Top Ten: Places Worth Visiting

We all have a place that we just adore…the burger joint down the street, the really cool place where we can always find the perfect gift…you know the place. While I know I could live without them, they are always certain to put me in a good mood. Here goes…

TOP TEN: FAVORITE AUSTIN HANGOUTS

1. Phil’s Icehouse / Amy’s Ice Cream. This place has great food, a huge playscape for the kids to play and it’s next door to Amy’s Ice Cream. Really, is there anything better?

2. Sonic. Daily happy hour form 2-4, need I say more?

3. Target. I’m a card carrying member – ok, I don’t own the red card, but I do know some of the sales folks by name. I live I sad life, I know.

4. Baris Pasta & Pizza. This little gem in P-town has been a family favorite for nearly 7 years. The folks who own it are New York Italians and man, can they cook a pizza. If you swing by, don’t forget to order the fried ravioli.

5. Zilker Park. We don’t venture down there too terribly often, but my kids are huge fans of the train (reminds me that I need to take the girls one morning!). The botanical garden is a hop, skip and a jump away, as is the infamous Dino Pit. Fun times for all.

6. Brushy Creek Water Park. We just discovered this place. Best part? F-R-E-E! That’s right, it’s a free “sprinkley park” as ALG likes to call it. If you get there at 9:45, the water’s already on and the crowds are thin. Avoid it like the plague on Saturdays.

7. The entire parking lot at Central Market on Lamar. So many choices – the paper store, the camera store, the maternity store, oh, and the grocery store 🙂

8. Pflugerville’s Water Park. This 4-year-old waterpark is super cheap and lots of fun. While it’s great for the little ones, better take another adult if you have more than 1. They staff it well with lifeguards, but this place has a ton going on.

9. The Arboretum. I’ll admit, most of my stops there center around two stores – Talbots (esp. when they’re having their sales) and Pottery Barn. I think there are other stores there, but those I amore.

10. Culver’s. Scott took me here over the summer and I can’t believe more people don’t know about it. Ok, I’m sure they do, I’m just a little slow on the learning curve.

There are so many more things to love about Austin – and so many places that aren’t on this list. Maybe I’ll do a top 10, parts II and III sometime. It is weird, we do have some interesting sights along Guadalupe AND there’s a big hullabaloo about some school over on the 40 acres…but we still love this place.