Austin Weekend Getaway | Thrift Stops Included

In this post, I will be sharing our recent getaway to Austin. My husband and I traveled with our dog, Yaya and we also did some secondhand shopping. You can scroll to the bottom for details on where we did our secondhand shopping.

We fell in love with Austin about 5 years ago when I had to travel there for work. At the time I was working for the State of Texas, and attended training in Austin where my husband (boyfriend at the time) would come visit me. Obviously, its the wide open spaces and great BBQ that keeps us coming back.

We are still very timid about traveling so we decided to do a quick getaway to Austin, Texas. This is the perfect place as it is very pet-friendly. Our dog, Yaya has been to Austin with us about 6 or 7 times already. If you are in the Houston area Austin is a great weekend trip as the drive is approximately 2 1/2 hours – huge plus! We confirmed the trip Friday night, and headed out Saturday morning.

Where we Stayed

Saturday morning I logged into my Expedia account and booked our room at The Westin Downtown Austin. If you do not have an Expedia account, I would highly recommend getting one before booking your next trip. Expedia makes booking easy, and they always have amazing discounts. As per the usual, I am always looking for a discount. This hotel was absolutely fabulous. Our room was very clean (especially after I sprayed Lysol all over everything lol!), and all the staff were very friendly. This hotel is located in Downtown Austin, it is within walking distance of Sixth Street. Did I mention, this hotel is pet-friendly….I mean truly pet-friendly! There were no “side eyes” upon entering the lobby with Yaya. Oh, and the lobby is absolutely gorgeous….

Saturday

After checking into The Westin Downtown Austin we were in need of food and nourishment. We strolled down 6th street to Happy Chicks bar for some drinks ad bar food. We ordered chicken strip baskets with fries and Mac and Cheese. The food was delicious especially the mac and cheese! This was not any ordinary bar food, and we’ll definitely come back when we are in Austin. We washed our food down with a few rounds of Titos and cranberry. My husband thought Titos would be appropriate since we were in Austin. After leaving the bar, we took the long way back and enjoyed the scenery. Upon arriving back to the hotel, we went to Azul Rooftop to enjoy the downtown skyline. The rooftop lounge featuring a bar and pool is located on the top floor of the hotel. Unfortunately, it was not warm enough to swim but the view was stunning and the bar was OPEN (LOL!).

Then it was time to rest! We returned to our room to relax and unwind from the drive. We watched TV, made some drinks, listened to music, danced, and laughed. One thing about us is that we enjoy quality time. We are both extremely silly, so when we get together its always a good time. He is truly my bestfriend, and I am so grateful to God for blessing me with such an amazing partner.

Before dinner, We took Yaya for a brief walk a few blocks from the hotel to a grass area. She loves new places, and she is always down for a walk. It was a bit chilly but refreshing and enjoyable for sure.

Dinnertime: We opted for Longhorn Steakhouse for dinner. We didn’t intend to do anything too fancy because we are both pretty simple people. However, he did insist on Perry’s Steakhouse, Vince Young Steakhouse, and Ruth’s Chris . However, I just wasn’t prepared to be so fancy, lol. We did in fact enjoy steak, mashed potatoes and salad at Longhorn, and it is one of our favorite places for causal dining in Pearland, TX – the food is amazing.

We returned to the hotel following dinner to find our dog barking LOUDLY in the hotel room. We later found out that it was because she could hear a dog nearby. The decision was made to stay in the room instead of go out because we were not sure why Yaya was barking so much at the time. Needless to say, we were both tired anyways from the drive so we poured a night cap and off to bed we went.

Sunday

We woke up on Sunday well rested to a beautiful view from out hotel room. The hubby took Yaya out for a walk while I stayed in the room. We then packed our bags, and got dressed for breakfast. We ate breakfast at Stella San Jac, a cute little restaurant located in the hotel lobby. Honestly, the food was just ok. Not bad, but not great either.

We returned to the room and we were off to thrift shopping (Scroll to the bottom to see where we did some secondhand shopping).

Following some much needed thrifting, we headed off to the dog park to enjoy the beautiful day. On the way to Auditorium Shores Dog Park we stopped at Amy’s Ice Cream for a treat to enjoy at the park. The ice cream is delicious, and the staff is just charming. Auditorium Shores Dog Park is a huge off leash park and we loved it. One of the main reasons why we love Austin so much is because Austin shows love to the pets! We (Yaya included) love the outdoors which is why we easily spent nearly 2 hours at the park.

By this time it was about 3 p.m. and we had worked up an appetite after running around with Yaya at the dog park. It was time to eat and head back home. While I was training in Austin for work we discovered the best BBQ in Austin…we will NEVER visit Austin without stopping by Terry Black’s BBQ. There was a long line but it moved rather quickly. I’d say we were in line for maybe 20 minutes but we were served drinks in line. The hubby enjoyed a Bud Light, and I had a Black Margarita that was absolutely delicious. After getting our food, we secured a spot on their patio, and retrieved Yaya from the car. Oh yes, Terry Black’s BBQ welcomes pets on the patio!! We enjoyed brisket, sausage, rice, green beans and mac and cheese. As usual, Terry Black’s BBQ owes us nothing the food was perfect. Yaya (who is NOT allowed to have table food) also enjoyed a few small pieces of brisket.

Austin was good to us, but now it was time to say our goodbyes. My husband suggested taking the long scenic way home and stopping at the San Marcus Premium Outlets – I agreed! We spent about an hour at the outlets and listened to country music all the way home. Its our tradition to listen to country music on the way home from Austin.

Secondhand Shopping in Austin

Yall know I was not going to leave Austin without visiting a thrift store. I found these spots by simply doing a google search.

First Stop:: Goodwill Boutique

Moment of transparency – I have no idea that Goodwill had Boutique stores. This particular store is located off N Lamar Blvd in Austin. Goodwill boutique is definitely not your standard Goodwill yet the prices are very similar. They sold clothes, home decor, shoes and jewelry just like a normal Goodwill store. The store was very clean and organized which is always a plus. Everything I touch was a “brand name” item, and the quality/condition of all the items was excellent.

Second Stop:: Pavement

Pavement is not considered a thrift store as it is a resell retail store. It puts me in the mind of Platos Closet as you are able to sell your gently used items to this store so they can resell for a profit. The store is very organized, and set up just like a retail store. Pavement only sells clothes, shoes and jewelry but they have some great pieces. My husband didn’t find anything here but he was also very overall impressed with Pavement. I did purchase two pieces ( a sweater and a maxi dress) and I spent about $40, so the prices are on the higher side.

We love Austin, and this trip was so necessary! We were able to truly enjoy ourselves and be safe in the midst of this pandemic. Yaya also enjoyed herself, she is a great travel companion and she is always ready to roll out.

Have you ever been to Austin before? If so, what do you enjoy most about Austin? Leave me a comment, I’d love to hear from you!