My wife and I spent a long weekend at Sarah's Airbnb to explore Austin for the first time. Her place had a great location, just a few blocks from 6th street and Rainey. The place had all the essentials and was cozy to come home to every night. We put together a short list for future travelers of some of the things we enjoyed and recommend checking out.
Food:
Cenote - we liked the quick walk, they had a great cup of coffee and made a delicious breakfast burrito.
Wright Bros Brew and Brew - coffee was strong but equally as good. A nice quiet place to relax for a beer or cup of coffee.
Snack Bar - My wife has a gluten allergy and she was able to find the best gluten free Belgium waffles here. Great service, good food, and super friendly staff. Plus we loved the shops on S. Congress.
Nightlife:
We loved Rainey St! We spent most of our time there. Our personal favorite was Craft Pride for the great selection of local beer and the large deck out back with live music. Vie 313 also makes a great pizza, regular and gluten free.
We weren't fans of 6th because it was crowded and seemed unsafe after dark. We did catch a movie at the Alamo though and would highly recommend that.
Other activities:
I highly recommend anyone that is visiting, especially if they have the time to check out the great breweries down 290. We visited Jester King and Twisted X, both were fantastic. Jester King was a great place to just enjoy the nice weather. We also ventured up to Waco because my wife is a huge fan of Fixer Upper and we went to Magnolia Market. We would recommend this to any fan of HGTV or home decor.