Family Weekend Guide: Top Things to Do in Austin, Texas

Earlier this November my family and I visited Austin, Texas. It was the first time my daughters and I had been to Texas, and we were excited to explore. This post shares highlights from our trip to Austin — the places we visited, the food we enjoyed, and the family-friendly activities we loved. Full disclosure: I mainly went for the food.

Hi friends — I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. Did you try any of my recipes for the holiday? Two weeks ago we took a family trip to Austin, Texas, and I wanted to share our experience.

We’re grateful to have traveled a couple times this year. Traveling as a family has been a goal of ours, and this year we made progress with a family trip to Nashville, Tennessee and a vacation at Lake Havasu, Arizona.

Planning for a Family Trip to Austin

I research destinations thoroughly before our trips, so I read extensively about Austin to find family activities and standout restaurants. I watched several videos about where to eat in Austin and even watched a Netflix episode of Somebody Feed Phil that highlighted some local restaurants.

These were the main takeaways from my research:

• The Thinkery (Austin’s children’s museum) is highly recommended for families with kids. Many sources and friends suggested it, so it was at the top of our list.
• Austin has an abundance of excellent restaurants. The recommendations varied widely between sources, making it hard to choose. In the end I trusted my instincts and picked places that sounded appealing to our family.

First Thoughts upon Arriving in Austin

We landed at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on a Sunday afternoon. One of the things that struck us immediately was seeing many people who looked like us, which felt welcoming and familiar.

Austin felt calm and homey. I drove from the airport to our hotel and noticed the driving felt much less aggressive than what we’re used to in California. That relaxed pace set a pleasant tone for our stay.

Overall, Texas felt warm and familiar, which made the trip comfortable and enjoyable.

The Restaurants We Tried in Austin

Food is one of my favorite parts of traveling. As a food blogger, tasting local dishes inspires me and helps me learn. Here are the restaurants we visited on this trip:

• Green Mesquite BBQ: We ordered from Green Mesquite via a delivery app. In Texas you have to try barbecue, so we started there. We enjoyed pork ribs, smoked turkey, and brisket. The sides — especially the cornbread and mac and cheese — were standouts. The cornbread had a homemade flavor, and my kids loved the mac and cheese.
• Whataburger: This Texas fast-food staple is worth trying. I loved their sweet-and-salty burger — it was huge. The limited-time White Chocolate Raspberry Shake was rich and flavorful. My husband liked the cobb salad, and the kids enjoyed their meals. I hadn’t planned on fast food, but Whataburger felt like a genuine Texas experience.
• Colleen’s Kitchen: This was my favorite meal of the trip. The menu was tempting from top to bottom; I ordered chicken pot pie, shrimp and grits, biscuits, collard greens, skillet cornbread, and mac and cheese. The chicken pot pie checked a long-standing craving, and the restaurant biscuits tasted like homemade biscuits — a rare and delightful find.
• 18th & Over Austin: Located on the 18th floor of the Hilton Garden Inn, this restaurant offered elevated plates like beef short ribs over polenta, pork chops with caramelized onions, and tacos. The polenta reminded us of corn fufu. The food was delicious, though portions were on the smaller side.
• The Peached Tortilla: We grabbed food from The Peached Tortilla on our way out of Austin at the airport. Their brisket tacos were excellent and gave me new ideas for Taco Tuesday at home. They also offer appealing lunch bowls that I’d like to try next time.

There were other restaurants I wanted to visit but didn’t have time for, including Lady T Kitchen (African cuisine), Torchy’s Tacos, Julie’s Noodles, Franklin’s BBQ, Zed’s Real Fruit Ice Cream, Quality Seafood Market, The Rolling Rooster, Pinthouse Pizza, Bird Bird Biscuit, and Louie Mueller BBQ. I’m saving this list for our next visit.

Which Austin restaurant would you recommend I add to the list?

What the Children Did in Austin

• Austin Central Library: We love libraries, so visiting the Austin Central Library was a highlight. With six floors and about 200,000 square feet, it’s the largest library we’ve explored. The older girls browsed books while the younger ones played with toys. Best of all, entry and use were free.

• Thinkery (children’s museum): Since we moved from Minnesota we hadn’t been to a children’s museum, and visiting the Thinkery brought back happy memories for the older girls. The museum has hands-on science exhibits and a farmers market area; the kids played there for hours and loved every minute.
• Road Trip to Houston: We took a day trip from Austin to Houston to visit a friend we hadn’t seen in nearly nine years. The three-hour drive was fun for the kids, and picking up Whataburger along the way made it extra special.

One attraction we missed due to time constraints was Mt Playmore, the largest indoor playground in Austin. We’ll try to visit it on our next trip. Austin is also known as the Live Music Capital of the World, so I hope to experience live music the next time we’re there.

We spent four days in Texas, which felt like a perfect short getaway to make memories and enjoy some good food.

If you read this far, thank you! I hope you enjoyed reading about our family trip to Austin, Texas. Stick around for recipes and more travel stories.