Austin.com These Austin Day Trip Happy Hours Are Worth Leaving Work Early

Austin has a multitude of awesome happy hours. You can find great spots for a discounted drink and a bite to eat all over town. But sometimes you just need to head out of the city for a change of pace. So load up your favorite music playlist, hop in the car, and head for the open road. At the end of a short drive, you could find yourself at one of these Austin day trip happy hours. Knock off work a few hours early, and snag a barstool or table before the drink specials are over!

10. Taylor Station Bar, Taylor

Photo courtesy of Taylor Station Bar.

Taylor Station Bar sits a block away from the bustling railroad line that runs through Taylor, so the train theme and decor make sense with the location. The indoor and outdoor seating areas are spacious and comfortable places to gather with friends to enjoy beer, wine, and live music. For happy hour, all domestics, imports, drafts, and wines are on special.

Address: 108 East 2nd Street, Taylor; Happy hour: Thursday, 5 p.m.-8 p.m.; Friday, 5 p.m.-7 p.m.; Saturday, 4 p.m.-7 p.m.

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9. McAdoo’s Seafood Company, New Braunfels

Photo courtesy of McAdoo’s Seafood Company.

We bet you never thought you’d want to eat seafood in an old post office. The building may be pushing 100 years old, but the seafood is fresh. The crazy good happy hour specials at McAdoo’s Seafood Company will amaze you. Drafts and specialty drinks are $1 off, but that’s just the beginning. Their food specials include great deals on calamari, crab cake sliders, fried green tomatoes, and much more!

Address: 196 North Castell Avenue, New Braunfels; Happy hour: Monday-Friday, 3 p.m.-6:30 p.m.

8. Cody’s Bistro & Lounge, San Marcos

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Upscale dining in little ol’ San Marcos? Yes! Cody’s Bistro & Lounge only has a few years under its belt, but it is already garnering major attention. During happy hour, take your pick of several $5 cocktails: margarita, Mexican martini, cosmopolitan, French 75, and Bourbon Buck. Plus, you can get $4 house wines, and $1 off all beer and appetizers.

Address: 690 Centerpoint Road; Happy hour: Monday-Saturday, 5 p.m.-7 p.m.

7. The Gruene Door, New Braunfels

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While you’ll want to admire the quaint exterior of The Gruene Door, don’t linger too long. You still have to go inside to get to their food and drinks. Their happy hour appetizers include barbecue pulled pork flatbread, margherita flatbread, and nachos. For happy hour drinks, they have $3.50 wells, $2.50 domestic beers, $1 off premium bottles, $4 featured red or white wine, and $5 margaritas and sangrias.

Address: 2360 Gruene Lake Drive, New Braunfels; Happy hour: Wednesday-Saturday, 3 p.m.-6:30 p.m.

6. Gumbo’s North, Georgetown

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Georgetown boasts of its town square with good reason. If you want to take in this iconic spot, one of the best vantage points is from the second floor patio at Gumbo’s North. This upscale seafood place has a wealth of food and drink specials at happy hour. You’ll definitely want to try the gumbo. After all, the dish is in the restaurant’s name, so you can’t go wrong.

Address: 701 South Main Street, Georgetown; Happy hour: Monday-Friday, 4 p.m.-7 p.m.

5. Pecan Street Brewing, Johnson City

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Pizza and beer may be the way you enjoy a televised football game from the comfort of your couch, but what if you could enjoy the Texas Hill Country with brick oven pizzas and craft Texas beer? At Pecan Street Brewing, that’s exactly what you can do! And if you aren’t in the mood for pizza, they have plenty of other comfort food dishes to tempt you — burgers, chicken fried steak, meatloaf, and pork tenderloin just to name a few. Their happy hour features $1 off pints and $2 off pitchers.

Address: 106 East Pecan Drive, Johnson City; Happy hour: Monday-Friday, 4 p.m.-6 p.m.

4. The Gin at Nolan Creek, Belton

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What could be more relaxing than enjoying good food and a cold margarita while kicking back by a creek? The Gin at Nolan Creek has a wide selection of entrees on its menu, but for happy hour, you’re going to want try their margaritas which are concocted with a housemade mix. Perhaps the award-winning Blue Mary Rita muddled with rosemary and blueberries and served with a sugar rim is your speed. Or maybe the Rocking Red’Rita with strawberry soda reduction is for you. You’ll just have to sip and decide for yourself.

Address: 219 South East Street; Happy hour: Monday-Saturday, 4 p.m.-7 p.m.; all day Sunday

3. Blue Bonnet Cafe, Marble Falls

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While some people might be disappointed there’s no alcohol at Blue Bonnet Cafe, you’ll probably want milk or coffee at pie happy hour. This place is known far and wide for their pies, especially for their meringue domes atop their pies. If you’re not into meringue, you still have tons of pie options. So head over to Marble Falls, and prepare for your sugar coma!

Address: 211 US Highway 281, Marble Falls; Pie happy hour: Monday-Friday, 3 p.m.-5 p.m.

2. Poodie’s Hilltop Roadhouse, Spicewood

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Even though Willie Nelson’s longtime stage manager James Randall “Poodie” Locke passed away in 2009, his energy lives on at Poodie’s Hilltop Roadhouse. This bar and music venue hosts live acts every night. Happy hour specials are $2.25 well drinks, $2.25 domestic beers, and $1 off appetizers.

Address: 22308 Highway 71 West, Spicewood; Happy hour: Daily, 4 p.m.-7 p.m.

1. Grins Restaurant, San Marcos

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Located just north of the Texas State University campus, Grins Restaurant is a favorite of college students and locals alike. While a place with 99-cent margaritas at happy hour may sound like a place where you step over passed-out drunks, this is certainly not the case at Grins. They only allow three drinks per person, so you can get plenty, but you’re not going to be a nuisance to other guests. Their various dining rooms and tree-shaded outdoor patio make for the perfect setting to enjoy their discounted drinks and generous food portions.

Address: 802 North LBJ Drive, San Marcos; Happy hour: Monday-Friday, 2 p.m.-7 p.m.

This article is part of a series about Austin Happy Hours. Be sure to check out our posts about South Austin Happy Hours, East Austin Happy Hours and Downtown Austin Happy Hours, North Austin Happy Hours, Central Austin Happy Hours, and Austin Outdoor Happy Hours, too!

Featured photo courtesy of Grins Restaurant

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These Austin Day Trip Happy Hours Are Worth Leaving Work Early