Best Barbecue in Austin - Salt Lick BBQ

While in Texas, we knew we absolutely had to try some barbecue. We did quite a bit of research before ultimately settling on Salt Lick BBQ in Driftwood, Texas. Of course, there are countless barbecue restaurants from which to choose, but we only had the chance to try out one. Fortunately, we are very happy with our choice!

Salt Lick has an amazing entrance. You can see your food being made on this huge roasting pit.

You would think that would be gross, but it totally wasn't! Everything smelled delicious!

Next we made our way to our tables, which are fun picnic tables. The establishment was absolutely beautiful. Unfortunately, it was quite cold but otherwise we would have sat outside and enjoyed the gardens. In fact, there is an on-site winery! The actual restaurant doesn't serve alcohol (and is cash only!!) but you can walk next door and get a bucket of beers or a nice wine. 

Now, on to the food. Oh. My. Goodness. It was unbelievably good. It felt kind of like a family picnic. It wasn't fancy, but boy was it good! The plates were plastic but it actually kind of added to the experience somehow. My favorites were the mac n cheese and pulled pork! I'm not a fan of beans or coleslaw, but my husband was very pleased with those. I would say the brisket and chicken were also delicious but still were not as good as the pulled pork. SO. GOOD. 

You may need to get a reservation as it is a very popular establishment. In fact, they even had signs asking you take no longer than an hour and a half to enjoy your meal if there is a wait. When we went there were plenty of tables, so it may depend on when you go. I imagine weekends there may be a bit of a wait. 

If you'd like help finding the best restaurants for your next trip, I'd love to help! Check out MilesIntoMemoriesTravel.com.

Things to Do In Austin, Texas

I recently spent a week hanging out in Austin with my husband's family. It was my first time in Texas, and I had a blast! I highly recommend checking it out if you ever get the chance. Before I dive into our activities, I do want to preface this by saying we only had a few days to actually explore the city. We were in Texas for the Formula One race, so that took up a lot of our time. There is SO much to do in this town, so don't limit yourself to these!

First and foremost, go see live music! Do it! Austin, like Nashville, is a very musical city. We actually managed to see live music three times: once at Antone's ( a blues type club), once at a saloon (a real saloon!) and once at the raceway (Brittney Spears, no less)

Antone's is a great place to visit if you like more blues-type music. You just need to make sure to get there early! There are only a few tables, and they go fast. They also don't serve food, but you can bring your own food if you want to. We brought in some pizzas and it worked out perfectly. Be sure to look up parking before you go, because it is in the city. We managed to find some nearby for relatively little money.

This little saloon was great! It was small, authentic and had plenty of people in cowboy boots two-stepping away! (I don't know if they were actually two-stepping, but that was my best guess)

Next, we went to the Bullock Museum, AKA Texas State History. We really enjoyed our time here! It's a pretty big museum and we were tight on time, so we only hit the highlights. It is definitely worth checking out. They have rotating exhibits on the main floor, and while I was there, it was rodeo themed! Super interesting and very appropriate for Texas.

The museum also had this amazing mosaic on the floor of the lobby. As you moved up the museum, you got a better view. It was incredible!

Side note: I really love to knit so I had to make a pit stop at Hill Country Weavers. They were named one of the best yarn shops in America. Truthfully, I was a little underwhelmed and one of the attendants was a bit snarky. It's a nice shop, but they were not very newbie-friendly.

Finally, I have to mention the Circuit of the Americas! This was the Formula 1 track where we spent a lot of our time. It was a very cool experience, but there is a TON of mud. Just be extra careful and wear boots if there has been any rain at all. I was not even a big race fan before this experience (my husband's family love F1), but after experiencing it, I am definitely interested in it now!

There are so many attractions in Austin I would have liked to visit (like the bat bridge!), but we squeezed in what we could. All in all, Austin is a very cool place. Check it out if you can! Or I'd be happy to help you plan your trip. Visit my website at MilesIntoMemoriesTravel.com. 

My First Formula 1 Race - Austin, Texas

I recently spent a week in Austin, Texas to see the Formula 1 Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas, and I had a great time! I was not a huge F1 fan before the trip, I must admit, but my husband's family are huge fans. I decided to jump on the bandwagon and root for my Mother-in-law's favorite drive, Kimi Raikonnen! I bought a cheap t-shirt from Amazon with a pithy saying ahead of time and picked up a Ferrari cap at the venue. I was ready!

On Thursday, we got the chance to go to the Pit Walk. It. Was. COOL! We got to see pit stops up close and personal and get a good look at the cars. I believe pit walks are invite only, but we somehow got passes.

Day one started with RAIN. A lot of rain. Fortunately, we had been creeping on the weather and were prepared. We had our Frogg Toggs (highly recommend) and were braced for the rain. It was just practice so we didn't end up staying too, too late. We walked around the track, bought some souvenirs and watched the cars kick up a ton of water as they zoomed past. All in all, it was pretty cool!

Day two was qualifying! I took the opportunity to get to know the sport a little better. My husband answered all of my questions, and I really started to get in to it! Our favorites did relatively well and qualifying was fun! Today the wind was our biggest challenge. The struggle was real, and I ended up back in my rain outfit trying to ward off the cold. We were going to stick around for the Bruno Mars concert afterwards, but my poor husband was coming down with a cold so we called it an early day.

Finally, it was race day! It was awesome! I actually kind of followed the whole race and understood what was happening. And the best part? Our favorite driver won!!! Kimi for the win! It was his first win in over 100 races. It was really exciting and all in all I would recommend it!

We ended the whole fun trip with good old Brittney Spears. Her concert was included in the price of the pass (general admission), and I had to see her! My middle school dreams came true as she was everything you would expect her to be, haha.

Even if it's a sport I'm not overly familiar with, I'm happy to learn and help plan! If  you want a sport-themed getaway, I'd love to help. Visit MilesIntoMemoriesTravel.com.