Today’s Forecast

69º | Rainy | 87% chance of rain | Sunrise 7:28 a.m. | Sunset 5:42 p.m.

Get in, we’re going to Houston 🚗

The ultimate road trip to Houston

A woman stands facing a Rothko painting at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston

Houston’s Museum District spans 14 acres. | Photo by ATXtoday

Itching to get out of town, Austinites? Skip those pesky airport security lines and jump in your car for a road trip to Houston instead. From watching the Houston Astros play at Minute Maid Park to a mole flight at Xochi, we’re spilling all the details on how to have an unforgettable time in H-town.

📍 Essential info
Drive time: ~3 hours
Year city was established: 1836
Est. population: 2.29 million

A photo of Ed Sheeran performing to a packed crowd at Minute Maid Park. — Houston’s Minute Maid Park has a massive capacity of 51,000.
|
Photo by ATXtoday

🎟️ Experience

The Galleria
Put on your shopping shoes and treat yourself at the largest shopping mall in Texas.

Minute Maid Park
Depending on the day you visit, you can catch either a Houston Astros game or a Red Hot Chili Peppers concert.

The Museum District
Peruse Houston’s impressive array of exhibits in the Museum District, which houses 19 museums within walking distance of one another. Don’t miss the Contemporary Arts Museum and the Museum of Fine Arts.

NASA Space Center Houston
All ages are invited to learn about the history of human space travel through more than 400 space artifacts, exhibits, and experiences.

Basil stir fry with a fried egg and red chili sauce. — Street to Kitchen says it serves “unapologetically Thai” food.
|
Photo via @streettokitchen

🍔 Eat

Nancy’s Hustle
This East Downtown New American bistro is famous for its “Nancy-cakes,” served with butter and trout roe, and is nominated for the James Beard Award’s Outstanding Wine Program.

Street to Kitchen
Run by Best Chef: Texas nominee Benchawan Painter, Thai restaurant Street to Kitchen is famous for its drunken noodles, Panang curries, and basil chicken.

Xochi
This Mexican restaurant highlights Oaxacan cuisine, including mole flights and seafood plates, made by James Beard Award-winning chef Hugo Ortega.

Wait a minute, Austinites. Before you head out the door, find the cheapest places to fill up your gas tank and stock up on road trip snacks from Buc-ee’s. Also, bookmark this map so you have no trouble finding all of our recommendations while visiting Houston.

Explore Houston like a pro

Asked

When deciding on a road trip destination, what is the maximum amount of time you want to spend driving?

A. 1-3 hours
B. 4-6 hours
C. 6+ hours
D. None, I prefer to fly

Drive on

Events

Tuesday, April 25

The New Pornographers | Tuesday, Apr. 25 | 8 p.m. | The Paramount Theatre, 713 Congress Ave., Austin | $25-$69 | The indie rock band will be joined by special guest Wild Pink.

Wednesday, April 26

“Clueless” Movie Party | Wednesday, Apr. 26 | 7 p.m. | Alamo Drafthouse Slaughter Lane, 5701 W. Slaughter Ln., Austin | $18 | The Beverly Hills version of the classic story “Emma” reinvented Jane Austen before it was cool.
Guga: Breaking the Barbecue Rules | Wednesday, Apr. 26 | 7 p.m. | BookPeople, 603 N. Lamar Blvd., Austin | $32 | Join Gustavo Tosta, aka Guga Foods, to celebrate the release of his new book.
Emmaline | Wednesday, Apr. 26 | 7:30-11 p.m. | Parker Jazz Club, 117 W. 4th St., Austin | $35 | Catch this 23-year-old vocalist, violinist, and songwriter live.

Thursday, April 27

“Tejanaland” Book Discussion | Thursday, Apr. 27 | 6-8 p.m. | Neill-Cochran House Museum, 2310 San Gabriel St., Austin | $5-$15 | Learn from Teresa Palomo Acosta about her recent collection of essays describing the Mexican-American experience in Texas.

Saturday, April 29

Birds Barbershop Celebrates Willie’s 90th Birthday | Saturday, Apr. 29-Sunday, Apr. 30 | 9 a.m.-7 p.m. | Birds Barbershop, all locations | Free | Celebrate Willie’s milestone birthday with complimentary braid add-ons, a free Willie-inspired bandana, and local beverages.

Events calendar here

Click here to have your event featured.

Giveaway

Good news for locals

Get ready to share good news for a chance to win $500 cash. | Graphic provided by 6AM City

Did you know you have until next Monday to share good, local news with your neighbors on Nextdoor and be entered for a chance to win $500 in cold hard cash?

The road to possibly winning the cash is simple:

At the top of all of our articles, there are buttons to easily share stories, and we’ve recently added a button to share on Nextdoor.
After clicking the icon, you’ll either log in or create a new Nextdoor account.
Create a post using your favorite ATXtoday article with a caption for your community.
Once you are happy with your post, click “POST” and you will be entered to win $500 automatically.
Respond with likes + comments
You can share as many articles as you’d like, just as long as you believe they will benefit your neighborhood!

The winner will be announced on Wednesday, May 10 in our newsletter and social channels. There’s no limit on the number of entries for the contest. The selected winner will be someone who shares a story that receives a lot of engagement (likes, comments, and shares) on Nextdoor.

Read full eligibility and giveaway terms here.

Get started

News Notes

Transit

CapMetro partnered with HOLT Renewables to install solar charging infrastructure for its collection of electric buses purchased in February 2021. Once complete, the solar canopy will be as large as 12 acres. (KVUE)

Concert

The “Certified Lover Boy” himself is coming to Austin. The Moody Center will host Drake and 21 Savage this September for the “It’s All a Blur” tour — tickets go on sale Friday, April 28 at noon.

Eat

Bakery Lorraine on 11600 Rock Rose Ave. is celebrating Fiesta San Antonio from afar with a special macaron flavor: pickle. The San Antonio-based bakery says the treat is “salty-sweet” with a pickle curd buttercream. (Eater Austin)

History

Remember the ancient Roman bust Austinite Laura Young purchased at a local Goodwill in 2018? That very same bust will leave the San Antonio Museum of Art for a museum in Aschaffenburg, Germany — the last known location of the artifact — after Sunday, May 21. (KXAN)

Community

While the City of Austin looks to fill 911 call taker positions, some Austin Police Department sergeants have filled in to keep phone lines open. The city is also looking for dispatchers — get more info. (KVUE)

Feel Good

Austin couple Stevie and Joey got engaged at Peter Pan Mini-Golf over the weekend after they both proposed. Each brought an engagement ring with them, though Joey was able to pop the question first. (KXAN)

Wellness

Has your news feed (or TikTok) been robbing you of your productivity and focus? (Same.) This natural adaptogen supplement can increase cognitive function without the use of traditional medications. Bonus: 15% off and a 30-day money-back guarantee.*

Food

Small Businesses

Celebrate Pretzel Day in Austin

Soft pretzels are typically made with hard wheat flours, giving them their signature chewy bite. | Photo via Unsplash

Fans of “The Office,” this one’s for you. If you love pretzels as much as we do, every day is Pretzel Day — AKA Stanley Hudson’s favorite day of the year. Naturally, there is only one way to properly celebrate the occasion — with a soft pretzel. Here are a few places around town where you can cure your pretzel hankerings:

Bangers, 79 Rainey St.
Easy Tiger, Mutiple locations
The Brewtorium, 6015 Dillard Circle A

Want to enjoy pretzels from the comfort of your own home? Order a gourmet soft pretzel box or make your own with this baking kit.

The Wrap

Today’s edition by:
Figi

From the editor

Here’s a mind-boggler for you: when you wrap yourself up in this H-E-B tortilla blanket, are you the meat in a taco or burrito? Let me know.

Missed yesterday’s newsletter? Here’s how to eat local in ATX.

Send Us A Scoop, Question, or Feedback

Content marked with an * is paid advertising. Content marked with an ^ is created by our content studio. The company may also generate commission from affiliate links in the newsletter.

Change your preferences or unsubscribe here.

P.O. Box 2505, Greenville, SC 29602

ADVERTISE | CAREERS | ETHICS | PRIVACY | THE BUY