The innovative bartenders serve modern cocktails like the Chromatic Shift, with housemade pea flower-infused vodka. The Townsend’s craft bar programme has won multiple awards.
Located in one of downtown Austin’s most historic buildings dating from 1875, the space is long and narrow, in dark muted tones with plush seating, chandeliers and shelf-lined walls filled with vintage books. The first thing that strikes you upon entering the Townsend is the elegant beauty of the space.
CHEER UP CHARLIES AUSTIN GAY BAR FREE
You need tickets for the shows, though some are free don’t miss Antone’s record store, Big Henry’s Vinyl & Gifts. You go to Antone’s strictly for the world-class music, so keep drinks simple. The crowd is a microcosm of young tech entrepreneurs to old hippies and everything in between, and the atmosphere is exactly what you’d expect: dark, intimate and pulsing with energy. King, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Ray Charles, along with local favourites such as Bob Schneider, Marcia Ball and The Fabulous Thunderbirds. Antone’s has welcomed performers including B.B. This grandaddy of Austin music was started in 1975 by the late Clifford Antone, with a focus on blues and Texan musicians. Strolling along famed Sixth Street downtown, where music flows out of every doorway, is a must for the experience and people-watching, while venturing off Sixth will take you to some of Austin’s best spots. The city embraces its moniker of 'Live Music Capita lof the World' whole-heartedly, and on any given night around 100 acts can be heard in venues across the city playing every genre of music imaginable. From decades-old institutions to hip, stylish newcomers, the hundreds of bars and nightly performances mean that the biggest challenge is deciding where to go.
Austin is known as a city that likes to have a good time, and those seeking out its famed nightlife won’t be disappointed.