The Austin Bachelor / Bachelorette Party Bucket List.
You have been researching this bachelor/bachelorette party weekend in Austin like crazy… your workdays now consist of having 15 browser tabs open, a spreadsheet (even though you NEVER use spreadsheets), and trying to keep the group email chain on task while everyone else treats it like their own stand-up comedy special.
Bless your heart. They’ll never know how hard you worked! But hopefully, I can make things a bit easier with a local’s point of view on where to go out in Austin.
By now you’ve researched about 200 bars and you’ve probably determined the four main concentrations; All of these areas are pretty different from each other (despite three of them being on the same street) so allow me to break it down for you.
WEST 6TH STREET
About 10 bars where you’ll find a lot of the 25-35 year old yuppie crowd. Most of the bars are pretty large and can definitely get rowdy the later it gets. Dogwood and Kung Fu Saloon hold it down.
DIRTY 6TH STREET
With over 50 bars it’s definitely a famous tourist spot and often draws comparisons to Bourbon Street, although it’s definitely not as dirty as Bourbon (nor as fun, in my opinion). On weekend nights the street is blocked off from cars so drunk 20 year olds and guys looking to start fights don’t get run over. But the truth is Dirty 6th attracts all types and you can definitely have fun if your group is in the right frame of mind for it. But bachelorettes- please be more original than Pete’s Piano Bar.
EAST 6TH STREET
Grungy hipster bars, live music, and large outdoor spaces. Lots of food trucks. Not a popular destination for the large bachelor/bachelorette parties, but it depends on what you’re into. Some groups will definitely have a great time at what I like to call the “hipster honky tonk”, The White Horse.
RAINEY STREET
Look… I know you’re going to Rainey, you know you’re going to Rainey, so let’s talk about Rainey. Maybe you heard it’s all these cool old houses that got converted into bars. Well, it used to be. The truth is, Rainey Street has exploded in popularity and attracted a ton of new development. A few of the first bars on Rainey are still the iconic gutted houses with a bar installed inside and a big backyard, but now there are several newer bars with a more modern style. Doesn’t matter though, Rainey is a great place to go out at night and for day-drinking since every bar is mostly outside. The newest bar where you can see and be seen is Unbarlievable, and the classic Bungalow always has a large crowd. The line at Container Bar isn’t worth it; I’m not saying it’s a bad spot, just not worth the line with so many great bars right there.
BONUS
If your crew is in the mood to dance to awesome music in a dark and seedy club, go to Barbarella, but not too early… this is where you end the night. Once your friends are feeling loose, take one more shot and head to Barbarella around 1am. There may be a quick line to get in and a $3-5 cover, but it’s worth it because even though they have to stop serving alcohol at 2am, they keep the dance floor going and the music playing until almost 3am. It’s a good time.
Just make sure you leave plenty of party energy for your trip on the lake with us! You’ll need it!
– Captain Andrew
