Nobody knows Austin better than the locals. Here are some tips from Refresh Austin to help you enjoy our fair city to the fullest.
WiFi
To the delight of geeks hailing from accross the world, Austin is pretty much saturated with free wireless Internet. The convention center offers free wifi so you’ll be able to live-blog and check out what’s going on outside of the conference walls. Just know that the network can become bogged down at points during the conference.
Check out the Austin Wireless City Project’s website or visit any of the following local establishments:
- Little City coffee house - 916 Congress Ave
- The Hideout Coffee bar & Theatre - 617 Congress Ave
- Jo’s Coffee - 242 W. 2nd St. and 1300 S. Congress Ave
Getting Around Town
Luckily, Austin has a relatively easy, grid-based downtown (the same cannot be said for the rest of the city though) and you’ll be visiting places which are all nearby for the most part. You should be able to walk, catch a ‘Dillo, or taxicab easily. The ‘Dillos are free and serve downtown, UT, and South Congress, among other destinations. There’s also a Downtown Austin website.
- Capital Metro - 512.474.1200
- Google Transit - Google maps plus public transit!!!
- Yellow Cab - 512.452.9999
- Lonestar Cab - 512.836.4900
Dining
- Casino El Camino - Best burgers in town? Almost definitely. - 517 E. 6th (2 blocks from the convention center)
- Torchy’s Damn Good Tacos - Fan Site - Locations on South First, West 6th, and East 6th (next to Casino el Camino)
Nightlife & Libations
- The Gingerman - With around 150 beers on tap, you should be able to find a few you like
What would you recommend to out-of-towners visiting Austin for SXSW? Add your suggestions for dining, activities, and night-life in the comments below.
