Sarah WallockI headed to Austin for a Thanksgiving adventure with Nick and my family. It was just as special the second time around. Here are 3 of the best travel experiences in Austin, Texas.
Soaking Up the Sunshine Along the Ann and Roy Butler Trail
Hands down, the most memorable part of Austin was when we walked along the Ann and Roy Butler Trail along the Colorado River. The sun was shining, everyone was out enjoying themselves. Birds were chirping and people were smiling. There were people on paddleboards, kayaks, boats. Or walking dogs, greeting friends, or picnicking.
We walked an especially beautiful section of the trail from Barton Springs to Lou Neff Point and then down towards South Congress. It was so hot that we grabbed smoothies from SunLife Organics, a delicious smoothie shop.
Entering Virtual Reality at Wonderspaces
SUBMERGE 
INTO THE BREATH 
HOSHI
On a rainy day, a city completely changes. On Friday, it was pouring so we wanted to go indoors somewhere. I found this blog post on the best rainy day activities in Austin by a local blogger, and Wonderspaces stood out. Regardless of the weather, Wonderspaces is still one of the best travel experiences in Austin.
We drove 15 minutes out of town in our rental car and pre-purchased tickets in advanced. Not only were the installations interesting and interactive, but Wonderspaces provided an interactive AI bot to guide you through the exhibitions on your phone.
After participating in a variety of interactive color, light, and sound pieces downstairs, we headed up to the virtual reality exhibit. We waited in line for about 10 minutes before being granted a sanitized headset.
Then, we watched a 10-minute 360 degree film, where you’re floating on a boat in a setting that looks like Taiwan with pink dragons flying above your head. The film is a metaphor for death, a journey from one world to another.
Descriptions of the pieces above from Wonderspaces, left to right:
SUBMERGENCE
Squidsoup
Submergence is an immersive installation comprised of 8,064 individual points of light visitors walkthrough. The lights continually change colors in correspondence to music. Submergence creates awe-inspiring feelings of movement within physical space.
INTO THE BREATH
Stefano Ogliari Badessi
Into the Breath is a Chinese dragon made of teabags. Visitors enter inside and are invited to enjoy the calm atmosphere. It is a meditative environment for reflection.
HOSHI
NONOTAK Studio
Hoshi is a depiction of infinite space. It uses light, mirrors, and sound to engage visitors into an immersive, large-scale experience.
Eating Our Hearts Out
I am a meal freak when I travel. Being gluten and dairy free, by allergy, I want to make sure I can enjoy every meal or leave somewhere not feeling sick. So I research, research, research. But I think sometimes the best food experiences are those that weren’t planned.
On one night, we went to listen to live music on Rainey Street. After a while, my parents called it quits and grabbed takeout and headed home. Fair, I wouldn’t say Rainey Street is sustainable for an older crowd after 9 or 10pm, unless they like to get rowdy! So Nick and I were left to our own devices.
All great meals start with a craving…
We headed over to the nearest Thai place to satisfy our craving but it was closed for Black Friday. Then the nearest sushi, which was also closed. And then we walked a little bit further to La Condesa, an award-winning Mexican spot, and assumed we wouldn’t get a table. We strolled in and had no issue getting a table at La Condesa.
La Condesa: Contemporary Mexican
La Condesa is a james beard-nominated modern Mexican restaurant located in Austin’s vibrant 2nd Street District. Helmed by Executive Chef Rick Lopez, La Condesa’s menu features interior Mexican dishes made with fresh, locally sourced ingredients, plus a renowned bar program with one of the largest collections of 100% blue agave tequila and mezcal in the city.
La Condesa Website
The staff were lovely, friendly, and warm and the food was better than I could have imagined. The food transported me to Mexico and tasted incredibly fresh. Mexican food is such an umbrella term, but what we loved about this spot was how fresh, authentic and tasty the meal was. I will definitely be making my way back here!
With so many incredible things to chose from, it was hard to narrow down the best 3 travel experiences in Austin. But I am already looking forward to learning more about the upbeat city on my next trip.
[…] Those are just a few of the many culinary highlights. I’ve save my two favorite meals of the trip for my blog post, The Best 3 Travel Experiences in Austin. […]