South Congress is one of the iconic streets of Austin, TX. It stretches just south of downtown Austin past Lady Bird Lake. This strip satisfies of everyone's wants...cool boutiques, inviting eateries, captivating street art, and plenty of live music. In addition, vintage clothing shoppers can be easily immersed at a number of vintage shops. There is nothing like the epicenter of the South Congress, The Continental Club. You can purchase from high end stores like Hermes and Chanel to athletic stores like Lululemon and Toms. From elevated restaurants like Aba and Vespio to a variety of food trucks that will satisfy almost any food itch. And if you are in need of some retail therapy, South Congress can satisfy a plethora of shopping tastes. In full transparency, parking can be challenging sometimes, especially during the weekends. For all the benefits that South Congress has to offer, parking is a minor challenge. What makes South Congress memorable, the random jewelry vendors, spray can artists completing paintings live as you look on, street musicians playing their favorite tunes, the random conversation you strike up with another South Congress visitor. South Congress...such a great place to frequent. You literally could spend hours jetting in and out stores, eating ice cream or another treat or listening to live music. It's a fun place to hang out. read more

The epitome of "what once was"...has now become a haven for tourists. And that's ok. However, there are a few places that I like to go to on South Congress that can be difficult because of all the people and cars. It's ok, Austinites know how to deal with it. That said, I will venture over when I wanna go to JoAnn's, the Austin Motel, and of course, I go to The Continental for shows whenever I can. The street is very eye-catching and has a lot to offer. read more

Can't believe I've never been here! My sons visited me this weekend and they know ATX more than I do! This street can get busy and hot! Today there were so many street vendors and different events I got so engrossed didn't get to take a lot of pics. Portion of the strip has the original stores for well known boot makers! You smell the leather as you pass the street and it's quite the Texan air! I love the On Cloud shop too! Quirky yet cute hotels nothing quite like it! The Austin Motel has that real vintage feeling you can work through the courtyard and the entrance hall has a shop. So much line on the pizza street area they even have a Photo Booth. The church grounds was a beautiful retreat they have benches underneath shady trees. Parking: not a lot of choice but when you find one---easy to pay with the app or the site. 5$ for 2 hours. They have a lot of shops with the permanent jewelry and it's a thing here! Vintage clothes for sale on the street and even boots. Food places can get crowded but they have outdoor areas where you can have your pups with you if need be. The vibe was great and fun! And a bonus sight of the Waymo gorgeous car driving on its own! Amazing!!! read more

See all

I highly suggest for any tourist to visit SoCo. It is situated right off of downtown. It's fun, quirky and funky! Do watch out for parking! Parking is free on the side streets but if you park on the main street you may have to pay depending on the area. There are a lot of restaurants, cafes, clothing stores and vintage shops. All the hand painted murals were beautiful! Yet again, they make it clear you are in Texas. If you are buying anything or not it is a wonderful strip to sightsee. read more

South Congress "SoCo" - Local Flavor Near Me - Austin, Texas

This was my favorite part of Austin! Start at one end of SOCO (maybe near June's so you can walk downhill to see the street). This street is filled with stores, restaurants and quick bites Highly recommend Home Slice for by the slice pizza and Jeni's for ice cream! read more

See all

This is a great area full of shops for any kind of shopping: clothes, candles, books, boots, candy, souvenirs... there really is everything. Several of the famous Austin murals are in this area. Parking garages are expensive but necessary. read more

See all

We had a great time visiting Austin and walking through SoCo. There is a good amount of free street parking and plenty of side streets where you can find parking as well. They have a great variety of shops, bars, restaurants, and street art to pass the time and walk around to experience some of what Austin has to offer. We had a great time going into each shop and looking at what each had to offer. We also appreciated how safe and clean the streets felt to walk around. read more

I mean, I gotta bump it up after the shit shows that are 6th & Rainey. Obviously I'm not from around here. South Congress Ave was a relief and calm after the storm and we very much welcomed the mellower crowd and better food. The street isn't blocked off so it feels more familiar, like any decent tourist strip/row. Lots of boutique shopping that kept me engaged over an hour, even if it is tacky howdy hipster and $$$. My only regret is not buying epic cowgirl boots, maybe baby blue or lilac or orange crocodile, even if it is cliche trendy. Why not? Just go for it. Next time! Yes. I'd come back. read more

Nice area to shop, walk, eat, drink coffee. Cute local boutiques. Cool wall murals to take pictures.

South Congress Ave. is the place you went to go if you want to experience The best of what Austin has to offer. You can still find old Austin here that joins like the Continental Club and Guero's. You can find new Austin at swanky places like the South Congress Hotel and the hotel San Jose. I bought my favorite pair of old gringo boots at Allen's boots on South Congress, and Home Slice is surely my favorite pizza in the city. there are so many boutiques and specialty shops. You could easily spend the day on South Congress shopping and sampling some of Austin's best cuisine. I highly recommend taking in a show at Continental club and Guero's Oak Garden. Also, keep an eye out for special events because there are hot rod rallies and really beautiful displays during the holidays. read more

See all

Very nice area in Austin. Many stores to shop at. A few good eateries. Overall very nice place to walk and shop and grab a bite to eat or a few drinks! read more

Quite interesting with plenty of shopping stores, like the atmosphere. Parking is not that hard if you choose to park at the very starting point of SoCo district, but I wouldn't mind walking a little bit longer to reach the SoCo district. read more

South Congress "SoCo" - Local Flavor Near Me - Austin, Texas

One of the best places to Keep Austin Weird. This was my go to spot for a nice afternoon on a day off or the cool place to bring visitors. It's a cool spot for locals and for visitors. As a local I loved that the area is just that-local. Local shops, local restaurants, and local vibe. The stores are more like a playground for adults including my favorites like Big Top Candy, Lucy in Disguise (costumes), and Uncommon Objects. There is a nice variety of stores and they all carry things unique to what you'd find at other stores. Some of the best restaurants and dives are down in SoCo too. When in Austin one must visit Home Slice (eggplant pizza!), Hey Cupcake, Guero's, and Hopdoddy. Tourists will enjoy the true Austin vibe of this part of town. If someone wants to know what Austin is like I'd recommend coming to SoCo. The food and shops are places the locals visit, not just for tourists. Some cool Austin spots you've seen before visiting are down here. "i love you so much" next to Jo's coffee is my favorite. Not far from SoCo is the Greetings from Austin mural too. This is a cool spot to visit for an afternoon of lunch and shopping or on a Saturday night for some Austin nightlife. Don't miss this area if you want to see what Austin is about. read more

See all

I love South Congress... my friend brought me here several years ago when I first visited Austin and we roamed around shopping and eating. I came back a few weeks ago and we did it again, stopping in the old book store, Toms, the new Kendra Scott store, having food, looking around the neat hotels and enjoying the walk. There is so much to do here that you can spend days. There is live music, loads of bars and restaurants where you can sit and people-watch and eat - tons of stores you can shop in and we saw a few really neat hotels along the way as well. It's very near to the school for the blind in Austin and you can walk from downtown and Lady Bird Lake in about 20 minutes at a brisk pace. It's a place you def. need to see if you are in Austin. For food and just browsing if nothing else. A few flagship stores like Yeti and others are in the area... I already mentioned the Kendra Scott store and her flagship was redone recently and now has a cafe and a home store - it's huge and gorgeous inside even if you aren't a fan of her jewelry. read more

Love the vibe here and there are so many things to do!!! I brought my god daughter here to take a picture at the famous "I love you so much" wall. Lots of awesome restaurants here, shops, PIZZA, the Continental Club, ice cream, etc. Come out here and enjoy the scene! Parking was very interesting! I was going to park in the public parking area, but the price of $12 for an hour scared me away. We weren't going to be around for that long so I kept driving around for the magical price of free street parking. Warning: be careful where and how you park. I have had to pay a parking ticket from parking near the Continental Club in the past. The struggle is real. Good luck! Definitely worth the hassle. read more

I see why they had to build another shop next store. The lines are long but don't let it discourage you. They move fast and very friendly staff. Some of the best NY style pizza I have had outside of NY. This place compliments this area with all the outdoor activities. The sandwiches looked awesome. I will have to try next time I'm in Austin. read more

Every one talks about Rainey St and 6th St... but SoCo is so much better! It was way more laid back and chiller than the 2 mentioned and its cleaner. There are still plenty of shops and restaurants where you can grab a good bit and a drink! Parking is easy too. read more

A very Austin Texas spot. Always worth visiting. I love taking out of Towners here. Lots of shops and restaurants. You can spend a few hours just walking along this street going into stores, etc. definitely recommend!! read more

SoCo! This is the cool end of Austin. This is the more laid back, hipster side of town, versus the wild and party end of 6th Street. This is an ideal place to spend the day, checking out all the weird shops, restaurants, and strange things going on along South Congress. They say, "Keep Austin Weird!" This side of town is certainly known for keeping it weird. Corporate stores and chain stores are shunned here, especially on S. Congress. There's lots of design, decor, clothing, costume, magic and toy shops along here. If you need to get outfitted like a Texan, this is the best place in the State to do it! They have lots of cool retro Western type shops along here. Most, if not all of the stores along here are locally run, and totally iconic. Home Slice Pizza has been in a Quentin Tarrantino movie, and the Continental Club has had some seriously famous acts through here. The food truck park along here by the church is fantastic- always getting better. Plenty of places to sit, and lots of options. My fav is the Chicken in a Cone place. Parking is very challenging along here. It's downright difficult. They have this weird head in, angled parking scheme going here that seems needlessly complicated. My advice is to park in the back streets off of South Congress. read more

Southside used to be pretty good, consistent, and close by. They delivered. But, last few times,, the quality seemed to be declining. The last time, I attributed it to the online ordering system not changing my order to delivery and logging it as pick up, so it sat a bit. This last time, I picked it up fresh. It was WAY overcooked. Crust was burnt. Toppings were either skimpy ox cooked to the point where they were hard to notice. Sauce was bland. They stopped using the wood fired oven a while back and use a conveyor belt oven now. Sad, but I am kinda done with this place. read more

This area seems to uphold the mantra, "Keep Austin Weird". (In a good way, it appears). Shopping. I like to experience the local colors and customs when I travel - not shop at stores whose chains have store fronts in my home town. This street offers several blocks of one-of-a-kind stores. From all the reports, I thought there might be more stores... so I was a little disappointed when I still had lots of daylight left, but no more stores to explore. To be fair - I may have missed some stores. I looked on the internet for a "SoCo map", but couldn't find one. I hope some Chamber of Commerce creates an awesome, detailed map, and updates it every year. I felt quite safe in this area, and saw many other people, by themselves, exploring the territory. I stumbled across the place I want to stay when I come back to Austin (if I win the lottery) - HOTEL SAN JOSE. It looks absolutely delightful. I wish there was more parking! read more

See all

"I love you so much" Oh yay, we made it! Being back in Austin again means another trip down Soco! Your one-stop trip for all things Touristy and everything you stereotype about Austinites are amplified 10-fold here. Hipster clothing store? Check. Bookstores filled with obscure books? Check. Too many coffee shops? Check. Tom's? Check...wait. Is it a shoe store or a coffee shop? Whatever. Hopdoddys? Check. Food Trailers? Check. Live music? Check. No parking and bad traffic? Double Check. But it's all in good fun. Take a few hours and just stroll around. I feel like most of the shops here are more of a "look, but not buy" kind of stores and has gimmicky things to pull people in. Nevertheless, if it's a beautiful day, I love being here. read more

A great place to spend an entire weekend day and/or evening. Tons of neat specialty shops (e.g., Mexican folk art, antiques, toy store, cowboy boots & Western wear, etc.) and plenty of places to have a full meal (e.g., tacos, pizza, burgers, vegetarian, etc.) or grab a snack or sweet treat (candy store, ice cream, cupcakes, etc). ONCE YOU FIND A PARKING SPACE (huge pain!!!, but worth it in the end; BEWARE of signs - your vehicle will get towed) walk up and down SoCo and check out the shops, eateries, food truck court, and take in some live music. And, don't forget about the people watching. For locals and tourists alike, this is where people are trying the most to "Keep Austin Weird." Note: Austin in general if very dog friendly - this area especially so. Fell free to bring Fido along to share in the fun. He/she won't be allowed inside some of the shops or restaurants, but there is ample patio dining and a few dog friendly bars - be sure to check out the legendary Continental Club when you visit. read more

Visited the area while in Austin after multiple suggestions from friends and family. It is just another street with shops on both sides. Personally, for me, the variety was minimal, except for a couple of shops. Nothing out of the ordinary. There was a little farmers market going, did find a great tea shop there. Too bad they are not on Yelp. read more

The best half mile of everything Austin. Anything you want to eat drink or wear can be found here. I like just having a beer and people/dog watching. Some of the coolest hotels in Texas are within a few blocks of each other. I also like that it is absolutely nothing like 6th Street. It kind of shuts down around 10 pm so come during the afternoon. read more

See all

This is a nice shopping district that's quite easy to find and parking isn't too much of a nightmare. The local shops are a little touristy but there's so much character in each one that I can see locals shopping here on weekends or for handmade gifts for a friend. The prices vary, too, some even boasting to be inexpensive and "fancy" and I can agree with them. I found items for 60 that I'd find another shop for 20 so definitely shop around and look for stores tucked away off the main strip, it looks like that's really where the deals are. There's plenty of places to stop for a snack, lemonade, ice cream, coffee, tacos, and there's also a few bars for when you need to really cool down. Just a tip, this is a great area to get your tourist photos out of the way. We took a few pictures next to the "Welcome to Austin" postcard mural which turned out really nice, you know how parents love getting those pictures when you're on a trip, hahaha! Anyway, a nice way to spend an afternoon and to get a few souvenirs, nice gifts, trinkets and t-shirts and to exercise a little and get some pictures taken. Also, If you purchased an extra ticket at Museum of the Weird for the wax museum it's located in this area. I hope you found this helpful. :) read more

It's okay. If you want to shop for mediocre quality clothes with 200% mark up, go for it! Good restaurants in the area, though. Kind of has that annoying hipster vibe to it. read more

Commercial thoroughfare in the heart of Austin. Lots of places for eating, drinking and shopping. Perla's is great although I didn't get a chance to try it. Stop by Allen's and pick up a pair of boots. I got a burgandy pair to add to my growing collection. The crocodile pairs looked lush. read more

See all

Best. Shopping. District. Ever. It's like you're completely overstimulated, yet at the same time, you can stop and don't want to stop looking everywhere and taking it all in. Boots, antiques, books, costumes, food, candy, food trucks, what's not to love?!? I'm so glad my friend took me down here, I would love to go back and do even more exploring. read more

South Congress is the best street to walk in Austin! There are restaurants, pub, live music, street performers, food trucks, and shopping. Botticelli's is one of the best Italian restaurants. Guerro's is a fun TexMex place. If you want to skip a restaurant, there are food trucks along the street too. The shops on Congress have some really unique items. If you have limited time in Austin, this street will give you a great glimpse of what Austin has to offer. read more

See all

Looking for Brunch at the South Congress; however, the wait was an hour. We opted for the first come first serve "SoCo" patio in back. Very warm for a tourista but not too hot to buzz kill the brunch. The service was great and the menu was broad enough to please a family of picky eaters. We had four dishes that were outstanding, but make sure someone gets the Carrot Bread French toast. Great desert item! We tried the Cheese Queso with Chorizo and found it a fun and a delicious appetizer. read more

Whenever I travel, I don't have a lot of luck with local vendors and shops. SoCo is a different story. I loved going to the different stores and finding a lot of great items from local vendors. I found a great necklace, a used book that I was looking for, had a great massage...you get the picture. Other great shops were the costume store, the vintage shops, and Allen's Boots! I will definitely be back. Be sure to shop here and support local! read more

Weird but awesome little street of Soco! Lots of awesome shops. Great restaurants. Musicians showing off their talents. Super cool art work to see, which was the best part of it all. Cant wait to visit again! read more

Unless you have an Austinian friend to guide you around for specific items you're looking for, this shopping district isn't great for visitors like myself and my friends who were just looking for Austin souvenirs. From what we explored, it's a bunch of clothes boutiques, and unique antiques that are highly priced. Make sure your wallet is thick with money! Plus, there are bars and restaurants around. We had to wait until we got to the airport to do our souvenir shopping there. read more

I don't know how long this area started becoming cool, but when I was in college, I had never heard of this stretch. However, since then, every time I come back into town I must make at least one stop by here. I usually come for at least 1 meal and some walking and shopping. Now, when I take guests up here I show them this area. It's definitely a Saturday or Sunday afternoon to wander and people watch if nothing else. read more

We spent about 2 hours here on our vacation and while we bought very little, we loved all of the shops and the high caliber of people-watching. I felt like I got a good taste of what makes Austin weird. All of the shops were unique and eclectic and definitely showed off Austin's Bohemian side. We topped off the visit with chips and queso and Torchy's. Parking was tough, but we eventually found a spot on a side street and avoided paying $7 for parking. read more

I don't even need to go to 6th Street any longer. Everything I need is on South Congress. You have a couple of great hotel options, shopping, dining and nightlife. BOOM! Done. And you can circle Austin and come in the back way avoiding the traffic. Just do this. Where else are you going to get a T. Rex with a cactus growing out of it? I named her Trixie. read more

Cool, unique shooing finds! Love all the character and variety the stores bring. It's definitely a must for tourists like me to come check it out and support local businesses!! read more

One of the must-do's for getting out on the Austin town! However, in all my time living in Austin, I only went twice- once with each out of town visitor. Mainly, this was due to the lack of parking- SUCH a pain! Garages are expensive, neighborhoods are packed, and even if you find a spot on the main drag you have to hold up traffic (if you are lucky enough that the person behind you doesn't box you forward) & back in at an angle! Ugh. Other than that, the street is lively (especially on the weekends) & features bars, restaurants, cute shops, food trucks, & artist booths. It's a great place to enjoy the sun, culture, & Austin experience! read more

I guess because I'm from a big city, but I wasn't impressed with this area of Austin. WHAT HAPPENED TO REAL TEXAS????Way too trendy and overpriced. read more