by Matt McKee

I made my first trip to Austin, Texas, back in the early 2000s. It wasn’t anything special, just a little trip through the town on my way from Dallas to San Antonio. I had no idea that the town had a motto, but, after the first visit, I understood why it did and why the motto was “Keep Austin Weird.” Since that first trip, I have had the privilege of returning to Austin at least 10 times. It truly is one of my favorite towns in the world even when comparing it to Hong Kong, Prague, or St. Petersburg (Russia). It truly is a special type of place that you won’t understand unless you go there yourself.

If you do go there, like we are for the Orange Tour tonight and tomorrow, then I would encourage you to do some of the weird things around the town. Here is a list of seven weird things that you can do in Austin that you might not be able to do in your hometown. These are all things that I have done while in Austin so I hope you can enjoy them as well.

1. Have ice cream thrown at you at Amy’s Ice on 6th Street.

      – Ask them to go outside and throw it across the street. If you catch it then it is free.

2. Ride in PediCab

     – Who cares where you are going in the city? Seeing the city from this vantage point is just fun.

3. Don’t feel like having someone else bike for you? Rent a bike downtown instead.

      – There are bike rental stations all over downtown.

4. Have some of the best food in the world come out of a food truck.

     – Many chefs in Austin start off with their own food truck. If that goes well then they open a restaurant.

5. Buy some tricked out Cowboy Boots on South Congress St.

     – Either from Allen’s or Heritage. You can’t go wrong.

6. Stand in line forever for BBQ.

     – People stand in line for two hours at Franklin’s BBQ in Austin. I didn’t wait that long but I might next time. It’s really good.

7. Stop by the Driscoll Hotel.

    – Why stop at a hotel you are not staying in? It is reported to be haunted and that is weird, but you will be blown away by the architecture and feel of it.

It might be possible that I get all seven in again on this next trip. We will see!

We would love to see you for Orange Tour in Austin or at the remaining tour stops in Dallas or Tampa: www.OrangeTour.org. Lead Small training will take place the night before every Orange Tour stop. Anyone with a tour ticket can attend for free. Those without a tour ticket may attend for $19. For more information, please visit www.OrangeTour.org.