Austin bills itself as the Live Music Capital of the World and it is certainly a contender because the town thrives on music festivals and venues. The famous SXSW (South by Southwest) music and film festival follows the NBBQA Conference in March; then there is the Austin City Limits Music Festival and PBS program; hometown boy Willie Nelson’s appearances and Picnics; the Backyard and several barbecue venues such as Stubb’s that seats up to 1,800 on the banks of Waller Creek; Artz Rib House; and the famous entertainment district of Sixth Street to keep you entertained.
Here are some links for things to do if you want to extend your visit to the Austin area:
As you already know when it comes to barbecue, Texans usually think of smoking, they think beef first, pork second, and smoked sausage third. There will be a noticeable leaning toward beef in nearly any barbecue venue you choose to explore in Austin, or within 50 miles. You will also find a decided preference for where one’s sausage is manufactured and smoked. Austin is widely recognized as the Heart of
Texas for government, the University of Texas, and lots of good barbecue restaurants
ranging from high end to roadside shacks. In the event you want to create your own
barbecue trail, here is an incomplete list of barbecue spots in Austin. Each of NBBQA’s BBQ buses will only visit two to three each due to time limitations, but you could discover some innovative ideas wherever you decide to visit, and you will likely
note the close tie ins with regular live music as well.
Surrounding Austin within 60 miles are some nationally-famous barbecue restaurants
That many aficionados make a point to visit when in the vicinity. Several of these BBQ Pit Masters have been invited to demonstrate their cooking at the Big Apple BBQ in the Park in NYC for several years in a row. The following list will enlighten you with their quality and different approaches to barbecue:
