The Austin skyline around the lake was a pleasant view as we explored the area by bike.

My travel motto is to "travel like this isn't your only time to visit somewhere".  I may hit the high points of a spot, but I don't try to pack in everything possible and leave things to chance.  Having a very loose itinerary makes travel fun.  Austin was our last stop on our final trip of 2022. 

Barton Springs offers food trucks serving a variety of culinary options.

Enjoy Austin Like a Local

First, plan to slow down in Austin.  Next, get outdoors.  Austin is a fun city for walking, biking, paddle boarding and so many fun outdoor activities.  Include some downtime to get outdoors and explore.  

Barton Springs is a part of Austin that puts you in the heart of the action. There are food trucks, a cider house, restaurants, biking trails and swimming just to get you started.  This is the part of Austin where we stayed, and it was perfect for New Years Eve and Day!  

Pecan Grove RV Park is in the heart of Barton Springs.  Come prepared to pay in cash or by check.  You will have to call by phone to make your reservation.

Our spot was a smallish pull through site toward the back, but it still gave us space to be outdoors.

We stayed at the Pecan Grove RV Park is right in Barton Springs.  There is no website.  I simply found a number for them by a Google search.  If you are interested in brining your RV to Austin, just call 512-472-1067.  They make reservations the old school way.  You call them.  It may take a minute to get a person on the phone.  But, they will take your reservation by hand and accept only cash or checks.  So, be prepared to pay this way when you arrive.  

Pecan Grove RV Park has plenty of long term renters, but it was just right for us to stay for a couple of days.

It was a safe and convenient place to stay.  They has laundry and bath house facilities that are accessible by a key code.  It was the perfect spot for us.  Many reviewers online say that the park has lots of full time residents.  We found this to be true.  But, all of the yards were clean and tidy.  There wasn't anything unsightly about the property.  Pull through spots for temporary guests seemed much smaller, but they offered full hook ups.  We felt like it was a good place to stay.

Austin East Ciders in Barton Springs has a great staff, fantastic food and tasty ciders.  Make a stop here while in Austin.

The Blood Orange Cider was a favorite while there.  You can buy drinks in pints or in flights.

I recommend a flight so you can try a few things!

The Pecan Grove RV Park is next door to Austin East Cider House.  We stopped by on New Year's Eve for a couple of drinks and a snack before a late afternoon bike ride.  They offer fun ciders like a Mike's Hot Honey Cider as well as seasonal ciders.  You can purchase flights, full drinks or lemonade and delicious food.  We enjoyed the Blood Orange Cider and Blackberry Cider.  If you like ciders, they all also sell them in their store to go and also offer an online cider club!

Austin East Cider has seating for dogs outdoors and refreshing lemonades for anyone wanting a non-alcoholic beverage!

Our Italian meal on New Year's Eve was pasta with vodka sauce, salad and bread.

Austin had lots of activity going on New Year's Evening with outdoor music and fireworks.  We opted for a dinner at our RV.  I made some vodka sauce ahead of our trip and had it in our freezer for that night.  We enjoy Italian for dinner on New Year's Eve.  After dinner we played Kids Against Maturity.  It is the kid friendly version of Cards Against Humanity.  My sister in law gave this to our son for Christmas, and we ended the year with a lot laughs about "the meat sweats" and quite a bit of potty humor!

If you are looking for an meal you can prepare ahead, vodka sauce is where its at!  I made the sauce ahead of time.  It was in my freezer ready to thaw out.  I only had to cook the pasta and mix out a salad kit.  

Try the Avocado Margarita at Curra's Grill.  You can also try this out at home!

Another local libation to try is the Avocado Margarita at Curra's Grill.  We had a New Year's lunch there.  Of course, I was still looking for my favorite mole and ordered chicken mole enchiladas.  All of the food was delicious.  The Avocado Margarita is thick and creamy like a smoothie but tangy with citrus fruit too.  It is worth a try, and order it with Tajin on the rim.  If you want to try this drink at home, check out this online recipe from Texas monthly!

Curra's was the recommendation of our former priest.  We attended Sunday service with him at the Episcopal Church of the Good Shepard and his girlfriend that day before lunch.  He recommended Curra's and the Avocado Margarita.  It was great to catch up with and old friend and start the new year!

Biking the trails in Austin was so much fun for all of us.  There is nothing like hearing your child squeal with delight as you ride along!

Trails were wide and well maintained along the way.

Take your time and stop to see the sights along the way.

This fun installation project/playground was named the Noodle House by our son!

Biking was our other attraction in Austin.  This city has lots of biking trails.  We enjoy just biking around the Barton Springs area.  We stopped to take breaks and play along our ride.  We spent a lot of time biking around and just seeing the city sights and skyline.

I enjoyed the city view at night from our campsite.

I'm sure there were plenty of things we could have done in Austin, but that just means we have to go back.  I felt like we did just enough things to slow down and relax at the end of a year while touring the big city!  

If you are planning a trip to Texas, we have done trips to:

• Fredericksburg
• Waco
• Marfa
• Big Ben

 We also did a stop in San Antonio on this trip as well.  Texas is a big place, and every time we go we return planning our next trip to go back.  Until next time...

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