Last 4th of July weekend, Jake and I decided to take a trip from Dallas to Austin—the party town of Texas. Between UT Austin, 6th Street, and the plethora of outdoor activities, Austin is like a playground for adults. And of course, the city is incredibly dog friendly, which is perfect for us. Our hotel—The LINE Austin Hotel, located right on Lady Bird Lake—not only provided us a view of Congress Avenue Bridge but allowed us to share the view with our dogs, Ronnie and newly adopted Mac, who was more frightened of loud noises.

Our first full day in Austin, Saturday, July 3, was a busy one. We started the day early in order to find a parking spot at Barton Creek.

Next, we enjoyed a delicious brunch at the Beer Plant, an all-vegan restaurant. Then we took the dogs for a walk along Lady Bird Lake before enjoying a cold one at the iconic Austin Beer Garden. We took the dogs back to the hotel for a nap before heading to Live Love Paddle for our kayaking tour of Lady Bird Lake at sunset—just in time to see the bats take flight from the Congress Avenue Bridge.

Rather than brave the holiday traffic, we slept in and stayed close to the hotel on Sunday, July 4. We hit up morning yoga by the pool and stuck around for a dip before it got crowded, enjoying our made-to-order fruity cocktails poolside. Thankfully, inside The LINE Austin is Veracruz All Natural—one of the best taco stands in Austin. After a taco (or two), we brewery hopped through some of Austin’s best breweries, including Zilker Brewing and Lazarus Brewing. But by far the best part of the weekend was watching the fireworks light up the sky over the Congress Avenue Bridge from our hotel room window with our dogs, both of whom were thankful we were there to hold them as the fireworks exploded.

Taking a longer trip to Austin? Below is a list of some additional must-do summer activities in Texas’ capitol city—some of which we have enjoyed on previous trips and some of which we plan on doing during future trips to Austin.

-Dive into (and hike around) Jacob’s Well Natural Area.

-Hike around The Grotto.

-Climb Enchanted Rock.

-Paddle board Lady Bird Lake (because while kayaking is one thing, nothing compares to paddling around on my board).

-Bar hop down the bustling 6th Street (again).

-Visit the Texas State Capitol (again).

-And enjoy even more beer at Austin’s breweries!

Until next time,

Leah Pinkus