5 Best Things to Do in Austin

Whether you’re in the Texas capital for the tech and music festival SXSW or for vacation, there’s always plenty of things to do in Austin. Known as the live music capital of the world, Austin is also a foodie’s haven and a high-tech hub. Best of all? We can get you there on our Texas Eagle train!

With so many options of things to do in Austin, we turned to Anna Sergeeva, the co-founder of the event promotion platform Planana. In 2013 she came to Austin from Los Angeles as part of DreamIt Ventures accelerator program and uncovered hidden gems that are a must visit when traveling to Austin. Here are her favorite spots!

Where’s the best place to listen to music in Austin?
Elephant Room has great jazz and a mellow, laid back vibe. It’s the perfect place to drink a whiskey on the rocks while you lose yourself in an awesome rhythm. Another spot, ACL at the Moody Theater, draws more well-known talent. It’s definitely one of the bigger venues in town but it still feels intimate.

Elephant Room
315 Congress Ave.

ACL at the Moody Theater
310 Willie Nelson Blvd

With so many food truck options in Austin, where should a rookie start?
My hands-down favorite is Turf N’ Surf Po’ Boy. They have these crazy, good fish tacos and jalapeño-spiked tortillas. But all of the food trucks are solid, especially the ones on South Congress [Avenue]. Grilled cheese, BBQ, burgers, breakfast tacos, Korean tacos, cupcakes — Austin food trucks have it all.

Turf N’ Surf Po’ Boy
Located inside Lavaca Street Bar
405 Lavaca St.

Where’s the best place to have a drink?
Easy Tiger has an unbeatable beer selection (I’m all about their IPAs), simple food (think pretzels, grainy mustard, upscale sausages) and an awesome outdoor patio right by the river. It’s packed from lunch on, but well worth the wait. You can also stop by for a coffee and pastry in the morning. They make all of their bread in-house and supply a ton of restaurants in Austin, so you know their stuff is always fresh.