--- title: Insider's Guide to Austin, Texas - TURNER description: TURNER knows Austin, Texas. We represent three of the city's best hotels — Aloft Austin Downtown, Element Austin Downtown and JW Marriott Austin. image: https://www.turnerpr.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Screen-Shot-2018-01-29-at-2_09_04-PM-1-1.png --- 1 min read # Insider's Guide to Austin, Texas [ Tyler Wilcox ](https://www.turnerpr.com/spin-kitchen/author/tyler-wilcox) : January 30, 2018 ![Insider's Guide to Austin, Texas](https://www.turnerpr.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Screen-Shot-2018-01-29-at-2_09_04-PM-1-1.png) TURNER knows **[Austin, Texas](https://www.austintexas.org)**. We represent three of the city's best hotels — ** [Aloft Austin Downtown](http://www.starwoodhotels.com/alofthotels/property/overview/index.html?propertyID=4030&language=en_US)**,  **[Element Austin Downtown](http://www.elementaustindowntown.com/)** and **[JW Marriott Austin](http://www.jwmarriottaustin.com/)**. We turned to our Austin-based insider, **[publicist Cara Caulkins](https://turnerpr.com/about/cara-caulkins)**, for insight into this vibrant city. ***You’ve traveled all over the world – what was it that drew you to Austin?*** My sister was living in Austin (UT grad!) and I found it had similarities to other cities that I loved — Chicago, San Diego, LA and New York — but yet had this refreshing new and creative energy. There were people from all over, but with a fun artistic, quirky and Texas spirit. ***We know about the live music, the BBQ, and the Congress Ave. bats. What’s one great thing about Austin that people don’t know?*** One of the things I love most about Austin is the creative community. There are so many talented artists in a variety of fields (visual arts, ceramics, graffiti, jewelry, fashion) and Austin still feels like a place where #shoplocal is king. People support local businesses and creative endeavors! ***Let’s say a friend is visiting Austin for the first time – what’s the first place you take him or her and why?*** Probably **[South Congress (SoCo)](https://www.austintexas.org/listings/south-congress-avenue-(soco)/4359/)**: I love the mix of new and old Austin establishments, the shopping, food and of course people watching ... ***What’s your outdoor adventure of choice in Austin?*** I really enjoy running around **[Lady Bird Lake](https://austintexas.gov/page/lady-bird-lake)**. It feels so removed from city life even though it is literally downtown! ***What are your Austin food & drink favorites? *** We have so many amazing restaurants, I can't choose one! I definitely always take guests to [**Torchy's Tacos**](https://torchystacos.com/) and it is a personal weekend favorite. [**Garage Bar**](https://www.thrillist.com/venue/drink/austin/bar/garage) has really innovative cocktails. And you can't go wrong with a spicy margarita in this town — my recent favorites are from La Condessa, TNT and Native Hostel. - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) [![SXSW 2017 Survival Guide](https://www.turnerpr.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/sxsw-westin-austin-1.png) ](https://www.turnerpr.com/spin-kitchen/sxsw-2017-survival-guide) 2 min read #### [SXSW 2017 Survival Guide](https://www.turnerpr.com/spin-kitchen/sxsw-2017-survival-guide) [Whitt Kelly](https://www.turnerpr.com/spin-kitchen/author/whitt-kelly) : January 27, 2017 When planning for big festivals like Austin, TX’s SXSW, accommodations are often an afterthought. You find a place to stay that’s affordable, close... [Read More](https://www.turnerpr.com/spin-kitchen/sxsw-2017-survival-guide) [![Introducing the Aloft and Element Austin Downtown Experience](https://www.turnerpr.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Screen-Shot-2017-06-16-at-8_35_41-AM-1-3.png) ](https://www.turnerpr.com/spin-kitchen/introducing-the-aloft-and-element-austin-downtown-experience) #### [Introducing the Aloft and Element Austin Downtown Experience](https://www.turnerpr.com/spin-kitchen/introducing-the-aloft-and-element-austin-downtown-experience) [Katie Bonneau](https://www.turnerpr.com/spin-kitchen/author/katie-bonneau) : June 16, 2017 Say hello to Aloft and Element Austin Downtown, a dual-branded concept opening in late-July of 2017. Located in the heart of downtown Austin – on 7th... [hotels](https://www.turnerpr.com/spin-kitchen/tag/hotels) [Read More](https://www.turnerpr.com/spin-kitchen/introducing-the-aloft-and-element-austin-downtown-experience) [![Westin Austin Downtown's Lean '17](https://www.turnerpr.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/westin-lean-17-header-1.png) ](https://www.turnerpr.com/spin-kitchen/westin-austin-downtowns-lean-17) 1 min read #### [Westin Austin Downtown's Lean '17](https://www.turnerpr.com/spin-kitchen/westin-austin-downtowns-lean-17) [Whitt Kelly](https://www.turnerpr.com/spin-kitchen/author/whitt-kelly) : December 09, 2016 With 2016 quickly coming to a close, many are looking towards resetting and beginning 2017 with some refreshing healthy life choices. In January, ... [Read More](https://www.turnerpr.com/spin-kitchen/westin-austin-downtowns-lean-17) JavaScript is required for best experience ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Tyler Wilcox", "url" : "https://www.turnerpr.com/spin-kitchen/author/tyler-wilcox" }, "dateModified" : "2025-02-24T13:56:20.646Z", "datePublished" : "2018-01-30T05:00:00.000Z", "headline" : "Insider's Guide to Austin, Texas - TURNER", "image" : [ "https://www.turnerpr.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/Screen-Shot-2018-01-29-at-2_09_04-PM-1-1.png" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://www.turnerpr.com/spin-kitchen/insiders-guide-to-austin-texas", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://www.turnerpr.com/hubfs/FM_Website_Branding/Logos/Shipyard_Fahlgren_Mortine_G2_Black.png" }, "name" : "The Shipyard Collective (Shipyard, Fahlgren Mortine, TURNER)" } } ```