• Home
  • News
  • Restaurants + Bars
  • City Life
  • Entertainment
  • Travel
  • Real Estate
  • Arts
  • Society
  • Home + Design
  • Fashion + Beauty
  • Innovation
  • Sports
  • Events
  • Submit New Event
  • Subscribe
  • About
  • series
  • Arden Test Capitalization
  • Arden testing
  • ACM Literature
  • Football and Fashion
  • Formula One
  • Off the Record 2011
  • On Location 2011
  • ACL Festival 2011
  • ATX Comforts of Home 2011
  • Divine Presents
  • Culture of Giving
  • Imagine Austin's Future
  • Austin Entrepreneur Video Series
  • The State of Love
  • Clifford on the Catwalk Atx
  • ATX State of the Arts 2012
  • Inside Tracks
  • ATX Green Living 2012
  • Atx SXSW 2012
  • Buying Austin 2012
  • ATX Staycation
  • Hidden Austin 2012
  • Road Trips
  • Picture Perfect
  • ATX London Dreams
  • ATX Football and Fashion 2012
  • ATX Fall For Fashion 2012
  • ATX Good Eats 2012
  • ACL Festival 2012
  • Fun Fun Fun Fest 2012
  • ATX Comforts of Home 2012
  • ATX Osborne Advisors
  • ATX Divine Presents 2012
  • Austin Culture of Giving 2012
  • ATX Sun and Ski
  • ATX Cars in Lifestyle
  • ATX Zimmet
  • ATX New Beginnings
  • ATX Longhorn Sports 2013
  • ATX Formula 1
  • ATX Songwriters
  • Picture This Pet
  • ATX Best of 2013
  • SXSW 2013
  • ATX City Centre 2013
  • ATX Music Scene 2013
  • ATX Breakfast Series 2013
  • Mothers Day Gift Guide 2021 Austin
  • First-time Homebuyers Austin 2021
  • Visit Frisco
  • Attic Austin
  • Dogfish Head Austin
  • LovBe Austin
  • AT&T Dell Childrens Ball
  • Howdy Cleaners
  • Claire St Amant podcast Austin
  • Visit Boerne Austin
  • The Listing Firm Austin
  • South Padre Austin
  • Texas Restaurant Association Austin
  • Nasher Austin
  • Pioneer Austin
  • Kuper Neighborhood Guide Austin
  • Luck Springs Austin
  • MileStone Builders
  • Rectanglo.com Austin
  • Weekend Event Planner Austin
  • ACL Fest 2021
  • Proximo Spirits Austin
  • Love Where You Live Austin 2021
  • Bandera Austin
  • Port Aransas Austin
  • Milan Laser
  • Highland Park Village Austin
  • Austin Tastemaker Awards 2021
  • COTA F1
  • Bordeaux Austin
  • Balcones Austin
  • Verizon Visible
  • COTA Peppermint Parkway
  • Gift Guide Austin 2021
  • World Interiors
  • Blue Circle Foods Austin
  • Construction Concepts
  • Athletic Brewing Austin
  • Austin Wedding Guide 2022
  • Get Help with Tula
  • Austin First-time Homebuyers Guide 2022
  • El Paso Austin
  • 2022 Tastemaker Awards
  • Visit Lubbock
  • Neighborhood Guide
  • Real Estate Insider
  • Central Market Austin
  • JW Marriott San Antonio Austin
  • Moody Center Austin
  • Lamar Union Plaza
  • Travel Texas
  • Shift Adapt
  • AC Marriott Hill Country
  • Austin Mecca Spa
  • ATX Sustainable Food
  • ATX Good Eats 2013
  • ATX Culture Motive
  • ATX Auto Awards
  • ATX Ski Magic
  • The Perfect Valentine's Day
  • ATX Zoltan David
  • SXSW 2014 spotlight: CultureMap presents 30 Days, 30 Artists
  • ATX SXSW 2014
  • ATX Tastemakers 2014
  • ATX Paypal
  • ATX_15Winks
  • ATX Smart Luxury
  • RedRover Alley ATX
  • atx woodford reserve manhattans
  • Jameson ATX
  • SXSW 2015
  • CultureMap Social ATX
  • Where to Eat
  • ATX Tastemakers 2015
  • Omni Hotel ATX
  • 2015 Austin Stylemaker
  • ATX New York Fashion Week spring 2016
  • Austin SXSW Eco
  • Formula 1 Giveaway
  • Kids in a Groove
  • NextSeed
  • Austin Charity Challenge 2016
  • Fresh Start Austin
  • Wedding Planner Austin
  • Texas Wine Talk Austin
  • JuiceLand
  • Metropia Austin
  • Gourmet by numbers
  • SXSW 2016
  • Minibar
  • Okay to Say
  • Tastemaker Awards 2016 Austin
  • Wilson Goldrick Realtors
  • Love Where You Live
  • Old Forester Austin
  • Car2Go
  • Texas Traveler Austin
  • Soldiers' Angels
  • Millennium Rainey Street
  • NMASS
  • Okay to Say Austin
  • Bob's Steak and Chop House Austin
  • Kuper Sotheby's Austin
  • Real Estate Confidential Austin
  • Top Texans Under 30 Austin
  • Stylemaker Awards 2016 Austin
  • Real Weddings Austin
  • Soldier's Angels Austin
  • Kickapoo Lucky Eagle Casino Austin
  • Brown Forman Cocktail Chronicles Austin
  • Gift Guide 2016
  • W Austin
  • Austin Charity Challenge 2017
  • Wedding Series Austin
  • SXSW 2017
  • Tastemakers Austin 2017
  • Medici
  • Love Where You Live Austin
  • PSW Real Estate Austin
  • Engel & Volkers
  • Galveston.com Austin
  • First-time Home Buyers
  • Reliant Bright Ideas Austin
  • Whisper Valley
  • Wedding Guide Austin
  • Austin Portfolio Real Estate
  • Urbanspace Real Estate Interiors
  • Braun Enterprises Austin
  • Impact Hub
  • Well Aware
  • Ronald McDonald House
  • Holiday Gift Guide 2017 Austin
  • Visit Houston Gift Guide 2017 ATX
  • Omni Hotels Austin
  • Ethan's View Austin
  • Wedding Guide Austin 2018
  • Austin Tastemakers 2018
  • Crosswinds
  • SXSW 2018
  • Gottesman Residential Real Estate
  • Milestone
  • Austin Charity Guide
  • Prospect Real Estate
  • San Luis Resort Austin
  • Whole Foods Austin 2018
  • Visit Houston spas Austin
  • Indochino Austin
  • Milestone 1306 West
  • Gardenio
  • GiftingMap Austin
  • WhiskyX
  • Scavenged Vintage
  • Love Where You Live 2018
  • Caliterra
  • FIA World Rallycross Austin
  • Watertrade
  • Milestone The Grove
  • Woodchuck Cider Austin
  • Wedding Guide Austin fall 2018
  • Camp Contemporary
  • ACL Music Fest 2018
  • Sam Adams
  • Wilson & Goldrick 2018
  • Four Seasons Austin
  • Dallas Bike Ride Austin
  • Whim Hospitality
  • South Congress Hotel
  • Holiday Gift Guide 2018 Austin
  • Fall Refresh
  • Milam Grove
  • Fresh Arts Austin
  • 2nd St District
  • Holiday Happenings Austin 2018
  • New Beginnings 2019
  • DON'T USE Crux Climbing
  • Galveston 2019 Austin
  • Roxan Coffman Properties
  • Austin Tastemaker Awards 2019
  • Visit Plano
  • SXSW 2019
  • Lake Charles 2019
  • GOGO Charters Austin
  • First-Time Homebuyers Guide 2019
  • Love Where You Live Austin 2019
  • Omni Barton Creek
  • Opendoor Austin
  • Woodford Reserve Austin
  • Visit Fredericksburg
  • Valencia Group Hotels Austin
  • The Isabella
  • Summer Getaways Austin
  • TenantBase Austin
  • Party at the Moontower
  • Austin WeWork
  • VRBO Austin
  • The Post Oak Hotel Austin
  • BestHotelRates.com Austin
  • Fairmont Austin
  • Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Austin
  • Legacy Communities
  • ACL Fest 2019
  • WhiskyX 2019
  • Keep Austin Weird Run to Brunch
  • Oskar Blues Wild Basin Austin
  • Camp Contemporary 2019
  • Vine Connections Austin
  • Sam Adams 2019
  • Echo Apartments Austin
  • Deep Ellum Brewing Co Austin
  • El Meson
  • Natiivo
  • Cigar City Margarita Gose
  • Holiday Happenings Austin 2019
  • Krewe Austin
  • Gift Guide 2019 Austin
  • Winestyr Austin
  • Getaways
  • Trail of Lights
  • Verizon 2019
  • Hatchet Alley
  • Austin Home and Garden Show 2020
  • Lincoln Properties The Grand Residences at The Domain
  • Nan & Co. Austin
  • Austin Tastemaker Awards 2020
  • Campfire Gathering 2020
  • SXSW 2020
  • COTA MotoGP Austin
  • Pinstack Austin
  • Kerbey Lane
  • CBD Take Out Austin
  • Father's Day Gift Guide 2020 Austin
  • Lantower Residential
  • Matthews and Associates Austin
  • 2nd Street District 2020
  • Sourced Craft Cocktails
  • Calibrate Austin
  • Compass Legacy Real Estate Group
  • Travel Juneau Austin
  • Nine Banded Whiskey Austin
  • Austin Connections
  • SouthStar Bank
  • Mad Tasty
  • Grandes Vinos Austin
  • Sustainable Food Center
  • Realty Austin Jean Bruns
  • RV Share Austin
  • Castle Hill Fitness
  • Babe Wine Austin
  • Local Color Realty Group
  • Cutwater Spirits Austin
  • Greystar ATX
  • Riata Austin
  • Legacy Communities Cooper's Square
  • Bandd Design
  • Junior League Austin 2020
  • Skout
  • Moreland Properties
  • Music Lane
  • Evolve Cryo Wellness
  • ZeroDown
  • Brixos Austin
  • Gift Guide 2020 Austin
  • Tuft & Needle
  • Foxtrot Austin
  • Fine Art America Austin
  • South Congress Improvement District
  • Samsung 2020 Austin
  • Texas Original
  • NextGen Real Estate Austin
  • The Colony Bastrop
  • LW test series
  • Bourbon Takeover
  • The Tailgate
  • Northshore
  • Big Country
  • promoted
  • eventdetail
  • Charity Guide
  • Children
  • Education
  • Health
  • Veterans
  • Social Services
  • Arts + Culture
  • Animals
  • LGBTQ
  • New Charity
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy
  • Advertising Inquiry
  • Jobs
  • Suggestions
  • Authors
  • Love Where You Live
  • Small Business Spotlight
  • Vesper
  • Circuit of The Americas
  • Log in

March Madness Bars

The best sports bars in Austin to watch March Madness

Matt Roland
Mar 14, 2016 | 10:56 am

Whether or not your favorite team is competing, March Madness is a dramatic event that always makes for must-watch television. We may not be able to save your bracket, but we can recommend our top-seeded spots to watch the games around Austin as well as a few sleeper picks so you don't have to miss any of the action.

Little Woodrow's
From Burnet Road to Southpark Meadows, Little Woodrow's is serving cold beverages to sports fans at five locations around town. Consistently boasting every imaginable channel and upwards of 20 TVs, these locations feature the same ideal sports setup as the West Sixth counterpart, but with much better parking (especially during SXSW).

Cain and Abel's
What better way to really embrace the spirit of intercollegiate competition than at this West Campus staple? Arrive early to stake out a table on the busy patio and enjoy a signature Texas Tea in style. Tuesday's dollar domestic beer specials make this a rowdy destination for fans looking to celebrate a big win.

Bar 96
Rainey Street's most reliable wraparound patio doubles as a failsafe game day destination, with no shortage of TVs to be watched or adult beverages to be enjoyed. After the games, the friendly backyard's taco truck and ring toss game will help distract you from your embarrassingly busted bracket. Hindsight may be 20/20, but you really should have seen that first round upset coming.

Midway Field House
Major March Madness keys to success: plenty of parking, competitively priced drinks, awesome appetizers, a massive projector, and flat-screens. Our favorite East Riverside Drive sports bar has all of the above in spades.

Black Sheep Lodge
This neighborhood watering hole may be Austin's designated Kansas Jayhawks bar, but basketball fans won't have any trouble catching the other games too.

Lavaca Street Bar
Lavaca Street Bar's divey vibe is complemented by the dive bar specials, including half-priced wings every Sunday and Monday as well as free bacon Tuesday and a daily happy hour. With so many games to watch, it might not be a bad idea to get comfortable somewhere that will go easy on your wallet. Honestly, you had us at free bacon.

Tap 24
This West Campus newcomer is making a name for itself as a fine game day destination in Central Austin. The space formerly occupied by Cuatro's features a Great Wall of patio flat-screens and is ideal for any basketball fan to enjoy the spring weather. It also doesn't hurt that Tap 24 is so conveniently situated next to Toasties Sub Shop and the mouthwatering smoky aroma of Freedmen's barbecue. With regular spring crawfish boils and an unbeatable location, Tap 24 is a slam dunk.

The Park
The Park does everything right — reasonable drink prices, an abundance of indoor and outdoor seating, and some of the most dependable bar food in town. Both North and South Austin locations have waitstaff servicing every table, so either spot is perfect for fans looking to focus all of their attention on the games.

Beer or basketball? You get both at Black Sheep Lodge.

drinkssportstv
news/restaurants-bars

CultureMap Emails Are Awesome
Get Austin intel delivered daily.

We will not share or sell your email address.

most read posts

Austin father-daughter photography duo captures essence of ACL Fest through her lens

The Contemporary Austin unveils confrontational but celebratory new mural in the heart of downtown

The Good Nurse flatlines as a great serial killer movie despite Oscar-winning stars

Way out West

Texas' Big Bend named one of the world's must-see destinations for 2023

Hannah J. Frías
Oct 28, 2022 | 4:28 pm
Big Bend National Park
Photo by Adan Guerrero on Unsplash

Big Bend made National Geographic's Best of the World 2023 list.

The pandemic took a toll on pretty much ever industry, especially food and travel. But some destinations suffered less than others: Big Bend National Park out in far west Texas became a hot spot for road trippers from Texas and beyond. To that end, National Geographic Travel included the vast natural wonder in its recent Best of the World 2023 list.

The annual list rounds up 25 global destinations "under the radar, ahead of the curve, and ready for you to start exploring," according to the article. National Geographic editors frame the list within five categories: Community, Nature, Culture, Family, and Adventure.

Big Bend landed in the Nature category, "5 wildly underrated natural escapes for 2023," and it's in good company: The list also includes the Azores, Botswana, Slovenia, and the Scottish Highlands.

According to a release, the list is themed around "travel destinations and experiences that leverage the benefits of tourism to strengthen their local communities, natural and built environments, and sense of place." Big Bend fits right into that criteria, attracting tourism to small-town communities near the park such as Marfa, Alpine, Presidio, Marathon, and Fort Davis, which all benefit from the influx of people passing through to Big Bend.

The park itself welcomed over 394,000 visitors in 2020, about 15 percent less than 2019. 2021 more than made up for that deficit, though: Big Bend welcomed a record 581,000 visitors as travelers continued to seek open spaces and natural wonders.

Apart from contributing to the local economy, the National Geographic article touts the park's locale in a "remote and arid part of west Texas," which "nurtures more cactus species than any other national park, as well as birds such as roadrunners and bright yellow Scott’s orioles, and mammals such as javelina."

So pack the car and plan your next trip out west, and don't forget some of our top tips for off-the-grid adventures in the area.

news/restaurants-bars

CultureMap Emails Are Awesome
Get Austin intel delivered daily.

We will not share or sell your email address.

most read posts

Austin father-daughter photography duo captures essence of ACL Fest through her lens

The Contemporary Austin unveils confrontational but celebratory new mural in the heart of downtown

The Good Nurse flatlines as a great serial killer movie despite Oscar-winning stars

Concert news

Shania Twain rides into Texas to reclaim her throne on upcoming world tour

Alex Bentley
Oct 28, 2022 | 3:03 pm
Shania Twain
Photo by Louie Banks

Good news: she's coming to Texas. Bad news: you have to go to Dallas or Houston to see her.

Good news for Texans: Shania Twain is coming to the Lone Star State. Bad news for Austinites: you'll have to head to Dallas or Houston to catch her. The country music star's expansive world tour dubbed the Queen of Me Tour will head to Dallas on July 21, 2023, and Houston on July 22, 2023.

The Texas dates are the last of 44 North American concerts currently scheduled on the tour before Twain heads to Europe for five final shows.

This is Twain's first tour in nearly five years; she last played in Dallas in June 2018. She'll be joined on the tour by a variety of well-known current female stars; Arlington native Mickey Guyton will be her special guest in both Dallas and Houston.

The tour was announced in conjunction with the news of the upcoming release of her new album, also called Queen of Me, due out on February 3, 2023. Her first album since 2017, it is also the first with her new record label, Republic Nashville.

The sales of that album will add to her record of being the best-selling female artist in country music history, a record she's achieved despite releasing only five albums in her 30-year career.

Twain has remained a star all these years thanks to three massive albums — 1995's The Woman in Me, 1997's Come On Over, and 2002's Up! — each of which sold over 11 million copies in the U.S. alone. She also has seven No. 1 hits and eight more top 10 hits from those three albums.

Tickets for the tour will go on sale starting 10 am Friday, November 4 at LiveNation.com. Citi cardmembers will have access to presale tickets beginning 10 am Tuesday, November 1 until 10 pm Thursday, November 3 through the Citi Entertainment program.

concertsmusiccelebrities
news/restaurants-bars

CultureMap Emails Are Awesome
Get Austin intel delivered daily.

We will not share or sell your email address.

most read posts

Austin father-daughter photography duo captures essence of ACL Fest through her lens

The Contemporary Austin unveils confrontational but celebratory new mural in the heart of downtown

The Good Nurse flatlines as a great serial killer movie despite Oscar-winning stars

News You Can Eat

7 spooky things to know in Austin food right now: Restaurants and bars bite into Halloween

Brianna Caleri
Oct 28, 2022 | 1:47 pm
Macarons by Bakery Lorraine in Austin.
Photo courtesy of Bakery Lorraine

A special Halloween roundup of fun-scary food news in Austin.

Editor’s note: There are so many Halloween weekend events offering delicious snacks to sink your fangs into, and cocktails to drive you to madness, we were spellbound. We have you covered with a special Halloween roundup of fun-scary food news.

Hotel Van Zandt's rooftop bar and restaurant, Geraldine's, has fun things going on every night through Halloween itself. On October 28 and 29 there are regularly scheduled nighttime live music sets, followed by the weekly jazz brunch on October 30. Then on Halloween one of Austin’s truly weirdest bands (fronted by puppets), Fragile Rock, puts on an emo show to remember. Reserve on OpenTable or hope for room at the bar.

We’ve heard of spending Christmas at Chinese restaurants, but how about Halloween? Old Thousand, always ready with holiday spirit, is hosting Goth Night on October 29 at its 11th Street location. The special menu is darkly creative, with black vinegar “Damned Dumplings,” “Sacrificial Lamb Bao,” a restorative-potion themed hot pot; black sesame Crème brûlée, and special on-theme cocktails. Call (737) 222-6637 to reserve.

Wes Anderson fans do not need Halloween as an excuse to dress in costume, but here’s one for inspiration. The Carpenter Hotel is dressing up in the style of the Grand Budapest Hotel — at least, culinarily — on October 29 for a six-course dinner (starting at $160 for two guests). These include unexpected but very friendly flavor combinations like savory apple and cheddar cookies and sausage with white beans, onion, and toast. Reserve on Eventbrite.

Few Halloween frights are as intimidating as trying to find a cool booze-free event, but fear not. Yacht Drops is a new sober cruise line on Lady Bird Lake, debuting October 29 with dancing, bites by Siete, non-alcoholic beers by Athletic Drinks, and zero proof whiskey and tequila by Spiritless. A portion of ticket sales benefits Keep Texas Waterways Clean. A costume contest and pro photographer ensure that your Halloween efforts are appreciated. Tickets ($75) on Eventbrite.

Now that Second Bar + Kitchen has taken over the rooftop bar at East Austin Hotel, the Halloween tradition is theirs to uphold. On October 29 from 4 pm to 12 am, the bar welcomes disguised and casual Austinites for a costume contest, dancing, and scary-delicious drinks: vampire's bite shots, mad eye mules, witch’s brews (“prosecco punch with worms”), and poisoned apples (with spiced rum, caramel, bourbon cream, and sour apple liqueur).

Fareground, the sunken downtown food hall, is hosting an all-ages event on October 30 for low-key vibes and maximum commitment to the theme. A screen outside will show Hocus Pocus for free, with seasonal concessions, popcorn, cotton candy, and $4 happy hour drinks. Vendors inside make this movie much yummier than most theaters, with a lot more variety, and will hand out candy for trick-or-treaters. The movie starts at 7 pm. RSVP on Eventbrite.

Whether you’re looking for luxe treats to wow party guests or delicious sweets to hoard at home, Bakery Lorraine at Domain Northside is ready. Until October 31, the bakery is sending out black cat tarts (chocolate mousse and vanilla filling), mummy tarts (lemon curd topped and meringue), phantom of the opera cake slices (pumpkin spice sponge cake and buttercream with dark chocolate glaze), and other cute, spooky pastries.

holidaysdessertscocktailsbeerdinnerbrunchlive musicnews you can eat
news/restaurants-bars

CultureMap Emails Are Awesome
Get Austin intel delivered daily.

We will not share or sell your email address.

most read posts

Austin father-daughter photography duo captures essence of ACL Fest through her lens

The Contemporary Austin unveils confrontational but celebratory new mural in the heart of downtown

The Good Nurse flatlines as a great serial killer movie despite Oscar-winning stars

Loading Next Story...