Image via Complex Original
As one of, if not the, most youth friendly American metropolises, Austin boasts a buzzy scene at virtually any hour. But the fact that you’re ready to rage doesn’t mean that every establishment is. From the high octane to the incredibly low key, here are the 10 Best Places To Go After Midnight in Austin.
Alamo Drafthouse
Address: Multiple locations
Website: drafthouse.com
Alamo Drafthouse is the epicenter of cinema in Texas. Check out midnight screenings, karaoke bashes, and rap battles after hours at Alamo’s Lakeline outpost. During the rest of the year, the theater’s Village location is your best bet for enjoying high-class food while watching spirited renditions of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
Westgate Lanes
Address: 2701 W. William Cannon Dr.
Website: westgatelanes.net
The all-American pastime gets electrified during weekend Glow Bowling at Westgate Lanes. Flashing laser lights, glow-in-the-dark alleys, and pumping dance music make it a late-night endeavor to remember.
Stubb's Bar-B-Q
Address: 801 Red River St.
Website: stubbsaustin.com
We’d be remiss to put together a guide for Austin and not include at least one barbecue joint, and Stubb’s is the late-night spot to be. During the Austin City Limits Music Festival, they play host to some of the best after-parties, so come hungry and be ready to stay up late.
Strange Brew
Address: 5326 Manchaca Rd.
Website: strangebrewaustin.com
The locally owned Strange Brew offers open doors at all hours, for night owls seeking free Wi-Fi and fair trade espressos. The crowd? Students, literati, and music fans recharging after the nightly performances at their adjacent music venue.
Austin Ghost Tours
Address: Multiple locations
Website: austinghosttours.com
Grab 19 of your closest friends for a private haunted tour of Austin. Master ghost hunters will cart you to spots like the Driskill Hotel (said to be Texas’s most haunted) and the Capitol building (where a woman in a red dress is said to linger) on their special trolley car with the aim of locating spirits and seeing the city’s spookiest places.
Heywood Hotel
Address: 1609 E. Cesar Chavez St.
Website: heywoodhotel.com
The upside to Austin’s dramatic development phase is the vast array of mid-priced boutique hotels catering to youthful travelers. Check in at the Heywood and enjoy one of seven custom designed rooms and free bicycle rentals right in the heart of downtown.
Midnight Rodeo
Address: 2201 E. Ben White Blvd.
Website: midnightrodeoaustin.com
Kick up your heels on Thursday through Saturday night at the 2,000 square foot dance floor of Midnight Rodeo. The sprawling venue is the local destination for doing the two-step and catching great country acts—which are two things everyone must do when they visit Texas.
Broken Spoke
Address: 3201 S. Lamar Blvd.
Website: brokenspokeaustintx.com
The Broken Spoke is Texas’ most definitive dance hall-and we’re not talking about dirty dancing. With a musical history that dates back to Bob Wills and The Texas Playboys, and a world famous Chicken Fried Steak, you really can’t go wrong.
Peter Pan Mini Golf
Address: 1207 Barton Springs Rd.
Website: peterpanminigolf.com
An Austin tradition since 1946, Peter Pan Mini Golf boasts two 18-hole courses with some of the best obstacles you’ve seen in your lifetime. And the fact that they’re open late on Friday and Saturday night means that even Happy Gilmore could get down.
Sixth Street
Head to Sixth Street, a seven-block long nightlife paradise, for the optimum imbibing setting. Favorites include Easy Tiger, which boasts a magnificent beer garden and a bakery open late, Midnight Cowboy, a brothel-turned-speakeasy, and, one block away, the rustic Yellow Jacket Social Club.
Easy Tiger
Address: 709 E 6th St.
Website: easytigeraustin.com
Midnight Cowboy
Address: 313 E 6th St.
Website: midnightcowboymodeling.com
Yellow Jacket Social Club
Address: 1704 E 5th St.
Website: yellowjacketsocialclub.com
