Drinking Lake Travis Dry
Updated: June 22, 2008
I love those Central Texas days where it's hot, sunny and the living is easy, particularly on a boat day on Lake Travis. As my friends and I wanted to wander around and avoid the masses at Devil's Cove, a boat-powered, lakeside pub crawl seemed to be the order of the day. With a designated, non-drinking driver lined up to schlep us around, we dropped into the water and started our sub-tropical caper.
Boat on In
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Carlos' & Charlie's
Read Reviews5973 Hi Line Rd, Austin, TX 78734 (map)
As the sun began to dip in the sky we headed to the mecca of Lake Travis bar destinations. At this point no one wanted anything more to eat, but there was plenty of enthusiasm for drinking and dancing to a pop cover band. As the sun faded away, the party lights at the outdoor bar cast a warm and friendly glow on everyone's warm and friendly face. We were all a little sunburned and almost all of us were tipsy, but the day's pleasure was certainly worth all the pain.
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U-Flote-M
Write a review6410 Hudson Bend Rd, Austin, TX 78734 (map)
A day on the lake won't last long without fuel and beers for the ride. So we tied up to the most popular floating quickie-mart to stock up on gas, boat drinks, koozie cups, ice and a few other essentials that we forgot to bring. As we drove off, the large Texas flag waved heartily in the wind, which we took to be a good omen of the day ahead of us.
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Aunt Tilly's Island Cafe and Bar
Read Reviews16410 Stewart Rd, Austin, TX 78734 (map)
Tucked away in a cove to the right after coming back onto the main lake from Johnny Fin's is a little piece of the Caribbean. We settled in at a plastic table and noshed on shrimp dipped in a strawberry serrano sauce and sipped on Red Stripes. When the obligatory Jamaican accents ensued, our sober driver winced. Fortunately, the enthusiasm for accents was a temporary feeling and it quickly passed.
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Lakeway Resort and Spa
Read Reviews101 Lakeway Dr, Lakeway, TX 78734 (map)
Still purporting to be respectable adults, and not the people our parents warned us about, we jumped back in the boat and headed to our next destination, the pool bar at the lake's premiere overnight digs. We stuck with top-shelf margaritas (my wife insists that it helps ward off unnecessarily harsh hangovers) and meandered down the stairs to the docks.
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Johnny Fins
Read Reviews16405 Clara Van St, Austin, TX 78734 (map)
After stopping for a swim in one particular harbor, we slowly motored into Hurst Harbor Marina to tie up. A band played Willie Nelson, Jimmy Buffet and Dr. John covers while we sipped Texas, Mexican and Cajun brews on the sunny deck. We actually ran into that black sheep uncle of mine and he regaled us with stories of seeing the world, which were entertaining until he began repeating them a second time. We quickly excused ourselves for a venue with fewer family ties.
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Cafe Blue
Read Reviews8714 Lime Creek Rd., Leander, TX 78641 (map)
Situated in the boat and enjoying the water, we were in no hurry and everyone settled in for a lengthy ride to our next stop far up the lake. We tied up at Cafe Blue for munchies and Mexican martinis, our first "official" round of drinks. Crab cakes, ceviche, jerk chicken quesadillas and beef skewers sated our rumbling tummies.
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