MotoCARR

The wife and I are planning a mini vacation to Austin to check out the USGP. Any tips on seating areas, things to do, etc. for first timers?

Greyout

GA is good seating but too crowded. Wife & I have gone every year... and when I haven't been able to bum awesome seats through work connection, enjoyed Turn 1 grandstand seats the best.

The best parking is not the kind you pay for ahead of time. Bring cash, the land owners off the main road to the track convert their land into parking. No shuttle mess, just walk to the track and pay less. That is how we have parked the last few years, including on Sunday.

Date night tip: Plan the following -
- Dinner at Iron Cactus on 6th street. Eat on the patio upstairs. If cold out, patio is heated.
- 10PM show at esters follies, walking distance down the street. Buy tickets ahead of time for the show. Lots of Texas humor.

MotoCARR

Thanks for that info! So you'd say spring for seats over GA? The seats you mention, are they in view of a Jumbotron or big screen?

njn63

I went a couple years ago:
-The track has more elevation change than you would expect. From the Turn 1 grand stands you can see past turn 2 and the 16/17/18 complex.
-GA is good enough for Friday/Saturday but it does get pretty packed on Sunday. There is a really good GA viewing area on a hill between Turn 18/19. Bad part is you can get reserved seating on Saturday dirt cheap on stubhub.
-We parked in the FM812 lot with the shuttle. It was ok but I know it was a mess the year it rained. I was glad we rented a giant SUV because it was basically a farmer's field.
-Cross your fingers that Taylor Swift isn't playing again. From what I heard she drove ticket prices up like crazy this year.
-We flew in/out of San Antonio instead of Austin. It was much cheaper and we fell in love with that city (eventually had our wedding on the riverwalk there).

My advice? Skip F1 and go for IMSA instead. Much better racing.

@...esteban or @natedawg500 should have more tips.

MotoCARR

Thanks njn63, that's exactly what we were thinking of doing, flying into SA and staying there, and driving up to Austin Sunday just for the race.(Wife loves SA too)

Greyout

You definitely want seats in good view of a track-side TV. Turn 1 grandstands are good for that, as is Turn 15, and Turn 10. There are others as well.
If you buy grandstand seats, you will probably not spend much time in them on fri / sat, and instead wander around alot. The grandstand seats are nice on sunday though.

...esteban

@Greyout and @njn63 giving awesome info. Stick to what they said (except IMSA) and enjoy yourselves.

I've been every year, and have had tremendous success purchasing tickets on the secondary market locally. However TSwift kinda fucked that up last year. Maybe the best value are the T4/5 stands, but T1 is a special place to be at the start of the GP. Last year's fly over with the AH-64's/CH-47's was an incredible view from T1.

tl;dr: do it.

natedawg500

Sorry just saw this.

Yes Sunday it's packed but o well you can still see well you're just not going to be able to plop a lawn chair down and have a great view in a GA area while sitting. It will prob be less packed this year with Mexico race being close and no Taylor swift. I'd go GA. Personally I couldn't stand staying the same spot for a 3 hour race. Wifey might like it tho if she's not a huge fan of the race so she's not standing.

other advice.
-Yellow rose is the best strip club in town.
-parking is a straight mess every year. I'd recommend some type of parking close to the track (no shuttles) there's multiple vendors outside the track but pre pay at least a week before the race.
-breakfast tacos are everywhere and awesome
-I'd stay downtown or close to downtown just to get the true feel of Austin. It is one of the best cities in this country.
-salt lick BBQ is pretty popular for tourists. It's about 45 mins outside of town and a cool Texas BBQ experience.


SA is boring. I was bored there in about 3 days. The RW gets old quick. I've been to Austin every year for the race but the first one and stay for week and have never ran out of fun things to do/ see. I'd spend the majority of my time in Austin not SA.

gtpilot

T4 seats give you a pretty long view of the cars as they traverse the esses...agree with off lot parking!

Salt Lick, Rudy's or Fanklin's (but it is lunch only)...eat brisket!
Matt's El Ranco or Curra's Grill - both Mexican and on the south side
Bubba's Wild Game Burgers (lunch only as well)

Lot's of **** and weird people to see down on 6th Street

MotoCARR

Great info, thanks!

Speaking of pre-paying for parking, are there specific lots we can buy from or an app that can be used? Here in the Chicagoland area we have apps with different lots listed. Pay via the app, scan your phone when you get there and the gate goes up.

MotoCARR

One of the most exciting things we are looking forward to is the food!

90civichbsi

iTrader: (1)

BBQ:
Salt Lick: Its still one of my favorites. It's also BYOB and cash only, so bring some local brews/wine and expect at least a 45 min wait during peak hours. There's usually live music in the large outside waiting area.
Franklin's: Lunch only, Great brisket, but there's always a line and they serve till they run out. You can pre-order online to be sure you get some, but you still have to wait a bit to get it.
Micklethwait: Lunch only, A lesser known but good BBQ trailer in east Austin. Brisket and Sausage here are good.
La Barbeque: Texmex take on BBQ. Expect a super long line here too.
Freedman's: Often underrated but quite good.

Mexican: (most of the good ones are south of downtown)
Habenero's, Matts El Rancho, El Mezon (interior mexican), Juan in a million (breakfast and lunch only)

Tacos:
Taco Deli, Papalote, Torchy's, Valentina's

Others:
Max's wine dive (awesome chicken and waffles and fried egg sandwich), Moonshine (southern comfort foods), Magnolia Cafe (good breakfast), Gourmands (good sandwiches and nachos)

If you like beer go to some of the local breweries or get them at a bar:
In east Austin: Hops and Grain, Zilker (Marco IPA is delicious), Live Oak (My favorite Hefeweizen), Blue Owl (sours only)
South Central: 512 (Their pecan porter is one of my favorites, tours on Saturdays only), Independence (Convict Hill stout)
Out West: Jester King (This one is a great place to hang out, the barrel aged sours are awesome and hard to get anywhere else), Thirsty Planet (on the way to Jester king, tours on Saturdays only)

If want to buy booze while your here go to JJ Spirits in East Austin. The owner, Billy, knows his stuff and can point you to some great whiskeys.

MotoCARR

Well, looks like plans have changed a bit and will most likely only be able to make Friday practice, but none the less, bump for more ideas and or things to do/see while in Austin!

Greyout

If you haven't already bought tickets, I will have Friday-only tickets available that I won't be using. Turn 1 seats + the obvious GA access.

...esteban

How many?

EDIT: PM me for deets.

MotoCARR

Messaged

Greyout

received and replied!