As South by Southwest (SXSW) gears up to host a litany of musical acts, films and interactive events over the course of the next ten days (March 8-17), if you’re heading to Austin you’ll need to make sure you aren’t overwhelmed with the sheer volume of options. Though Sixth Street is worth a visit, and pizza from Home Slice is mandatory, this guide is intended to shed some light on the not-so-obvious Austin haunts while you’re there.

Food

Counter Café is small, quaint and home to one of the best breakfasts in Austin. Think an upscale version of Waffle House with the words “local” and “organic” littering the menu, while the short-order cook is visible for your viewing pleasure.

Food trucks are an essential part of Austin’s dining experience. However, there are a few that stand out above the rest. East Side King sits at the top of the food truck pyramid. Started by Top Chef champion Paul Qui, ESK is a mix of various cultural influences. From chicken tortilla ramen noodles to pork belly sliders, your taste buds will never know they are eating from the back of a truck.

Located in the parking lot of a gas station on Cesar Chavez, Vera Cruz All Natural has one of the best tacos you will put in your mouth. Every tortilla is homemade, and besides having amazing steak, chicken and barbacoa tacos, Vera Cruz’s claim to fame is their La Reyna breakfast taco.

Franklin’s Barbecue is considered by some to be the best barbecue in Texas. See for yourself.

An alternative to Franklin’s that doesn’t require a long wait is Live Oak Barbecue. Run by Tom Spaulding, it’s a great place to eat proper Texas-style barbecue off the beaten path. We suggest the “Saturday Special,” where Tom cooks something that is not normally on the menu.

Contigo, located in far East Austin, is the quintessential ranch dining experience with most of the seating outside. Along with one of the best burgers in Austin, Chef Andrew Wiseheart cooks up rabbit and dumplings and ox tongue sliders. Minus an excellent Sunday brunch, Contigo is only open for dinner.

Papi Tino’s is located in a home built in the early 1900s just East of downtown. The restaurant is an improved take on a Mexican cantina. While many of Austin’s Mexican food restaurants specialize in Tex Mex, Papi Tino’s also has outstanding seafood options. The ambience is enhanced by the bands that perform Mexican tunes on the porch.

Drinks

Although Yellow Jacket Social Club is only a few years old, it feels like it has been there for years. Playing music like Waylon and Willie, the only thing that doesn’t seem old are the folks who work there. During the day, Yellow Jacket is an oasis away from the hustle and bustle of the festival.

Whip In is an old gas station that has been converted into one of the most interesting bars in Austin. The bar has more beers on draft than just about anywhere in the city. Apart from drinking a proper pint, the bar also serves a wonderful blend of Indian and Southern food. Quinoa cheese grits and curried collard greens are among some of the funky flavors you might encounter.

Located on “dirty” Sixth Street, Midnight Cowboy is the closest thing in Austin to a proper speakeasy. Reservations are required with a two-drink minimum. Manager Brian Dressel’s resume reads like a who’s who among craft cocktail bars in Austin. Not only are these cocktails tasty, but stout enough to satisfy the strongest of tolerances.

The White Horse is a special place. Defined by many as a modern honky tonk, this establishment brings together people from all walks of life. You are likely to two-step with a stranger while listening to dueling pedal steel guitars. Make sure to bring your dancing boots.

Shopping

Stag embodies the Austin aesthetic. Taxidermy hangs throughout the shop, combined with local artists’ work displayed along the walls. Carrying Red Wings, RRL and Penfield, among other brands, this rugged yet well curated boutique ranks among some of the best in America.

Across the street, tucked away next to Perla’s, is Service Menswear. The small space provides Austin with classic brands like Moscot and Gant Rugger.

Upstart travel guide series Wildsam Field Guides needs no better endorsement than its own launch party. Held last week at an East Nashville home, the party featured live music, Old Fashioneds, exquisite food prepared by the folks at Twelve at the Table, and a guest list of Nashville’s top artists, craftsmen, writers, chefs and other local creatives and thought-leaders.

With its inaugural guide (Nashville), the independently published Wildsam series has proven that it puts a premium on high-quality writing, looks for distinctness and resists the urge to gravitate toward a city’s newest, trendiest or most-promoted attractions — unless they’ve earned it. The locals who made up the guest list, to a large extent, are the book’s contributors, including party host and writer J. Wes Yoder.

“You are Nashville,” Wildsam Founder and Editor Taylor Bruce told the crowd. “We just get to be your microphone.”

Taylor said his goal is to publish 10 Wildsam guides, with one on Austin coming up next (aiming to be out in time for SXSW in March), and locations like New Orleans and Seattle in the queue. Taylor, a native Georgian, longtime magazine writer and former Southern Living editor, said he will take a similar approach on each – calling on friends and experts in their field who intimately know the city, to identify recommendations that a local is more likely to suggest to a friend than a travel guide would advise to a tourist.

“You want to find the people in the city who look past the surface,” Taylor told us, “who appreciate the good writing and great stories that cities inspire.”

And here it must be said that “travel guide” isn’t a fully adequate descriptor for these books that include essays, hand-drawn maps, artist illustrations, interviews with colorful locals from former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist to chef Tandy Wilson, century-old newspaper clippings, an entertaining almanac and blank pages for notes and sketches, in addition to best-of lists and attractions.

The type of insight Wildsam provides is well illustrated by the inclusion of this brief, handwritten note by Johnny Cash, which now hangs in the New York apartment of his daughter Rosanne:

“I must remember that my
‘Internal Prime Time’ is early
morning and very late at night.
This is when I think best,
— when I should write.

Sometimes it is very important
that I just sit around
and do nothing

Rest every midday.”

“Nashville reveres Johnny Cash, and to have such a personal look into his life is amazing,” Taylor said. “You can flip to any page of Wildsam and find something that’s interesting.”

“If you come to town for the first time, this is going to take you to the heart of Nashville. And for people who have been here their whole lives, I think the book is still going to be interesting to them. Cities never stop surprising you.”

The series’ philosophy is embodied in its made-up name. “Wild” is a reference to the series’ commitment to telling the real story of a city rather than that pushed by the convention and visitors bureau. And “Sam” is a reference to Samuel Hamilton, a character in John Steinback’s East of Eden, who Taylor describes as “the embodiment of curiosity.”

It’s an excellent approach to looking at some of America’s most interesting cities, and, if the Nashville guide is any indication, it will be a well-executed one as well.

Wildsam Field Guides ($16.95)

In Texas, there are plenty of chances to go to the rodeo. But every July 4th weekend for the past 66 years the unassuming town of Wimberley, just southwest of Austin, hosts one of the largest outdoor rodeos in the world. If you’re looking to up your Americana quota this year, dust off your boots, gas up the truck, and make sure you know your rodeo basics.

Overview:
Modern rodeo is as much an event as it is a competition. It usually includes a fair or amusement park-style rides, game booths and food, as well as live music and fireworks. Competition is usually a livestock show or arena-based events.

History:
Even though rodeo is an American icon, its roots lie in Spain and Mexico, where it arose out of the livestock management practices of vaqueros (horse-mounted herders). The word itself is derived from a Spanish verb meaning “to pen in.” Tending large herds of cattle, horses, sheep and other stock required specialized skills, and when herds would gather for sale or slaughter, the hands would often show off skills to each another. Over time, these demonstrations became increasingly competitive and modern rodeo competition evolved.

Events:
Depending on the size and prestige of the rodeo you attend, there are different events you can see:

• Bareback riding (no saddles)
• Bronco busting (with saddles)
• Steer wrestling (mounted rider dismounts and pulls a steer to the ground)
• Calf roping (several variants, with or without a tying, and as an individual or a team)
• Barrel racing (women only, horses weave around barrels as quickly as possible)
• Bull riding (signature event, riders try to stay mounted on a bull for 8 seconds)

Organization:
Today’s rodeo is viewed by much of the public as a sport. Governing bodies like the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA), the Cowboys Professional Rodeo Association (CPRA) and the Professional Bull Riders (PBR) ensure standards of professionalism within the sport to protect riders, advocate for stock welfare and health, and generate revenue for cowboys through sponsorships and licensing.

The burdens of the world are enough without adding more weight to our literal and figurative shoulders. Enjoying the journey becomes difficult when you have to lug around everything you own in overstuffed, heavy bags. There’s pleasure found in the simplicity of what you don’t need on the road, but it takes some adjustment, skill and planning.

Traveling light is a mindset and a choice with the aim to make your adventure as comfortable as you can, while taking as little as possible. And the benefits far outweigh what you give up:

• Cost – you won’t have to pay checked bag fees or baggage handlers.

• Mobility – more flexibility as you can take public transportation or even walk places, it’s easier to make flight connections and not have your luggage go missing.

• Security – there’s less risk of theft or damage to your belongings.

• Serenity – a hassle-free trip helps give you peace of mind.

• Environment – the lighter our bags, the more we save on fuel consumption.

Here are a few tips for packing a well-edited bag that sheds pounds and stress.

Start with a smaller bag – We have a tendency to max out whatever size bag we have available. Force yourself to go smaller. A carry-on size bag also means you won’t have to spend time in line to check your luggage or wait at baggage claim.

Pack multipurpose items – Fashion designer Pierre Cardin once said, “I can go all over the world with just three outfits: a blue blazer and gray flannel pants, a gray flannel suit and black tie.” This isn’t what you’d take to the beach, but you get the point. Pack basic, versatile clothing that can be mixed up for different occasions.

Take only what you need – Don’t pack for every possible scenario, just what you must have. Start with the premise that all you need is a credit/debit card and a passport and add as little as possible to that. Also, don’t take what’s available on the road, like the soap and shampoo your hotel provides.

Pack then edit again – After you have everything in your bag and ready for your trip, force yourself to take out two items. This process will help you determine what you really need for your journey.

Wear the bulkiest items – If you’re taking a jacket, coat or boots, wear them, don’t pack them. This will save a lot of space in your bag.

Photo: Ernest Alexander bag

“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one’s lifetime.”
~Mark Twain

Now that we all have spring fever, many us are already on the hunt for how and where to spend that summer vacation. There’s something to be said for holiday traditions in the usual spots with family or friends, yet, the typical is often just, well, typical.

Diverging from the road most traveled and heading off into the unfamiliar should not be reserved for the mountaineer summiting the Himalayas or the thrill-seeker running with the bulls in Pamplona (although we recommend it). Adventure is part of the soul of every man and should not be quelled, yielding a life of quiet desperation, as Thoreau once said.

Leaving our comfort zone is more of a mindset that shuns the homogenized approach to traveling and sees it as an opportunity to learn, find authenticity and return home a little more alive than when we left. For each of us, going beyond our personal fences of familiarity will be relative. For some, the plains of Africa feel as comfortable as home, for others it’s a place a little too far from our corner coffee shop.

Whatever the experience or location may be that pushes us beyond our boundaries, it’s ultimately a question of the vibrancy of our own curiosity. When laziness convinces us it’s too complicated, and fear says it’s too uncomfortable, alarms should sound in the halls of discovery within us.

Traveling to unseen places always has the potential to take us somewhere we did not initially intend, but it’s these experiences that not only bring spontaneity into our overly-scheduled lives, but also they push us to examine ourselves and the way we see the world. For your next trip, consider an experience that may give you an appreciation of a different culture, breakdown a stereotype, refresh your spirit, enhance your quality of life and rekindle a sense of adventure.