Happy New Year everyone

I just got notice I will have the opportunity to add a few private days to a business trip to Austin, TX in the first week of May. Lucky me

I'm from Europe, have been to the US before, but not to Texas. I will be travelling alone and will probably have 4 consecutive days at my disposal.

As a space nerd, my plan so far would be to rent a car and drive to Houston for two of those days (staying for one night) and look at as much NASA related stuff as I can. The other two days would be spent in Austin.

Other than that - do the locals or other travelers have any tips on what to do or what to avoid? I rarely do the classic sightseeing thing. Some things I'd be interested in:

- any space or aerospace related attractions
- vintage watch dealers
- watch collector get-togethers or meetups (no idea how often these happen, but you never know)
- I'm sort of a foodie
- I could extend the two day roadtrip for a day or so and look at some place in the countryside (or at the coast?) in the area

Any hints are very much appreciated Very much looking forward to this.

// edit: flea markets, antique- and thrift shops are interesting as well!

 

They have a lot of nice girls in La Grange.

 

I've lived in the Austin area for about 6 years now (Dallas for 25 years before this). Not much space history here. There is a military museum. http://texasmilitaryforcesmuseum.org/
Haven't been there yet

Austin is known for music, food and the hill country. Are you ok with bbq and TexMex? I can help with this.

As far as watch collections, I'm not aware of anything big (other than my house ). There are a couple places but nothing like I see from the Japan visits. There was a large collection of Rolex on the north side of town but sadly he has passed a few years ago.

Are you a junker or would you prefer visiting shops? The Round Top flea market might be going on during your visit. Monstrous amounts of junk/watches/knives/guns/antiques, etc. Bring American $, they don't take Euros.

Let me know the days you have free. We'll line something up.

 

I haven't lived in Austin in a long time, but still travel there several times a year to look for watches and pens and other collectibles.

Even recently, I've occasionally found some watches in the antique malls and shops in Austin, Round Rock, and Georgetown but like everywhere else, it is hit or miss.

The Round Top Antiques Fair is around the first of April and the preceding final week in March, so you won't be able to do that. I found some good watches there last year.

 

Thief!

 

Obviously, NASA in Houston is a must. Be sure to take the tours to see the Historic Mission Control, and the astronaut training facility.

If you're in the NASA/webster area, make it to Killens BBQ in pearland. Its literally some of the best BBQ in the country (at least Texans will say so). Some other food tips, in no particular order:

Coltivare Pizza & Garden
Local Foods (name of the place)
Lopez Mexican Restaurant

Our oceans/beaches on the gulf coast are not much to look at, so if you've ever seen a beach before then you've likely seen as good as what we've got, so I personally wouldn't bother. But there is plenty of fun and scenic outdoor activities near Austin... Pedernales Falls can be fun, along with Inner Space Caverns. Unfortunately there is no great vintage watch shops in Houston that I'm aware of...

 

Thank you all for your comments so far, awesome!

Yes, flea markets, antique shops and the like are of interest as well, added that to the first post.

Thanks, added to the list

Absolutely, yes, much appreciated.

Thanks! Do you have any locations or town areas to check out?

Check, thanks!

Yum, thanks again.

I will check those out - actually a few hours of hiking and outdoors sound like fun

 

Had no idea and quickly checked the Wikipedia article - is it worth a visit or was that tounge in cheek (sorry if that's a stupid question)?

 

Austin: think it's called Frankins, amazing slow cooked bbq place. Ruined meat for me for about 6 months.

 

Slow cooked bbq brisket is a staple here. Many many places to visit for this.
Franklin and Black's are my personal favorites.

 

I live in the Hill Country of TX, not far from Luckenbach. I've never found much watch interest in TX, it's basically Rolex oriented, end of story. I've never been one to stumble around in flea markets, pawn shops or the like for watches. If you have any interest in WWII there is the terrific National Museum of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg (75 miles due west of Austin, about 90 minutes). Chester Nimitz, the fleet admiral for the US Navy, was born in Fredericksburg. http://www.pacificwarmuseum.org/

Early May is top weather for this area, you may still have some wildflowers alongside the roads. Cooper's BBQ in Llano is top notch. There are many good joints for bbq, it comes in all kinds of styles.

 

Bluebonnets!

 

I’m not a local but some years ago I spent 3 weeks working on the grounds of NASA’s Johnson space Center and my thought is : YES yes and yes.
There are tours I would recommend, they are very well done and indeed will take you inside Mission Control and the astronaut training center— which I agree should not be missed.

Also do not miss the Space Museum that’s right next to it and which will take you a few hours too. What was most striking to me, once you’ve seen the huge Saturn rocket that’s lying at the entrance of JCS, is to see at the Space Museum how tiny the capsule is. Imagining those 3 men lying in it in what seem like crutchers on top of what essentially like a gigantic bomb drives home their level of bravery and folly.
Do not miss the LEM — you will see there’s an explanation stating that to keep the weight down they made its walls so thin that they could have been pierced with the strike of a pencil.

 

With Franklin’s BBQ, you must line up at sunup to get brisket and ribs....

My choice for newbies:

Smitty’s Market, in Lockhart, 30 miles SE of Austin, make sure you enter from the back to get the WHOLE EXPERIENCE, and order a bit of everything you see smoking on the open fire pits.
Walk inside to sit with fellow carnivores family style,
the traditional way at Smitty’s for a long time.

And don’t forget to get a pair of Lucchese Classic boots in Austin.

Welcome to our part of the world.





And you can’t go wrong with Salt Lick at Dripping Springs

 

Well, I'm not going to tell you all my favorite hidden fishing holes, but I will tell you a few of the obvious ones.

The Austin Antique Gallery in Round Rock just north of Austin has lots of display cases (although a lot less than it used to) and I have found some really good watches and pens there over the years. It is right on Interstate 35 and gets lots of traffic, so anything good that is priced reasonably doesn't last long. There are a couple of decent antique malls on Burnet Road in North Austin. I haven't looked in South Austin in a long time as traffic now has made it a really slow trek from my starting point. There used to be a great mom and pop jewelry/vintage watch store on Burnet Road, but I think it is long gone.

All of these places are just like the antique places every where else, while most have experienced a decline in the quantity and quality of items due to the internet, good stuff still shows up, it's all a matter of timing and luck.

My taste in BBQ tends to run toward minimalism. My preference is meat on butcher paper with no sauce and no sides... dark exterior and intense smoky flavor. So, Louie Mueller BBQ in Taylor just NE of Austin was always my favorite. And I've always liked Kruez Market in Lockhart. Anytime I was headed south of Austin on the weekends to look for stuff in the small towns (even as far as Victoria and Goliad), it was common for me to eat at Kreuz on the way out in the morning, and then again in the evening on my way back to Austin. Or Smitty's or Black's, or...
,
And despite my minimalist preferences in BBQ, I also love the Salt Lick which is always good and occasionally outstanding. On my last visit in September, the brisket was so off the charts I felt compelled to stop at the pit on my way out and compliment the pitmaster, and the trimmers, who sliced it exactly the right thickness to maximize the flavor and texture given the vertical thickness and moisture content. Yes, there are those of us who ponder over and obsess about such things and recognize greatness when we see it (or taste it).

 

Hey everybody, didn't want to leave the thread dangling for so long. Right now the business part of the trip has started, but I've been having a blast in Texas for the last few days since Saturday when I arrived!

Thanks to all of you for the great ideas! I couldn't follow half of them, but my research into them again led me to other discoveries...

I went to Houston, took the the Level 9 Tour at NASA, spent an evening and the night in Galveston, and then went on for a two day tour of the hills. Went to Gruene, Guadaloupe River State Park, and yes, to Luckenbach, and to Fredericksburg. Stopped by to see Hamilton Pool on the way to Austin where I am right now.

Picture time!

















Aaaaand a Speedy is part of it, of course:




Texas is a great place, I'm hoping to return again some day and maybe bring the family

 

Very nice pictures! Did anyone at NASA compliment you on your Speedmaster?