Austin, TX

I'll start off with saying that I'm not a huge fan of large cities. I am a small-town girl and as soon as the highway gets more than 3 lanes, I'm a nervous wreck on the road. I'm also sensitive to heat and humidity as my body runs unnaturally warm. And, I do not like flying. But with all of that said, visiting Austin Texas was worth all of that trouble for me.

Stunning Scenery

I truly believe there is beauty in everything, from a simple blade of grass to a towering skyscraper. From classical music to dubstep. From a well-written book to a scribbled stick drawing from your niece. You get the picture. Austin, TX has all of that! (Especially since I went there to visit my sister.)

The thing that struck me first was how gorgeous the scenery is. Like I said, I come from a small town, nothing is taller than 3 stories, so I'm always in awe when I see the city skyline. So many buildings, so tall, so many windows! I'm not much into architecture, but I love how different each building looks!

So Many Things to Do in Austin, TX

Austin is known as the 'Live Music Capital of the World' and even though I love live music I unfortunately did not get to go to any live shows. Instead, my sister and brother-in-law got to show me their local haunts and hangouts.

My second favorite place was Cidercade. Now you're probably thinking why I didn't start with my most favorite, but I'm saving that for last, and Cidercade was so much fun that it deserves to be mentioned first. I'm sure you can guess what it is just by the name. It is a Cider Arcade where you just need to pay a cover fee and then you get to play free arcade games as much as you'd like. No coins, no cards, just walk up to a machine, hit start, and play.

I was more impressed with the Pacman car, but you can kind of see the sign of Cidercade.

The best part is that it's kid-friendly! (Until 9pm that is.) I got to bring my children, and they were able to run around playing as many arcade games as their little hearts desired. I've gushed so much I haven't even touched base on the cider! They had an option where you could try all of their assorted flavors for a flat fee, they give you a card and hole punch out each option as you try them. If you're indecisive like I am, then this is a great option for you!

They had the perfect bar food too. Pizza and wings! You can't go wrong with either of those options. And just look at the sign for the bathrooms. I know places try to be trendy or funny with their bathroom signage, but I think 'Whiz Palace' is probably the funniest one I've seen yet!

Great Food

I know Texas is known for its delicious food, and I can attest to that. I wasn't as adventurous in my food choices back when I visited, so the next time I visit I will try to branch out more. But that doesn't lessen the delicious food I did have. They have food truck galore there! So many options for all sorts of picky eaters (like me) or the adventurous ones (like I'm trying to be now). My favorite place was this amazing pizza place that I'm forgetting the name of now, but the signage sums it up!

Bats!!!

Now it's time for my favorite part of the whole trip. I'm weird. I know that. But my favorite animal is a bat. I just think they are so cute (even the ugly ones) and the fact that they are the only mammal that can fly fascinates me! In Austin there is a bridge, specifically designed to home thousands and thousands of bats to give them a safe place to sleep during the day and wake up to a feast of bugs when they wake up.

My sister knows I love bats so she took me to this bridge, and we sat, waiting for the sun to set so the bats would come out. The anticipation was killing me! We sat for so long, the kids were getting restless, but I still couldn't see any bats. The crowd cleared a bit (yes, I'm not the only weirdo who came to watch the bats) so I got closer. I could hear them, but I couldn't see them, until I realized how absolutely tiny they were! I was seeing them the whole time but I didn't realize the small quick flashes of movement were bats. They were so small, and there were so many of them, all darting out from the tiny grooves to go hunting for the day. It was truly a magical experience!

This was one of the best videos I could get of them, they're so small and quick, keep a sharp eye out!

Overall A Great Trip

I'll briefly mention a few other things and then add some more pictures. After viewing the bats I of course got a picture of the pretty skyline with all of the lights. My sister took me to the library and you might be thinking, a library? What's special about a library? Well it was five stories tall! Biggest library I've ever been too. Just driving through the city was a feast for the eyes. My sister took me to the movies and this place served full meals to your seat. I adore movies so it was a fantastic experience. I was grateful to have my sister show my around, but if you're interested in visiting Austin, have Arrow Sand help book your trip! It's definitely worth it!