lost in exploration | austin

an 11-day road trip starting in Indianapolis, visiting 10 cities in five states

day seven:

4 | 27 | 2023 (Thursday)

Hello, Austin!

We drove directly to Hank’s for lunch around 1:00PM. A gorgeous afternoon where we sat outside but under their large, covered patio. It was another shorter drive, about two hours, and we had plenty of time to eat and explore prior to our Airbnb check-in at 4:00PM.

Of course, we went inside to snap a few photos and check things out. Had we arrived a little sooner, we probably would’ve grabbed some coffee from their cafe section. They also serve brunch on the weekends, which I definitely would’ve enjoyed.

For lunch we decided to split an appetizer - hummus and pita with fried cauliflower and feta - as well as the parrano grilled cheese with parmesan french fries (yes, more cheese!). The hummus and pita: two thumbs up. Great flavors and really enjoyed the cauliflower. The grilled cheese: one thumb up. It was good but not as good Cheddar Box in Waco. Now, we assumed the french fries would be covered with a parmesan crumb mix or something, but we were proven wrong when they simply shaved parmesan on top. We weren’t complaining because it was still delicious! We debated on trying a drink or two but decided to spend that money later during dinner. Overall, definitely recommend a stop to try even more.

Our next stop: a planty shop!

I heard about Tillery Street Plant Co. from watching @happyhappyhouseplant (HHHP) stories when they visited Austin. I’m glad I wrote it down because it was absolutely worth the trip! The place is huge! We started our adventure by going into the “Houseplant” section where I happily posed (and chatted) with the planties. So green. So lucious!

We made our way to another section they have for succulents. So. many. succulents! We both decided we’d need to come back later to purchase a couple of cute lil cacti. After walking around for a bit, we decided to make our way towards the Airbnb. There was a coffee shop nearby we could check out beforehand.

Admiring all the beautiful planties!

Palomino Coffee. Instead of coffee in the late afternoon, we opted to try a couple of their teas. At that time of day it was warm, and the teas were a welcome change! It’s a cute place to hang out either inside or outside!

Eventually, we checked into our Airbnb, which was super cute! It’s a small studio space above the garage but plenty of room for us considering we weren’t spending much time there anyways.

We decided to head downtown. Ever since Memphis we figured it can’t hurt to do a little Google search and visit a couple of hotels: Hotel ZaZa and Austin Proper Hotel. First, we parked in one of the garages (AMLI Downtown Parking) and there happened to be sweet mural by Emily Eisenhart. Of course, we snapped a couple of photos and walked to each hotel. I will add, though, this parking garage was $20/hour, so we were keeping these adventures to an hour for budget purposes.

Mural by Emily Eisenhart

Mural by Emily Eisenhart

Out of the two hotels we walked into, I would say Parlor was the best (last few photos). To say it was a popular place is an understatement. I’m a little disappointed that I couldn’t take better pictures because there were so many people; it would’ve been hard to really see the design and furniture. Hotel ZaZa did have a fun bubble chandelier that I managed to get a pic of from underneath but not from the side. Haha! We might’ve checked out more had the parking not been as expensive.

Once the hour was up, rather than staying downtown (there was a cryptocurrency convention going on at this time), we made our way north to a great area with tons of restaurants and shops: Burnet Road. We were planning to stay in for dinner, but it’s hard when all you want to do is explore with the little time you have in places. After some Google-searching, we arrived at The Peached Tortilla for dinner.

Everything was delicious, and we both highly recommend the cauliflower taco! The Dan Dan noodles were tasty but way too spicy for my liking, even a bit for Tabs, too, and she enjoys more spice than me. Ending the night with the banana nutella spring rolls… chef’s kiss! It was a beautiful evening spent outside, and I loved seeing their neon peach sign really change the vibes as the sun set.

 
 

Our dinner spot might’ve been influenced with it’s close proximity to Voodoo Doughnuts, which we stopped at on our way back to the Airbnb. We were also super excited to be visiting at night because of the lights and signage - this was at 9:30PM - they’re open until midnight during the week! The vibes inside were also really fun from the donut wallpaper to the pink tile grout!

If you happen to go to any of their locations in Austin, be prepared to have way too many delicious donuts to choose from! We settled on the gigantic apple fritter, old fashioned, chocolate glazed, and Viscous Hibiscus.

We tried them after getting back to the Airbnb but not before taking a couple of photos to show the height of the donut box! The apple fritter didn’t end up being the biggest one we’d seen, but it was still huge and almost the size of Tabs’ head! I personally liked the chocolate glazed the best, followed by the apple fritter, old fashioned and hibiscus; I was not a fan of the hibiscus frosting, but Tabs enjoyed it! Overall, not the best donuts we had on the trip but still worth a try! Nothing better than a box full of donuts before bed!

day eight:

4 | 28 | 2023 (Friday)

A beautiful morning that started with Merit Coffee

A beautiful morning that started with Merit Coffee Co. It wasn’t originally on the list until we both agreed coffee was necessary, and one that was on the way to other places. We didn’t stay long because our ticket reservation for the Museum of Ice Cream was at noon, and we wanted to stop at another plant shop: Succulent Native.

Though it was tough not to buy a couple of succulent babies, we refrained and made our way to the Museum of Ice Cream, located in The Domain, an outdoor mall filled with upscale shops and department stores. Another reason we were grateful for the sunny day!

Tabs (right) and me (left) in front of the Museum of Ice Cream truck

I would love to see other Museum of Ice Cream locations because this was too fun - lots of kiddos but also adult kiddos like us! And who doesn’t enjoy free ice cream samples!? My favorite ice cream was actually the first one: dairy free strawberry. Yum! I couldn’t get enough of the wallpapers and bright colors! There were also moments in each section that shared info and facts about ice cream.

This is definitely a great place to visit with kids or if you enjoy funky photo-op moments. It takes as long as you chose but usually around an hour. Purchasing tickets in advance is helpful, but because it’s part of a mall, there were plenty of people who bought tickets that day but for whatever time was still available.

After the museum, we walked around the mall, which had so many great stores and restaurants. However, we kept our window-shopping somewhat short because another bad storm, similar to the one in Waco, was on its way in a few hours. Because of course. We heard these types of storms weren’t typical for mid-spring… but, climate change. Also, other than the storm we drove through on our way to Memphis and the one in Waco, we really lucked out with weather.

We had one more plant shop on our list to visit (also from watching HHHP IG stories), Garden Seventeen.

Garden Seventeen, Austin

Another large plant shop with interior and exterior plants! We did end up purchasing a couple of cacti from here because we couldn’t resist! Add this to your list if you’re ever in Austin and are a plant *or* flower person!

Garden Seventeen, Austin

Before the storm…

Before we went back to the Airbnb, we made a stop at Tillery again to buy a couple of cacti. The stop was quick because the storm was rolling in and the wind was picking up. We made it back to the Airbnb around 5PM, and thankfully, we were able to park in the driveway of the Airbnb owners. We made friends with the “neighbors” staying below us in the house, and it was fun chatting with them because they’re from Houston, which we told them we’d have to visit another time as it wasn’t on our route. And again, I forgot to take a snapshot of the radar because it was a wild storm that eventually came through around 5:30-6PM.

Once the storm passed, we had some time to drive downtown and adventure before our late dinner reservation at 9:30PM. Our first stop that we didn’t have a chance to make earlier in the day: Revival Coffee. Revival is a woman, Latina-owned cafe!

Tabs was in heaven because of all the pink but especially the interior pink; I, however, am not a fan of the baby pink but did enjoy the murals and the iced el último latte del mundo (strawberry milk, matcha, whipped cream, sprinkles) drink that we shared. They offer cocktails, empanadas and pastries as well. This place is a vibe worth checking out!

As we were driving around, and while I happened to be on the phone with Stu, I managed to notice this colorful house without knowing what it was. I definitely shouted “rainbow house” on the phone and to Tabs, telling her we needed to drive around the block to see it; I also told Stu I’d have to call him back so I could take pictures. Haha! Turns out it’s a nail studio, Cute Nail Studio. While pastel colors are not my favorite, I still have a soft spot for anything rainbow! If you’re in Austin and need to get your nails done, visit the rainbow house, plus it has great reviews.

Cute Nail Studio, East 7th Street

After the impromptu rainbow house stop, we decided to drive all the way out to Lantana Place to see another mural. I first saw one of Ouizi’s murals in Lakeview, Chicago. Lantana Place, a business center, is the furthest east we went in Austin, and her mural is on the backside of the building. Even though it was still fairly cloudy and the sun was setting, it was still beautiful! The amount of times I tried taking a selfie in front of said mural was ridiculous because of the wind! Every. damn. time it would blow my hair around like crazy when I was ready to press the button. As Tabs was taking a selfie, she took a video of me attempting but failing to take a selfie, too. It was probably a sight to see.

“Lantanas and Wildflowers” 2019, Ouizi

On our way back to the Airbnb, we made a stop at Target for a couple of things, but also, who can ever stay away from Target for that long? Ha! Walking in and then walking out, though, the clouds looked like they were airbrushed!

Walking into Target…

Walking out of Target…

We both dressed up for our night out, but we had no idea what to expect from Lutie’s. It’s a smaller, more intimate restaurant, serving regional cuisine in a “pastoral setting”. They recommend ordering multiple items on the menu to taste and share. Since it was around 10PM by the time we were eating and a menu at a higher price-point, we only ordered a couple of items off the menu: Estate Bread (brown and cultured butters) and Fritto Misto (an Italian dish of bits of meat, seafood, and vegetables dipped in batter and fried in olive oil). If you’re on a budget, though, you might want to skip Lutie’s or plan to spend $$$.

The Estate Bread was absolutely delicious; we would’ve ordered more but decided against it. The Fritto Misto was also tasty! We also only drank ciders, even though most patrons were drinking wine.

A few things to keep in mind: reservation required because it gets very busy. If you’re planning to visit Lutie’s, which we highly recommend, you’ll need to park on the west side of Red River Street, and walk the rest of the way, unless you happen to be staying at the Commodore Perry Estate. It doesn’t mention anything about dress code, but most people were in business and cocktail attire.

We were back at the Airbnb and in our pajamas by 11:00PM to get some rest for an early morning and travel day!

beginning of day nine:

4 | 29 | 2023 (Saturday)

By 8:30AM we’d already packed the car, checked out of the Airbnb, and grabbed more donuts on our way out of town. Couldn’t pass up trying Lola’s Donuts, especially since it was on the way. It has a cute, small walk-up window where you can view all of the donuts through the window and place your order. Tabs wanted to try to Fruity Pebbles Fiesta, and I tried the milk chocolate. They were both OK but definitely not our favorites. I would enjoy trying some of the other ones, though!

And just like that, we were on our way north to OKC.

Walk-up window for Lola’s Donuts secured!

Quite a few options!

Have suggestions for Austin that you don’t see listed below? Drop them in the comments so I can add them to my list!

mapping the details:

For reference, pink pin is our Airbnb. Otherwise, all locations listed left to right.

on our list for next time:

Lost in Exploration 2023Jen Scherr DesignsRoad trip, us road trip, bestie road trip, texas road tripComment