Living in the Rose City, Kari Young has a taste for adventure and delicious foods. From close ups of her favorite happy hour snack to the best burger you’ll ever eat, she knows how to show off drool-worthy content to our feed. She just returned from an Instagram takeover in Austin, Texas. as part of Alaska’s Weekend Wanderer series. For more Weekend Wanderer posts, be sure to follow Alaska Airlines on Instagram.

As we landed in Austin, Texas, we were immediately greeted by sunny, blue skies and the warm hospitality so unique to the South. Our Weekend Wanderer getaway took us straight to SoCo, one of the liveliest and diverse parts of Austin – a neighborhood that reminded us fondly of our hometown of Portland, Oregon, but had a charm and vibrancy of its own. We shopped and people watched on Congress Avenue, then ventured to nearby Weather Up to relax with cocktails and snacks set in a vintage house. We sat in the gorgeous yet simple outdoor garden area, allowing us to experience Austin in the best way possible.

One of the highlights of our weekend were the bar scenes along the infamous West 6^th Street aka “Dirty Sixth” and the Rainey Street Historic District. We grabbed drinks and enjoyed the young and festive crowds at Half Step and were totally charmed by the tableside cocktail cart service at Midnight Cowboy – a bar that celebrates and embraces the old-fashioned and classic approach to cocktails. The diversity in nightlife, from The Firehouse with hip-hop-spinning DJs to Small Victory, a sophisticated, vintage modern cocktail bar that takes the art of cocktails to a new level, Austin bars do not disappoint.

Austin’s kitchens are also some of the best in the South. We treated ourselves to some of the briniest and most delicious oysters from Clark’s Oyster Bar and some of the most finger-licking good barbecue from the “gotta wait in line” La Barbecue. At the heart of the food and drink scene are the people. From sushi to tacos each experience was greeted with a smile and the Southern hospitality that has taken on a completely new meaning to us. Austin, Texas is truly a city worth visiting time and time again.