Bachelorette Party Weekend in Austin

Sunday night and Monday were extra rough this week!  But the exhaustion was worth it because I spent this past weekend with 14 amazing women in Austin, Texas celebrating my friend Monica!

I arrived in Austin on Thursday afternoon after some travel delays (I hate flying!).  When I got to the condo, the Thursday crew was just getting back from exploring the city.  We hung out for a little bit and then started getting ready for happy hour at Benji’s Cantina.

Of course, we started off with “a few” drinks and then moved on to dinner…tacos!

After dinner, we headed to Pete’s Dueling Piano Bar.  So much fun!  We had front row seats and spent a couple of hours singing along to all kinds of songs!  In my opinion, Pete’s is a must visit Austin bar.

We also spent a couple of hours bar hopping on 6th street.  For those that have visited Austin before, you know how fun (and interesting) 6th street can be!

Believe it or not, I started Friday with a 3 mile run.  Kim and Laura, Monica’s law school friends, are training for a half marathon, and when I heard they were bringing their sneakers, I made sure to pack mine as well.  Great decision!

After showering and getting ready, the group headed out for lunch at Torchy’s Tacos!  We ate here twice the last time I was in Austin, so I knew the girls would love this place.  Proof that this place is SO GOOD – Monica said she’ll be adding Torchy’s to her “best things I’ve eaten” list!

Our post lunch plans included a shooting range (again, the same one I visited the last time I was in Austin).  Most of the girls were pretty nervous (who can blame them), but once they got in there and were successfully able to shoot the gun, all traces of nervousness disappeared!  I was one of four girls who decided not to shoot, but I still had fun seeing everyone else enjoy themselves!

We broke out our matching t-shirts on Friday night.  Personally, this is one of my favorite parts of bachelorette parties.  It’s so fun to go out and see the bride get showered with attention because of her matching entourage!

We had dinner at Licha’s Cantina (another must visit restaurant) where most of us indulged in a couple of watermelon jalapeno margaritas and some very unique and delicious Mexican dishes.  YUM!

Our post dinner plans included visiting bars, dancing the night away, and riding a mechanical bull!  Good times were had by all!

One by one, people woke up on Saturday morning and congregated in one of the bedrooms.  This was also one of my favorite parts of the weekends – talking and laughing with all the girls!

After getting ready, we opened some gifts (!) and then headed out to lunch.  I can’t remember the name of the taco truck but it was really tasty and authentic (from what I could tell).

And what trip to Austin would be complete without trying Amy’s Ice Cream!  You guys, this was some of the best ice cream I’ve ever had – so creamy, so rich, so yummy!  Our bride-to-be LOVED it as well!

After stuffing ourselves silly, we made our way to a blow out bar to get our hair done.  I decided to go the braid route!  In retrospect, it was an interesting look…will definitely stick to a regular blow out the next time around!  Everyone’s hair looked great, and we were halfway ready for our “class” night out.

Since we wanted to spend time playing a few games before going out, we opted for dinner in (Thai food!).  After a couple hours of playing and talking, all 14 of us headed out to the Container Bar on Rainey Street, where we spent the rest of our night!  We may have also ended up at a Karaoke place and Taco Cabana (for a late night Mexican fix!).

Roshni and I woke up nice and early on Sunday morning (in a state of pure exhaustion!) to head to the airport.  We (ok, I) miscalculated how long it would take us to get there, so we had a couple of hours to spare.  We met up with our friends who were departing on a slightly earlier flight and then spent the rest of our time talking before it was time to board.

It’s hard to believe that Monica’s bachelorette party is already over!  Only 40 more days or so until her wedding!!  I think it’s safe to say that everyone had an absolute blast in Austin eating, laughing, talking, and creating hundreds of amazing memories!