The Quintessential Texas Hill Country Day Out!…read more If you're looking for the perfect blend of Texas hospitality, smoky BBQ, and scenic vineyard views, look no further than the Austin Detours Hill Country BBQ & Wine Shuttle. I recently took this tour in February, and it was the highlight of my weekend (as I'm a local). Whether you are a local hosting out-of-towners or looking for a professional team-building outing, Austin Detours provides a seamless, stress-free way to experience the best of Central Texas. 5/5 recommend! Our day started at the Austin Visitor Center where we met our driver, Luke, who was fantastic throughout the trip. We hopped into a comfortable Mercedes Sprinter van for a smooth 40-minute drive out to the hills. One of the best parts of these tours is the people you meet. Our group included travelers from Ontario and Brazil, and it was wonderful swapping stories about their first impressions of Texas while we cruised toward our first stop. We started strong at this legendary BBQ spot - The Salt Lick. After placing our orders for some of that famous fall-off-the-bone brisket, we took a quick walk over to Salt Lick Cellars to grab some wine. Pro tip: Salt Lick is BYO, so being able to grab a bottle right there to pair with the BBQ is a game changer. Next up was Driftwood Estate Winery which was pure relaxation. We grabbed a bottle, found a spot under a massive oak tree, and just took in the incredible Hill Country views. Our new international friends joined us after their tasting, and the conversation was just as good as the wine. Our final stop at Fall Creek Vineyards was originally meant for a formal tasting, but the interior was buzzing and a bit loud. Since the Texas weather was doing us a massive favor -- sunny and nearly 80°F in February! -- the group opted to buy a few bottles and head outside to the fire pit. It was the perfect way to wind down. The drive back to the Austin Visitor Center flew by. We were all chatting, sharing snacks, and enjoying a final beverage in the van. A few things to keep in mind: The $69 price is for the expert guide and transport. You'll want to budget about $35 for BBQ and $10-$25+ for wine tastings/bottles. The Vibe was incredibly flexible. Whether you want to do a formal tasting or just split a bottle by a firepit with new friends, the pace is up to you.

A must when visiting Austin. This tour was truly delightful but amazingly informative! Joey Z was…read moreour tour guide and he is absolutely fantastic! The perfect personality for the job. We were all quite impressed by his knowledge of the city and the experience he provided us.

My experience on the Austin Duck Tour was phenomenal! The experience was made very special by our…read moreguide, Captain Bob. He was a professional through and through. His knowledge delivered what you would expect on a tour and his charisma provided charming and unforgettable moments. He was engaged the entire time and attuned to opportunities to interact with the public. It takes a special person to command a full ship through multiple terrains and to do so with constant energy! This is definitely something you want to do to explore Austin, especially if you're celebrating something with people from out of town. Highly recommend!

Returning for a visit to Austin a few years after moving away. Thought the duck tour would be a…read moregood way to see a bit of Austin today without the hassle of traffic or parking. Easy boarding, and an added attraction that boarding is at the visitor's center, which has lots of fun touristy items on sale. Hit just a few downtown highlights and back stories. It's not a fast moving or detailed tour - it's a shorter ride with more fun intended. The duck quackers everyone got when boarding were silly and fun and well used. Seating was a little tight for the grown ups (lots of kids), but the open air sides made up for it. The time on the lake was probably the highlight. It's a different perspective than the usual tourist view. We'd not do again, but were glad we did once. A little too loud and a little too kid friendly for that fifth star.

Amazing time, well Planned. Excellent food choices. The tour…read moreguide was amazing and hospitable with any minor adjustments to a drink. Loved it would do again as we'll visit the restaurants in the future!!!!

Joe was amazing. We went on a corporate event to three different food sites. He gave the history of…read morethe restaurant and the site. He gave some background as to how it started as well as information about the owners of the establishment. Every place we visited was beautiful and exciting and fun. He was attentive and made accommodations for people who had certain food and drinking needs. This was a top-notch tour and I highly recommend it. Thank you so much.

I was so looking forward to finally taking a tour of the city. I've been coming here visiting my…read moreson for the last dozen or so years and I've never done it. At first, I sat on the upper level. It was wonderful to be out in the fresh air. However, the sun was a little too much for me so I had to move down to the inside area. I was the only one down there which was fine, but it was really quite filthy. There was thick gray dust on the top rail of all the seats and the fabric on the seats themselves was all thick with black grease. The tour guide was really wonderful. Entertaining and knowledgeable with one exception that was actually kind of disturbing to me personally. When we got to South Congress he talked about the "I love you so much" wall. His story of a husband painting it for his wife could not have been more wrong. It was in fact done by an artist named Amy for her then girlfriend Liz an infamous Austin hotelier and restauranteur. It is an incredibly iconic part of Austin history and if it's told it should be not fiction. I hope for sure this can be corrected for future tours.

Really good tour led by Jason, who was very upbeat and knowledgeable…read more Did the tour at the start of our trip which gave us a preview of the city; additional places to check out, and how neighborhoods intertwined. A few tips: - Don't forget your sunglasses and sunscreen if you plan to sit on the upper deck. -If you're tall, consider sitting on the left side of the upper deck to reduce the chance of getting hit in the head by low branches. -Bring cash in case you'd like to tip at the end (optional). -If you're hearing impaired, arrive early to increase your chances of getting a seat up front (on upper deck) closer to the guide. Despite being mic'd, there were times it was a bit challenging to hear. -If you get a single loop trip, you're better off staying on the bus the whole tour. If you get off at any of the stops, you won't be able to hop back on. Have an open mind and have fun!

Three years later we are back and brought family visiting from out of town. The captain was great…read moreand very informative without it being boring. We were a group of 11 ranging from age 11 through 94 and everyone liked it. You can either park on the street for free or at the Hyatt. If you park at the Hyatt, Capital Cruises will give you a coupon so the What a fun experience!

We rented a swan paddle boat for an hour. Since free parking can be tricky, we parked in the River…read moresouth parking garage for a flat fee for the day. It was a short walk after that. The paddle boats are first come first serve and since we were there on a school day mid afternoon, there was no wait. The staff took great care of us and got us on our way quickly. The boat worked well even in really windy conditions. It was fun to just relax on the lake while getting a little leg workout! This is a fun, quirky experience to do on the lake!

I went on my second Twisted Tour this past weekend. I had previously attended the Brunch tour and…read moredecided to experience the Live Music tour this time. You can't go wrong with either option! Hanna and Kate were amazing, and they created a memorable evening for us.

Fun little jaunt on this unique tour, in which a colorfully outfitted (both inside and out) tour…read morebus picked our group up from the hotel, and drove first to one of Austin's most famed BBQ joints and then a cool local brewery. The bus is decked in twinkly lights and party regalia inside, and the best part? There's a full on three piece band crouched up front, instruments and all! The trio (guitar, drums, bass) regaled us with cover tunes and requests all along the way -- I still don't know how the drummer kept his rhythm on a swaying bus --- and a great time was had by all. Along the way a tour guide named Tex shouted out Austin trivia when the band took breaks, keeping us all engaged. If you're in a group that's visiting from out of town, it's not a bad way to check out Austin.

This was one of my favorite experiences in Austin…read more Buying the tickets online for the sunset cruise was easy (the people who sat at our table were able to walk on and buy tickets, too). The sights from the river of the bridges, buildings, birds, & reflections off the water were wonderful. The worker who narrated the tour was personable and informative. And yes, it was BYOB, which was another enjoyable bonus. We got very lucky that night. It was a particularly warm December evening, and I'm from Seattle so I was sweating and not knowing if this was normal weather out in Austin, but I guess this may have had something to do with the luck we had that night. This was a normal sunset tour, NOT a bat tour. I've heard of the bats under Congress bridge being a thing to see in Austin in warmer parts of the year. We were not expecting to see them this time, and this is what the worker told us from the very beginning. However, after much of the tour is over and the boat is making its last approach towards Congress bridge... I hear another patron shout "Captain, look!" We all look towards the sky. A thick twisting wave of little bats is passing above us. Then another, and another. They keep, on, coming!!! It was amazing. The narrator said, "Well, I guess this just became a bat tour!" and he shares more information on the bats, points out observations as they fly, and just made the whole journey even more memorable. Even without the bats, the tour was awesome, but I love how easily they transitioned into bat tour mode. Thank you Lone Star Riverboat for an unforgettable time!

Price was reasonable and this was a nice boat ride to do the bat tour…read more The bat tour was not what I expected. I thought I would see bats flying away from the bridge all together but what I ended up seeing was a few tiny bats flying inside the bridge (not very exciting). No fault of Lone Star but I would recommend having low expectations when going and plan to learn about bats. They sell drinks but no snacks.

We went on the Ghost Tour led by Will this Valentine's night and it was incredible! My wife and I…read moreare both native Austinites but we still learned some new things from Will. He is a very entertaining guide too and brings lots of visuals and personal stories too. The Ghost Tour is probably the best I've been in in town and is also the best priced. Please try one Walking Tours of Austin's tour if you haven't already, they're awesome!

I went on a ghost tour it was a fun way to see different places in Austin plus some of the history…read more The tour started at the speakeasy bar and went to a few parts in town. Fun stories and a good activity for the evening. Spooky stuff happened! You can easily book everything online.

We have done the Big Gay River Float three different times and we have had the best time. First…read moretime was 4 yrs ago and we took the yellow school bus (with no a/c) and it was fun but hot. We have learned that taking the VIP bus is more our speed. We can have a drink on the bus and the group is usually pretty cool. They are so organized. We arrive at the pickup spot, check in, have a drink and it's all done seamlessly. Hannah was a great bus host. She's spot on keeping us informed where we are and what to do when we arrive. She goes over rules and policies related to being on the river and trespassing rules. They always do a great job and I'll be doing it again next year.

A friend tipped me off that this tour company was offering adults-only boozy brunch cruises around…read moreChristmas time featuring Buddy the Elf, and with relatives about to barrel through the door at any moment and invade our house for several weeks, that sounded like my cup of te-quila. It was even better than I imagined. I'm no huge "Elf" fan, but after several Palomas, Buddy's schtick was about the funniest thing I had ever seen. I also looooooooooved the dancing up on deck. We lucked out and had a lovely Austin afternoon on the water. The music was a solid mix of 90s throwback dance tunes, and the whole atmosphere was silly and lighthearted and happy. The food was very good, too -- pizza from Via 313, bfast tacos and a candy buffet. We ended our cruise with a special surprise from Buddy -- Santa had gifted us all with jewelry from Kendra Scott! I don't know how often that happens, but I love random surprises. And the retail price of those gifts was more than what we paid for our brunch experience. Score! What a memorable day! I can't wait for the next one.

Doug was great! Air conditioned Mercedes van, sweet & funny tour guide, stops available. The van…read morehas USB charging ports bc ur phone will die from all the photographs you take. I actually went on this exact tour about 1 year ago & realized he was the same guy! We went on a slightly different tour than we did last year though. This time we stopped at the library, & it's BEAUTIFUL. My mother said "I could spend all day in here - you just don't want to leave." The woman doesn't even read...!! Started down "dirty 6th street," then the library, then around to different landmarks. One of them was the cemetery which was gorgeous & Doug said you absolutely have to come back. He gave us the option of getting off at the cemetery's aBoarding is at the Austin Visitor's Center which has free maps, magazines, & brochures - & some seriously adorable animal key chains, jewelry, & clothing. Highly recommend!

This was a fun little tour that took us through the city, through hill country with a few stops…read morethat included the library, the lake, and an overlook spot of the lake. Our tour guide was really nice and friendly. Our group consisted of just the three of us so it was essentially a private tour. It was in a comfortable enclosed van so we didn't have to worry about any of the outdoor elements. We got some history and insights of the city, a nice comfortable ride, and were able to get out and stretch our legs. If you prefer a more traditional tour, this is an excellent option.