soco district

I'm one of the old Austin folks (been there since 1963) and I live three blocks off South Congress. The success of this wonderful part of the city is in process of turning it into something sad to see. The rents are skyrocketing, and many of the places are having to move out, replaced by franchises. The new hotel that has taken over the ground the food trailers occupied is way the hell out of scale with the rest of the neighborhood. Walk up to the river and take a stroll on the new boardwalk. It's lovely!GIven all of this, there is still a lot to like. Magnolia Cafe, Guero's, Allen's Boots, people watching, the Saturday crafts market, First Thursday's... Just go soon while it reminds of Austin and doesn't feel like Dallas!

This is a good place for a stroll if you're staying downtown. Shopping is eclectic and unusual. We stopped at Allen's Boots and Tom's and enjoyed both.

Amy's Ice cream is a must. Jo's coffee is very good too. If you walk up the street, you will see an antique store called Uncommon Objects, which has many old antiques like old cemented pistols, and old scales

Walked around the on a Saturday afternoon. It was fun and quirky with lots of unique shops and craft markets. It's walking distance from Goudough's so after you've had the best donuts ever, you should walk back to Congress and walk around a bit.

If you are visiting Austin or have family coming in this is a good place to spend an afternoon or evening. You can walk around and visit the weirdly unique Austin shops - second hand, antique, western wear, candy, boutiques... Then choose from the many restaurants - mostly casual. If you can go on the First Thursday of the month when there are extra vendors and bands playing along the route - places stay open later.

You can find great places to eat with live entertainment. You will have a lot options to choose from.

The 'SoCo' neighborhood is an odd collection of vintage shops and eateries that promises to delight anyone's shopaholic tendencies and tastebuds. Put on your walking shoes, park the car, and and don't take any prisoners! My favorite places are Off the Wall Antiques, the Great Outdoors Nursery, and the Magnolia Cafe. But don't worry - pretty soon you'll have your own list of SoCo hangouts to call home.

The stores and restaurants along South Congress are a treat just in seeing them from the sidewalk, but going inside is the better way to get the feel of Austin. There are great Italian restaurants in this area, as well as other types, that have a wide variety of offerings, from hamburgers at Hopdoddy to Mexican offerings at Quero's, wonderful brunch offerings at South Congress Café and many more. The stores are eclectic, from a used items store that has almost everything, to a costume shop, and you gotta stop in Allen's Boots to see hand made boots from a couple of hundred dollars into boots for over $1500. A great selection. It's a fun place to spend a couple of hours seeing the stores or to watch others strolling along the street

This is a fun little area to walk and shop. Especially some cute resale stores. Shop keepers were all very friendly.

Soco is the best place to stay in Austin. Unfortunately everything was booked up so we were a little bit outside Soco. We went there on a Saturday to walk around and it was hustling and bustling. There are tons of cool vintage shops, restaurants and hotels. The strip is trendy and less trashy than 6th street.

It's about 1/2 mile long stretch, with assorted bars, restaurants, and shops. It used to be home to many food trucks as well, now just a scant few. Just a real fun atmosphere and I'm sure everyone can find something of interest here.

The South Congress area represents what Austin is all about. There's been a lot of new development that I know can be controversial with old-school Austin natives, but I think it's fantastic. There's still Guerro's and my favorite Magnolia Cafe and lots of the classic resale shops. Plus tons more restaurants and music venues now. Great vibe, great view of the capital.

This is the new version of the old Austin before business took over the areas around the campus. Must see, shop, walk, and listen to live music

This is a fun place to go when you're a tourist. This used to be where locals went before Austin became such a huge destination. There are great restaurants! Go on First Thursday if you really want a crowd. Enjoy!

Crowded but fun, plenty of street performers, great antique store and arts and crafts. In the area: great fried chicken (we found it after we had enjoyed some fresh fruit drinks, so we were too full).