My wife and I (early 60's) will be in Austin next weekend for a very short visit. Any suggestions on things to do on such a short trip? Thought we'd try The Oasis, Mozart Coffee, and the Capital.
Any other suggestions? Not really interested in night life. Good barbecue? Dinner recs?

Depends on where you're staying, how you are getting around, and what you are looking for, as always. I wouldn't make the drive to the Oasis if I was downtown for 24 hours. Walk the Ladybird lake trail would be my choice. The Capital is always good and the Blanton museum is a fun stop. No idea what's open weekends. We typically avoid weekends, traffic and crowds as much as possible. The high end restaurants downtown are always a disappointment.

Few options that haven't been mentioned yet:

If the weather is nice:

• Laguna Gloria (Sculpture Garden): https://thecontemporaryaustin.org/lagunagloria/ - Short drive/uber from downtown.

BBQ:

• Labarbecue - 5 min uber from downtown

Dinner, some spots I like:

• Ezov - 5 min uber from downtown
• Odd Duck - 5 min uber from downtown

Of course you're in Austin so I'd say go listen to some music, lots of good options in/near downtown:

• Contiental Club
• C Boys
• Elephant Room

Never been disappointed at Red Ash or Eddie V's downtown.
If weather is nice, a walk around Lady Bird Lake between Lamar and 1st street is really nice.

The capitol is neat architecture, but there's not actually anything to do there unless youre super into ornate door hinges and crown molding... Nothing of historical note actually happened there. The grounds around it are nice to walk through.

The owners are both Aggies…. Very supportive Aggies. The BbQ is top shelf

As far as restaurants, for a relaxed ambiance, i always enjoy Lucy"s on S Lamar. I am a fried chicken connoisseur and Lucy's has a really good fried chicken offering.

Another vote for "skip Oasis." Not time efficient for a short stay.

You could do Bullock Museum, Blanton Art Museum, tsip campus, Capitol grounds, and Scholtz beer Garten from one parking stop.

Walk the trails along Lady bird lake, see Austin Central Library, and Stevie Ray statute are also good places. See if anything is playing at Long Center, Palmer, or Zach Theater. All in the same area.

Probably too late to make it happen, but if you reach out to your senator or representative they can schedule a tour of the upper levels of the capital dome.

Have done it a couple of times and it is well worth it.

Second the rec for Moonshine and the Bullock Museum. Another place that is walking distance from the Bullock Museum would be Texas Chili Parlor. Very low key place, but good food.

How is Buford's Backyard Beer Garden on a Saturday afternoon? Good for a family with a teenager? I am looking at coming to Austin in late March for a weekend and meeting with friends and their families and this place is close to where I plan on staying.

Like all the other suggestions and will be checking into them.

It's a bar on west sixth so it will be lots of college kids/frat boys. Assuming they will let a teenager in during the day but I'm not positive, definitely not at night.

Probably not a spot I'd do for a family outing but not sure exactly what you are looking for.

Something more family friendly would be Holdout, it's a brewery. It's also connected to Better Half Coffee/Cocktails in case someone wants cocktails/wine. Both are popular and will be packed if the weather is nice. I go here quite often.

210 said:

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It's a bar on west sixth so it will be lots of college kids/frat boys. Assuming they will let a teenager in during the day but I'm not positive, definitely not at night.

Probably not a spot I'd do for a family outing but not sure exactly what you are looking for.

Something more family friendly would be Holdout, it's a brewery. It's also connected to Better Half Coffee/Cocktails in case someone wants cocktails/wine. Both are popular and will be packed if the weather is nice. I go here quite often.

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Holdout looks fantastic. Thanks for the rec and the location is perfect for where we are staying.

I was reading the reviews for Buford's and it seems a little sketchy...everyone complaining about having their phones and credit cards/ids stolen from that place.

Thanks again!

Please don't waste your time going to The Oasis. The lake is down and the food/service is terrible compared to what it once was. I took a colleague there because she remembered it being great a decade ago and it was abysmal. It became a running joke on the trip.

I'll 2nd going to Scholz. Eddie Vs is always solid. Lots of other good recommendations above.

I'd second Holdout. Fantastic beers and the best Chicken Sandwich in Austin.

I can't think of a place that doesn't have better beers than Holdout. I'll have to try the chicken sandwich though. The burger is okay at happy hour price. We just went there this week and the line was being cleaned on the one decent IPA they offer. Pint House, Meanwhile, and Fast Friends (to name a few) are all much better, but in that area it's a good fun stop.

Clark's is close by. They have top Me and PEI oysters and the best lobster roll in these parts. They only show Maine style on the menu, but will correctly make your lobster roll Connecticut style if you ask. Their fries are not good (shoestring potatoes). They have Meanwhile German Pilsner which is my favorite local Pilsner with oysters. It's a typical small oyster bar. We lunch there often because our advisor is across the street.

You are correct about Buford's. Our son and some of his friends had their wallets stolen. They had the credit cards instantly making purchases. There is no way someone in Buford's is not in on it. It happens daily.

Scoltz Biergarten is great just for having Ayinger Celebrator on tap.