East 6th St, Downtown

6th Street is Austin's mecca for college kids and tourists. Featuring lots of bars, live music, and entertainment, there are tons of things to do downtown. Festivals like South By Southwest heat up this hot spot even more. However, if you live in Austin and are not of college age, you might quickly tire of the downtown drinking lifestyle. There are more laid back places on 6th street closer to Lamar, like Mother Egan's. So, basically, you graduate from the college joints at 6th and Congress to the older people joints at 6th and Lamar.

If you've ever heard of Bourbon Street in New Orleans, Austin's 6th street between Congress Ave. and Red River Str. is just like it. On busy weekends the street is closed to traffic and pedestrian revelers crowd the street. Every inch of real estate is socially geared; bars, clubs, music venues, restaurants, and a few tourist shops. Each street feeding into 6th street also has its own venues. The street is mostly college students, but you'll also see older adults strolling after a restaurant meal or show at Esther's Follies. This is THE place to be on a weekend night if you want to be social.