The Best Austin Gift Experiences for 2022
Sometimes the best gift is not physical. If you recently watched The Minimalists documentary on Netflix, or you’re not about the idea of a house full of stuff, we’ve curated a dream list of best experience gifts for Austin, Texas in 2022.
A lot of these Abby and I have actually done and we stand by each and every one of them. If you have any personal faves, let us know about them in the comments below—we’d love to hear about them!
Free Gift Experiences
Walk South Congress Ave
South Congress in Austin has come a long way in the last few decades. It was once home to strip clubs, dive bars and auto shops, but now features stores like Warby Parker and Reformation. The most popular area is a roughly 1-mile long strip filled with shops, restaurants, and bars.
While there are plenty of newcomers to the strip, it still features a number of classic places: Allens Boots, The Continental Club (see more below), South Congress Books, Güero's Taco Bar, and Big Top Candy to name a few. You could easily spend half a day here walking, ducking into shops, taking in the sights, and breaking for lunch on an outdoor patio.
Between mid-Spring and late-Summer, you could also mosey down to the South Congress Bridge around sunset to see about 1.5 million bats emerge for their nightly feast. It’s quite the spectacle and a nice little bonus gift 🦇
Sunset at Mount Bonnell
Every Austinite knows this is the best place to catch the sunset.
At almost 800 feet, it sits high above the Colorado River and faces west. You can see the beautiful hill county, boats driving up and down the river, and the 360 Bridge all in front of the setting sun.
Want a paid upgrade for this gift experience? Grab some takeout and turn your viewing party into a picnic.
Turkey Creek Trail
This is one of our favorite trails to hike in Austin. It’s a 2.8 mile hike that features a creek, hills, and gorgeous Texas flora. You don’t need to be an experienced hiker for this, just grab some decent shoes and a water bottle and you’re good to go.
Turkey Creek Trail is free, but if you want to really bust your gluteus maximus and don’t mind spending $10 per person, we highly recommend the River Place Nature Trail at 947R+RJ Austin, Texas. It’s long (Abby and I have never finished it) but it goes down a mountain and back up—trust us, you will feel a burn and it’s totally worth it. It’s a gorgeous hike that really shows off the beauty of the hill country.
Austin Public Library
Austin’s new Central Library was finished in 2017, is 6 floors and 200,000 square feet, and cost $125 million. It’s a state of the art, beautiful library that is a joy to explore. It has a wonderful coffee shop on the first floor, and a huge butterfly garden terrace overlooking Lake Austin on the rooftop.
It’s centrally located downtown, so you can start at the library, and then go out to lunch, or walk Lady Bird Lake trail just across the street.
$5 - $25 Gift Experiences
Peter Pan Mini-Golf
Another Austin classic. Peter Pan Golf has graced the south side of downtown Austin since 1948, and its iconic, mid-century feel is as old-school Austin as it gets. A round of golf will only cost you and your gift recipient $8 each. And just like a real golf course, you can bring a cooler of drinks with you so you can have something to sip on while your partner lines up his next shot which he swears is “going to be a hole in one.”
Snow Cones or Ice Cream + a Walk in Zilker Park
In the spring and summer months, find an ice cream or snow cone truck on Barton Springs Road just before you get to Zilker Park. After grabbing your sweet treat walk over to the park. Zilker is the premiere park in Austin, the same place they host ACL Music Festival every year. It’s HUGE and filled with people and dogs on the weekend. If you like people watching you will not be disappointed!
Blanton Museum
This is the primary art collection for the city of Austin, boasting over 19,000 works from ancient pottery to abstract expressionism. Centrally located on the south end of the University of Texas campus, it’s easy to get to and you can combine it with a walk around the campus. Abby and I have been here several times over the past couple of years, and, pro-tip, admission is FREE on Thursdays. Otherwise it’s $12 per adult.
$25-$50 Gift Experiences
Deep Eddy + Pool Burger
Deep Eddy is the oldest swimming pool in the state of Texas. It began as a bath house in the early 1900’s and was later bought by the City of Austin in 1935 for $10,000.
The pool is non-chlorinated and completely spring fed. Go there in the dead of summer and enjoy crisp cool water sourced from deep underground.
When you’ve tired yourself out in the sun head over to Pool Burger located just across the parking lot. Pool Burger is a relatively new establishment, but is one of the most charming spots in Austin. It’s low-key, down-to-earth and serves up delicious burgers and tiki cocktails all day and long into the night.
Chicken Fried Steak at the Broken Spoke
The Broken Spoke is one of the most iconic spots for an old-school Texas vibe.
James White opened this honky tonk dance hall in 1964 and ran it until his passing in 2021. He built it next to an oak tree in a field which, at the time, was outside the city limits of Austin.
Today it sits in between two giant condo buildings, but the oak tree and dirt parking lot remain as if carved out in time. Go there and enjoy a classic Chicken Fried Steak, a beer, and maybe throw down on the dance floor. Texas Two Step ain’t that hard, y’all!
Kayak on the Lake
This is a hugely popular thing to do on a sunny day in Austin.
There are multiple docks downtown that rent kayaks, canoes, and stand-up paddle boards. Abby and I prefer Texas Rowing Center as there is generally plenty of parking in the area and they have a bunch of boats. It’s $15 for the first hour for a single kayak.
We highly recommend getting there in the morning on a nice weekend day. You’ll beat the rush, plus it’s cooler then and the morning light is gorgeous. If you rent for more than one hour, we recommend packing a lunch and eating it at the Red Bud Isle island!
Drink at Butterfly Bar
Butterfly bar is an extremely charming watering hole nestled in the Cherrywood neighborhood just east of the University of Texas. It’s a beautiful green sanctuary with plenty of outdoor seating and some of the best cocktails in Austin. An evening cocktail at the Butterfly Bar under the trees and string lights is quite romantic. And if you’re hungry, Patrizi’s is a family owned Italian food truck that sits right next to Butterfly Bar and makes amazing, homemade Italian pasta dishes.
Brunch at a Farmers’ Market
The farmers’ markets around Austin feature a bunch of great artisan shops and food vendors. The two we recommend are SFC Farmers’ Market at Republic Square in downtown Austin Saturday from 9am-1pm, and Mueller Farmers’ Market on Sunday from 10am-2pm. Both have wonderful brunch options.
Thai Cooking Class from Thai Fresh
Abby and I took a class run by Thai Fresh owner Jam Sanitchat earlier this year. Thai Fresh is hands-down the best Thai food in the state of Texas, and we are huge fans of Jam and her class. If you never thought you’d be able to cook Thai food at home, this will change that. You’ll be amazed what you can make after you take her lessons. We also offer her cookbook in our marketplace, so you can expand on this gift experience and keep cooking Thai at home.
See a show at Continental Club
There’s no way I could make a list of gift experiences in Austin without adding some live music.
Continental Club is located on South Congress, right in the heart of all the restaurants and shops. It is an absolute legacy in Austin, and would not be there today if it weren’t for the fact the owner bought the building long before land value on South Congress sky-rocketed.
Continental Club first opened in 1955, and went through a few different iterations—fancy supper club, burlesque bar, blue-collar saloon—before it became the classic live music bar that it is today. It’s as authentic as it gets in Austin, and it’s a blast to live that experience.
If there are any other gift experiences you’d like to see added to this list, please leave us a comment below. Enjoy your outing in Austin!
