5 Places That Still Feel Like "Old Austin"
5 Places That Still Feel Like "Old Austin"
I moved to Austin in 1999, back when you could find parking on South Congress and "Keep Austin Weird" still felt like a description instead of a slogan. A lot has changed since then, and much of it for the better. But every so often I walk into a place and it feels like the city I fell in love with. Here are five spots where that old Austin spirit is still very much alive.
Tucked away on Middle Fiskville Road near what used to be Highland Mall, the Galaxy is the kind of movie theater that doesn't try too hard, and that's exactly the charm. Back in 2003, the Austin Chronicle joked that if you mentioned the Galaxy Highland 10 to longtime Austinites, most would tell you they assumed it had closed. Two decades later, it's still here. No pretense, no fuss, just popcorn, a big screen, and an easy night out. It's a reminder that not everything in Austin has to be the newest or the flashiest to be worth loving.
If you grew up in South Austin, there's a good chance you had a birthday party at Westgate Lanes. It's a 40-lane bowling center with cosmic "Rock-n-Bowl" nights, an arcade, the 13th Frame Sports Bar, and Lebowski's Grill (yes, really). It's also a local food stop now: Slab BBQ relocated from Oak Hill into the bowling alley. League bowlers, families, first dates, and coworkers blowing off steam all end up on the same lanes. That kind of mix is old Austin in a nutshell.
(formerly Playland Skate Center)
Playland has been a North Austin institution for over 50 years. It opened in 1973 on McCann Drive, offering Austinites huge roller rinks with top-40 music under strobe and black lights, and today it's the only one of Austin's original roller discos still standing. The Morin family bought it in 2002, and after major renovations in December 2024 it expanded into the old Austin Antique Mall space, adding bowling, axe throwing, karaoke, and more alongside the rink. The new name is Pins & Wheels, but as the managing partner puts it, once you hit the skate floor, it's still the same Playland it's always been. Bring your kids, bring your parents, and prepare to fall on your butt at least once.
This one is special. The Village on Anderson Lane is the oldest continuously operating movie house in Austin, opening in 1974 as the Village 4 before becoming the first multiscreen, first-run Alamo Drafthouse in 2001. That makes this summer its 25th year as an Alamo. My favorite part? The Village is home to Video Vortex, stocked with the collection from the beloved (and much-missed) Vulcan Video, with titles available to rent for free. Wandering the aisles of a real video store before a movie is about as old Austin as it gets. The recent refresh also made the lobby bar and patio more of a neighborhood hangout, so come early and stay late.
Bouldin Creek Cafe has been feeding South 1st Street since the summer of 2000. Owner Leslie Martin, who fell in love with Austin after moving here for college in the '80s, opened it as a way to preserve the character of the city, and you can feel that the second you walk in. It started in a tiny house a few blocks north before moving to its current spot, and nearly every inch of the walls is covered in posters, stickers, and art. Vegetarian or not, grab a veggie burger or some all-day breakfast and a coffee on the patio. As a fellow woman-owned business, I have a soft spot for this one.
The Austin I Know
What these places have in common isn't just age. It's community. They're spots where neighbors run into each other, where families have made memories for generations, and where locally owned businesses have held on through a whole lot of change. That's the Austin I want to help people find, no matter which neighborhood they end up calling home.
Looking for a home in Austin?
I know this city for what it used to be and what it's becoming. If you're looking for a home and want someone to help you find more than just a house (the neighborhood, the coffee shop, the corner bowling alley that makes a place feel like home), let's talk.
Jenn Carey, Open House Austin
jenn@openhouseaustin.com | 512-963-2133
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