I’m a native Texas girl so I love a good road trip across Texas. I feel like you can spend all day driving and still be in Texas, because it’s HUGE. I have been to Austin a few times, but it was before I was an adult so I was so excited to get away with my husband and see Austin in a new light. We decided to plan a getaway to Austin, Texas to celebrate our 5th wedding anniversary! I’m so glad we did, it was everything we needed and more.
After dropping the babies off with my parents, we drove the Texas highways to get to Austin! We had to stop at Cooper’s in Llano for a little pit barbecue. Seriously y’all, if you haven’t been there…you MUST. Absolute best Texas barbecue…hands down. We got back on the road with our full bellies and headed down Texas State Highway 71 straight into Austin.
We were graciously hosted by the JW Marriott Austin for the weekend which is centrally located on 2nd and Congress in the most popular part of the Austin area. We had THE best location with THE best experience at the JW Marriott. Since we were celebrating our anniversary, we stayed in the Executive Suite and I was blown away. When we walked in, we were greeted by champagne and the most delicious handmade chocolate covered strawberries. I’m already sold at this point…but the room was nothing short of luxurious and view was breathtaking.
hoodie c/o Evy’s Tree
leggings // necklace
We really wanted to spend most of the time in the room because it was SO nice, but we headed out for drinks and dinner right around the South Congress (SoCo) area. We had drinks at an aviation-themed lounge which couldn’t be more fitting with my pilot husband. Hangar Lounge was so gracious and the view from the deck overlooking Austin is awesome. We had drinks sitting in some vintage lawn chairs on turf, and the whole place was decorated with aviation in mind. If you’re walking down 4th from Congress, it’s right on the corner of 4th and Colorado in a huge airplane hangar. You can’t miss it, and don’t want to because it was a great time. After drinks, we headed down the street to RA Sushi Bar & Japanese Restaurant for tapas and sushi. Since we’re in a small west Texas town, we don’t often get good sushi. It was delicious and the staff was so accommodating! We headed back to the room to enjoy the amazing bed at the JW Marriott which customize firmness preferences through Marriott Rewards. Yes, they seriously asked us what if we wanted firm, medium or soft pillows!
dress // shoes // purse // bracelets // necklace // sunglasses c/o Ditto (LITTLELOVELIES for first month FREE)
Brett’s sunglasses // dress // necklace
Up and at ’em on Saturday morning, we walked down South Congress over the Colorado River where we saw a rubber ducky relay….just keeping Austin weird. Ha! We landed at Jo’s Coffee where the famous “I love you so much” wall resides. We lined up (yes there was a line for photos) to take a picture and then got some amazing iced coffee. I want to add how nice everyone there was! I think I made a few girlfriends standing in line asking about my sunglasses, and me asking them about their hats and shoes! Texas girls are SO nice. We headed out for a late brunch at Hopdoddy Burger Bar because Brett is a burger and fries kind of guy. I knew he would love it! We ended up eating our weight in Doddy-style burgers and fresh cut fries in the cutest little dive. We really loved it there!
After we were so full we couldn’t walk, we took the personal transportation service Fare back to the JW Marriott. I was a little worried about having to walk so much since Uber is no longer in Austin, but we learned about the service Fare and it was phenomenal. We actually met the creators of the company, and they were so great! It was pretty cool to hear the story behind the making of the company and how it’s changed their lives after Uber was removed. If you are in the Austin area, I recommend to get the Fare app and check them out! We got back to the JW Marriott and headed up to the rooftop pool. If you haven’t ever been to a rooftop pool in Texas, let me just give you a word of advice: everyone in the pool becomes friends, people buy drinks for one another and it’s a giant & fun party! We met some cool people from all around the state and even some outside the state. We had a great time and the Austin Pool Bar and restaurant is on top of things! There were so many people there, but they did a great job serving quickly and even knowing you by name.
sunglasses // swimsuit // shorts // shoes // hat c/o SheIn // kaftan c/o SheIn
Saturday evening, we celebrated our anniversary dinner at OP Wine Bar inside the JW Marriott with wine top reservations. The wine list was endless and the food was so well planned. We loved everything we tried! My favorite was probably dessert! After dinner, headed back out to South Congress to Garage Cocktail Bar which is a hidden gem of a cocktail lounge in the basement of a parking garage. It was such a cool concept, so dark and loud all the same and the perfect place to grab a low-light drink. Instead of taking transportation back to our hotel since it was just a few blocks, we did a pedicab which I had never done! I loved seeing the Texas State Capitol and all of the different streets that have different vibes. We couldn’t wait to get back to the amazing sleep we had waiting for us in the suite, so we called it a night!
Outfit Details
red romper c/o MakeMeChic
Sunday morning, we had brunch reservations at Corner Restaurant inside the JW Marriott. We LOVED the breakfast cornbread casserole, but wish we would have shared. It was enough to feed like 8 people! The mimosas were great, the bacon was crisp and I didn’t want to leave!
We packed our bags and got ready to head home! I couldn’t wait to see my babies! We had to make one more stop on the way home to shop the last day of the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale at Nordstrom-Barton Creek. My husband is the best….he didn’t even roll his eyes at me once!
Shop what’s in my Nordstrom Bag HERE
We had the best getaway in Austin, and I’m already planning our next one! If you are planning to go somewhere in Texas, I highly recommend to check out the capital of Texas, Austin. It’s beautiful. It’s quirky (“Keep Austin Weird”). It’s evolved and changed so much over the past few years, and I can’t wait to get back and experience the things we didn’t get to in our short weekend. Definitely check out the accommodations JW Marriott and the fabulous amenities and restaurants it offers. We were blown away with our stay and are so thankful that they hosted our 5th anniversary getaway!
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This post is in collaboration with JW Marriott Austin, Texas and may contain affiliate links, however, all images, content and opinions are that of my own.
