievable was insane for dancing. This is a must-visit for ladies who want a good night scene but don’t want the 21-year-old crowds of 6th Street.

I loved this Backpack Wine canned Rose! The pretty drinks above are courtesy of Lucille’s on Rainey St.

A night on Rainey Street is fueled by food trucks! There’s a plaza of them ready. My pick was the Enrapas from Four Brothers. So good, I got them twice.

Find the Electric Cab driven by Aaron. He’s the literal best…

cranked up the music, everything from Nirvana to Juvenile, with lights and dancing as we headed to South Congress Ave for live music at C-Boys Heart & Soul. But first, karaoke at Ego’s, a dive bar down the road. Don’t go for the ambiance, just for the entertainment.

C-Boys was the top recommendation from Suz’s super-talented musician-fiance Pat McCann of Brothers McCann. Brian Scartocci was the headliner and he was AMAZING. So incredibly talented and such an engaging performer. Guy’s got style, too. Retro Soul.

Day 2 started at Cenote Patio Cafe for coffee and breakfast tacos. YUM. This was just down the road from our East Austin AirBnB. Our AirBnB slept 8 of us perfectly, with a full kitchen and a second-floor deck lounge. The management team was awesome & responsive too.

Austin has so many building murals throughout the city—some popular and some hidden. This beautiful one was on the backside of the Cenote building. After coffee, then shopping on South Congress Ave. The stores definitely in line with the “Keep Austin Weird” slogan. Eclectic and fun, always expressive.

I died and went to boot heaven. If I wasn’t on an offseason budget, I would have bought the boot in the middle. I loved it and it was comfy too. Something for everyone in Allens Boots.

All that great shop browsing works up an appetite…for tacos & guac of course! Guero’s Taco Bar on South Congress is a great stop. The guac was delish and I highly recommend the fish tacos. They might be the best I’ve ever had.

Tom’s has surprisingly good coffee! There was a popular ice cream spot next door but it was too chilly. Go figure, we head from Boston to Austin and catch a rare cold front!

We found the “Greetings from Austin” sign!

Its in the Bouldin area, near an adorable little plant shop called Frond and a wine patio – Lenoir – we wish we could have sat at, but it was oddly chilly. Ok, freezing. Figures Boston girls go to Austin and there’s a cold front!

Bouldin Creek Cafe looked cute but we already had our lattes from Tom’s on South Congress so we didn’t stay. What brought us in was actually their sign! It said “Caffeine Station” – if they had t-shirts, we would’ve bought em!

Plans for the night?? HONKY TONK! We started at Broken Spoke but they didn’t seem happy to see outsiders AND it was a $17 cover charge. Thanks to our Uber driver, we landed at The White Horse. Highly recommend for friendly country dancing and fantastic live country music! It was definitely one of my favorite stops of the weekend.

Where to next? La Perla! We wanted more dancing but had no idea where to go—this little dive bar felt like a house party and was an unexpected fun find!

We ended the night just down the road with hip hop/EDM dancing at The Volstead Lounge at Hotel Vegas. Next morning begins with Flat Track coffee, the best espresso in town, conveniently within walking distance from our AirBnB!

Next up: Mattie’s.

We had brunch reservations, and arrived early so we could explore the green pastures and meet the peacocks. Yep, peacocks! Including a beautiful white albino one. This meal was like nothing I’ve ever had. I’d say it definitely ranks in the top 5 best meals ever. They book early, so if you want a dinner reservation, make sure you plan well in advance. But brunch was perfect. I would love to shoot a wedding here.

We stopped in to Uncommon Objects, an epic antiques store. And then…a ridiculous afternoon of shopping, scooters…and CHICKEN SH*T BINGO!

Our girl Ferrone loves the scoot-scoot. Lime Electric Scooters are ALL over the city of Austin and they were a blast. We shopped and scooted on 2nd Street, where we found this cutie Peace Love Austin sign.

And the most random part of our trip? Chicken Shit Bingo! Courtesy of Little Longhorn Saloon, it is held each Sunday afternoon from 4-7 in the back parking lot. Live music inside, chickens pooping outside! 😉

I love two things…ok fine, I love a lot of things, but the two things most of all are LOVE and DANCING. Un-BAR-lievable on Rainey Street is the best dancing. The DJ was so good, mixing old with new, hip hop with classic 90s, etc. We danced for HOURS and it wasn’t even dark yet. Oh, and also…there’s a slide to get to the dance floor. Which is all fun and games until someone spills a drink on the slide. Rach!

We extended our weekend stay to Monday night so we could visit Magnolia Market in Waco. More on that soon! But I can’t end this post without mad love for my tribe. The 8 of us—all Boston Wedding Photographers—united 5 years ago around this time at WPPI and haven’t left each other since.

They’re my coworkers, my confidants, my dance partners and my best friends. I love each of them to pieces and when we get together, we’re fit together perfect like a giant transformer of fun, laughter & hugs. I feel so blessed to have them in my life!