The Wayfaring Gals (compromised of my sister and I) decided to take a trip to Texas after the holiday season since the weather would be nice, and there would be more things to do. We live in a city and state where everything was shut down due to the pandemic so we needed a break from that. I decided to drive since it would save money on car rental, give us the freedom of the road, and no time deadlines for flights.
We made it to Tusla, Oklahoma where we spent the night. I love breakfast so we stopped at Savoy where the food was delicious and they make their own cinnamon rolls, which were amazing. It’s hard to find good coffee at breakfast joints, but this place was an exception. The coffee was nice and strong. After breakfast we stopped at the Center of the Universe, which is a mysterious spot that messes with acoustics. When you stand in the circle there is an echo, and it is much quieter on video. As soon as you leave the circle there is no more echo and the volume gets turned up. Pretty fun Atlas Obscura attraction to stop at when you are in Tusla.
Afterwards we were off to Dallas, Texas. Dallas is infamously known as the place where JFK was assassinated, so there is a memorial and museum there dedicated to the former president. The Sixth Floor Museum is the place where Lee Harvey Oswald shot JFK, and it was turned into a museum on the Kennedy presidency and assassination. You can walk to the memorial from the museum. Across the street from the memorial, there is also a cabin that belonged to the founder of Dallas, John Neely Bryan (who founded the city in the early 1840s). After Dealey Plaza, I recommend a nice walk at Pioneer Park, which is not too far. There are sculptures that commemorate the cattle drives where Texas longhorn cattle were taken to northern railroads.
After that we headed to the Deep Ellum area to check out the street art, art galleries, and fun shops. The area is known for its night life and music venues. Deep Ellum Brewing Company is there if you want to sample beer from Northern Texas. We had left overs from the amazing breakfast place we ate at in Tulsa, so we turned in early since we were tired due to spending a great part of the day driving.
The next day we visited the Forth Worth Stockyards National Historic District, which is the place I enjoyed the most from my Dallas experience. You can watch a live cattle drive at certain times of the day to give you a taste of what the area used to be like. This area is also preserved to look older to give you a Wild West feel. There’s a lot of shops, bars, and restaurants you can check out. I enjoyed talking to the owner of a tea shop where I picked up tea to get me through my trip. There was a wine bar serving mulled wine that helped warm me up since it was a little chilly (sweater weather) that day. The night life is fun there so I recommend you stay the night and enjoy a modern take on the Wild West.
After Forth Worth, we were on our way to Austin, which is about a five hour drive. Just to warn you, Texas (and Dallas in particular) have some of the world’s worst drivers. My sister drove during our time in Texas, while I got us there and back home. People lane change without looking, they won’t let you merge, and are just reckless. People don’t care if they get into a car accident; it was crazy. I thought people in California and Florida were an aberration, but I’ll add Texas to the list. Once we crossed state lines to head home, a peace descended on the road. I just want to warn you if you are driving in Texas; it’s pretty awful.
When we arrived in Austin it was later in the afternoon. We stayed in downtown so we walked to the state capitol, which is beautiful. The grounds are lovely, and it’s quite a nice stroll. We took a picture of the Ten Commandments for our mother since she loved that. You definitely have to check out the Texas State Capitol when you are in Austin. Later, we picked up some barbecue, which we ate on the rooftop of our hotel. The view of the sunset and evening was beautiful.
The next day after we picked up coffee and breakfast at Mozart’s (I thought it was overrated), we headed to the famous “Greetings From Austin” mural for the obligatory photo there. We also found the “I Love You so Much” at Jo’s Hot Coffee Good Food on Congress Street, where we decided to stay and explore. Congress Street has murals, restaurants, bars, and great shops. There’s a costume shop Lucy in Disguise that’s just massive and amazing; pick up a costume if you need one. The Austin Hotel had a display of rainbow and various colored Christmas trees, which just made us happy. We stopped at a diner for some cocktails and great guacamole to refuel so we could keep exploring.
We took a tour to check out Castle Hill Grafiti Wall (which was fenced off) so we took a look at all the street art and graffiti. I particularly love the Flash art (I’m a comic book nerd). When we got there we waited in our car since there appeared to be some kind of drug deal taking place. We politely stayed in our car until the dealer left. There’s a never a dull moment with the Wayfaring Gals!
When in Austin, I highly recommend a stop at Mayfield Park, which includes a historic cottage, gardens, and nature preserve on a bluff overlooking Lake Austin. There are also free roaming peacocks strolling around. I made sure to respect their space and not get too close since they can be feisty. The ponds are a beautiful blue green color and there are gardens galore. The park is beautiful, and you’ll feel refreshed after a stroll there.
We decided to have a beer and dinner at Lazarus Brewing Company where the beer is religiously themed. There is a stain glass mural of Jesus on the roof in the courtyard (or you can sit outside if you prefer). I got to sit right under Jesus, thankfully. Lazarus Brewing also serves delicious tacos, which we both enjoyed. The place also serves coffee and kombucha. It’s great place to just sample beer or stop in anytime of the day depending on what you’re in the mood for.
We ended a day of sightseeing at Mount Bonnell, which gives you a view of Austin and the Lake Austin portion of the Colorado River. You can take the stairs, or a short trail up to the top. It’s a beautiful spot to watch the sunset. It’s a popular tourist destination so it is pretty crowded. It’s not too far from Mayfield Park so you can go right after either to watch the sunrise or sunset.
The next day was my birthday so my sister said the day was devoted to me, and all things I enjoyed. We had coffee that was much better at Top Hat Coffee (service was much better too). Then we were off to the Oasis on Lake Travis, which is located on a cliff 30 thousand feet about Lake Travis. The restaurant has multiple decks and levels overlooking the lake, and indoor seating as well. The view is just beautiful. I had a burger, which was ok, but my sister’s meal was better (she got chicken strips dipped in a tasty sauce). There are also shops there that you can stroll through. The Oasis has a great gift shop if you want to pick up souvenirs made by local artists. Luckily, it didn’t start raining until we were back on the road back to Austin.
We went back to downtown Austin to visit the Texas Toy Museum, a museum devoted to all my beloved childhood toys and action figures. I have to admit I am super nerdy, and started collecting action figures during the lock down (as many people did). The displays at the museum are amazing; there are installations devoted to the Simpsons, X-Men, Star Wars, Star Trek, He-man and She-ra to name a few. There is also an arcade at the museum with pinball games. I got to play Star Trek and Star Wars pinball. The museum sells drinks in cans, and you can drink as you peruse. There’s also action figures and graphic novels you can purchase. The place is a dream come true for any nerd or anyone feeling nostalgia for 80s and 90s toys like me…(those were the days).
I was excited to try Prohibition Creamery where the ice cream is made with booze (another dream come true for me). My sister tried Black Magic, and I got Whiskey Chocolate (two of my favorite combos). The ice cream is made there, and you can also request your own combos as well. This was such a great treat on my birthday. I read that the place closed, and I hope it reopens at a new location since it was delicious.
We ended the day at Techo Mezcalareria & Agave Bar since I love Mezcal. This place is hidden (it’s on top of a taco joint). It’s pretty small, but there is also outdoor seating on the deck. We got there early so we able to sit in the enclave next to the bar. The cocktails were delicious. They made Mexican hot chocolate with Mezcal since it was a cold rainy day. I had a cocktail that had Mezcal and absinthe. We were able to get tacos downstairs and had a great evening. We took the party back to the hotel to relax since it was a fun filled day with all things that I enjoy. All in all, I had a great birthday, which is why I’m happy with my decision to spend it in Texas versus back home where everything was shut down. Even the rain didn’t dampen the day.
The Texas trip will be continued in the next post. If you like our Facebook page, there are videos from the trip posted that you can check out as well. I also update the Instagram WayfaringGal page (which has more photos from the trip) with new posts. Thank you for reading, and comments and feedback are always welcome since that is how we learn and grow.
