I'm there every couple of months for a weekend getaway.

Oasis is nice, you don't go for the food, you go for the view.

It's not the local shack it used to be 30 years ago and has become a tourist trap so the waits can be excessive.

Expect mediocre service cause they know you are not coming back.

6th street is fun if you are a mid twenties partier.

Adults find it entertaining for about 10 minutes. Still worth a visit.

Driskill bar is 1st rate, right off 6th so when you get tired of that scene hit it.

Rainey street, SE corner a block off the river is somewhat more sedate. Still a younger crowd but with more money so somewhat better behaved that the 6th street crowd. Go to G'rage Mahal, the Goat Tika is great.

Our favorite eatery, Justines Brassiere on 5th east of 35. If you eat no where else you gotta go there. Not cheap but the vibe and food are 1st rate. Interesting area with a ton of nuggets to discover and is away from the tourist areas.

South Congress is worth a walk up and down for that old school Austin vibe.

The bats won't be flying so you'll miss that which is a shame.

Stubbs is played out.

If you want breathtaking, for TX, scenery take a drive out of the SW bottom towards Bee Cave and make your way up to Lakeway. You can get to Oasis that way, it's a bit longer than going out the NW end but a nice drive. You can loop out of Oasis back to town by the NE route. Fun driving roads.

Take a run down to San Marcos, easy 30 minute drive south. Nice little authentic TX town with good curio shopping and food.

If you are really adventurous and have a day to kill drive an hour down to San Antonio and do the river walk. You can go there and back in a day but staying a night is better to explore the river walk at night.

Tour Inner Space caves, 30 or so minutes N of Austin.

If you or your wife are a fan of Chip and Joanna Gaines then "Wacko" is an hour'ish N of Austin.

Oh, and if in your travels you see a Bucee's, stop and go in. Get yourself some Jerky and Fudge. You'll thank me.

Was just there , used to live there. For half a day.... either do 6th street, or Lake Travis area. 6th street parking is a bit of a challenge. I paid 30$ a day two weeks ago. The Oasis at sunset hard to beat !

When I was there for a conference I did the Capitol Building tour, had dinner at Stubbs one night and had a few beers while listening to live music on 6th.
Also had lunch one day at the Driskill.
Enjoyed my visit there.

Was funny, when I was ordering dinner at Stubbs, I tried to order one meal and the lady serving me looked me up and down and told me "Thats too much food for you." Ordered a smaller meal and it was still too much food for me.....
Washed it down with a few Shiner Bocks.

Do the Capitol tour and try to count the Texas Stars.

No, really, they're everywhere! I asked, the docent said it was something north of 3 million stars.

We only had one incident with an aggressive pan handler in the years we have visited (during an IT conference). Told him I don't carry cash and he said he cries a little bit every time he hears someone say that as they walk past an ATM. Our 9 year old blurts out that we didn't pass any ATM machine. Guy said smart kid and walked off.

I forgot about the stuff SW of town. Our boy loved the military museum.

The weather was really nice when we were there, cool but not cold. We ate outside at one place along the sidewalk, every 5 minutes someone would walk up and ask for money. We were approached a lot just walking around, keep in mind the day we were there we walked about 10 miles all over the place. I never felt it was a problem other than being a buzz kill.

Also the Starbucks was a homeless shelter, the bathrooms were destroyed and the employees seemed to had given up on trying to make them resemble anything usable.

We ducked in to use the bathrooms and left not using them, the place was full of people obviously camping out in there. We went to a little coffee shop, purchased some coffee and snacks then used their bathrooms which were unisex and well, it was kind of weird to be taking a piss in a stall next to a woman tending to her kids. The bathrooms in many places in Ireland were unisex too except everyone had a private room/all then there was a general washing area with sinks. It just seemed weird to re-purpose a conventional bathroom with stalls that are not very private to a unisex one. I could care less personally I just feel bad for the poor woman that have to share them with men.

Anyway, I am sure we could have found more to do in Austin, it was a pretty nice city, we decided to go check out the Hill Country and enjoyed that greatly.

We saw LBJ's house in Johnson City.

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This was an antique store in Johnson City, it was closed, see anything weird?

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Marble Falls was a cute town too. I purchased a really nice Vietnam pocket knife for my FIL who is obviously a vet. I found it in a little co-op style store with various vendors.

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I kind of dig little towns over cities, I am more at ease in them.

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I will be back to Austin, possibly next year, I am hoping to attend a Chive Charities Green Gala that they throw every year, as a donor I get 1st dibs RSVPing to attend. I have passed for 4 years now I think I need to go for the 5th year. We will be sans kid so we will be able to go out in the evening and check out the music scene and bar scene better. Plus we will be staying in downtown so it will be easier to explore and walk around.

Bring a tent and stay for awhile.

There used to be a nice rooftop bar on 6th? St, forget Coyote Ugly. if it's still there.

Lived there until last November, and still work in and around the city. I'm not going to input any sight seeing other than maybe Wimberley, TX is a small town, artsy fartsy cool place. Team it up with the Salt Lick.

The others have given great advice. One thing that also has been mentioned, the homeless. It's tent city now, there are some that are very aggressive, and they are everywhere. Watch your step, might be turds on the side walk.

I hate having to say what I have, it really used to be a great place to live, but it's a schithole now. No turning back.

Iron Cactus. Turned into a Mexican restaurant, same name and place. Live music is nearing death in Austin, no one wants to go downtown anymore. The Domain is the place which attracts the decent people, and it's nice, safe too.

Where are you now?

Been shopping real estate in Bee Cave / Lakeway this year.

Kinda like Rough Hollow or the general vicinity.

Looking for a lake view if I can get it.

I moved to Seguin, 55 miles south of Austin, 40 miles east of SA on I10.

Explore Spanish Oaks (Bee Cave), my brother and his family live there. Nice place, good schools.

Another brother is selling in South Austin, he lives in the county, but what all say is in Austin, 2 doors down from the Moon Tower Saloon. Big place, probably will fetch mucho dinero. Back in the day it was said Willie wouldn't leave, he stayed there from time to time. However, my bro can't take it anymore.

After 32 years, my father is selling his second home. It was outside of Austin then, but was annexed in the early-mid 2000's. Still a nice neighborhood (Onion Creek), but the surroundings have gone south.

Austin proper is not what you are looking for. Things went down hill real fast, with the exception of real estate, it's hot.

Yep. Daughter graduated from Texas State. When I was there we went to her favorite Mex places so I only know a few.

Lolita's Cafe (Loli's now - some struggles with original name) is a drive through breakfast taco joint. Pretty good grub but I don't think OP has the time to visit given only a half day to play.

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Ran through Spanish Oaks about a month ago.

Nice place. Not worried about schools anymore other than for resale value, both kids will be in college.

We are looking just a couple miles NW of Spanish Oaks off 21. Serene Hills and Rough Hollow. I want to be on the water again.

Also the wife would prefer to build if she can.