Things to do list

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again.  Austin is just BUSTING with things to do. 

My first recommendations for resources to find local activities start with:

*THE CHRONICLE - http://www.austinchronicle.com/calendar/

*365 Things to Do in Austin - http://365thingsaustin.com/

*Free Fun in Austin - http://www.freefuninaustin.com/

*Austin 360 -
http://www.austin360.com/

*The Austin Convention & Visitors Bureau - http://www.austintexas.org/now_playing/events/

Gypsy Picnic Trailer Food Festival

Gypsy Picnic Trailer Food Festival

This collection of more than 30 food trailers, offers eats, music, and family activities with a great view of downtown.  Held annually, this festival keeps getting bigger and bigger so I recommend visiting every year.  Times are tough, let me tell ya, I am flat busted!  No no no, I mean I’m broke!  Admission to the festival is free and you can eat cheap and have lots of fun.  Hmmm cheap and fun, just like me!  

Check out their website for more information about the Gypsy Picnic Trailer Food Festival!

http://www.gypsypicnic.com/

High Ball – The best bar/event space/karaoke/restaurant/bowling alley/lounge in town!

AHHH the High Ball.  This place, just like me, always promises a good time.  The High Ball has all kinds of events and often involves costumes.  They have everything!  Well duh, just read the title!  The food menu is nice and the chef is really great.  Not your typical bar food! You never know what’s going to be going on in the event space.  One of my favorites is karaoke with a live band!  You can feel like the lead singer of an Austin cover band for 4 whole minutes.  Pick your song, the band begins and YOU are the star.  Well let’s face it, I’m always the star.  Also, Motown Mondays is pretty great too for all of you who like to boogie.   

 

The karaoke rooms are top notch with a large selection of songs and each of the rooms have a fun theme.  I personally like the Xanadu room and the Heavy Metal room.  Did you know that the bowling lanes were actually salvaged from an alley in New Orleans that was destroyed by Katrina?  I just love the retro feel of these bowling alleys. In grade school, the other little girls never invited me over to their slumber parties to play Pretty Pretty Princess or Mystery Date.  But NOW I can play them at the Highball, WITH BOOZE!  HA!  Take a look, grab your friends and head down to one of my favorite places in Austin.  http://www.thehighball.com/

Comic Con

It’s a bird!  It’s a plane!  No it’s The Austin Wizard-World Comic Convention!  Calling all nerds, geeks, dorks and dweebs.  Come one, come all to the Austin Convention Center.  Even though Austin is a small city, it has a strong nerd population. The Austin Wizard-World Comic Convention is a shining beacon which offers sanctuary from bullies and hipsters, where the outcasts can fully embrace their nerdness, nerdom and nerdosity.  Even if you can’t find a date, you can always get your picture with a hot cosplayer!  Wonderwoman, Princess Leia, Sailor Moon, or maybe even an Elvira look-a-like.

 

As we all know I’m a big fan of the sci-fi and horror genres and these conventions are the best place to check out some of the best crap – I mean best merchandise.  There are always special guests and this year is no exception.  Be sure to check out all the official information , event schedule and at their website http://www.wizardworld.com/home-tx.html  Even if you’re not the typical comic con goer, you will still have a good time.  Even if you’re not the typical comic con goer, you will still have a good time.  

Cemetery

Now that the weather has started to cool off and Halloween is fast approaching, you may want to do something a little spooky.  Just a few blocks east of the State Capitol, the Texas State Cemetery is the final resting-place of many Texans who made significant contributions to Texas.  Stephen F. Austin, governors, legislators, judges and other fancy-pants dudes are buried here.  This cemetery is very beautiful and is very well maintained so visitors will enjoy taking a stroll down Texas history lane.  Normally I would love a place with so many stiff men just lying around, but I do have to admit it can get a little creepy at night.  

http://www.cemetery.state.tx.us/

Oktoberfest

OKTOBERFEST!  One of the few times per year where you can get drunk at a family festival and you won’t need to feel guilty!  You can use the excuse “it’s part of the culture and tradition.”  Oktoberfest is like St. Patrick’s Day – not too many people really know the origin of the holiday, but that doesn’t stop them from drinking beer to pay homage to another nation’s tradition.  Enjoy the delicious food, variety of performances and of course the vendors selling all kinds of crafts.  Whether it’s in the German tradition or random crap sold by some lady with too much time on her hands, it’s still fun to check out the goodies.  

Fredricksburg, New Braunfels, and Austin have some of the larger Oktoberfest activities in the area, so make sure to check out the websites to find out about schedules and location.  Don’t forget Wurstfest in New Braunfels in November!  You know I’ll be there, I hear it’s going to be a real Sausage-fest.

31 Haloween Movies

Now that it's my favorite month of the year, I have compiled a list of some of my favorite Halloween movies to get all of you in the mood.  31 flicks, one for everyday of the month!  No, I don't mean those horrible campy horror/sci-fi movies that Elvira is so well known for, and I also don't mean slashers that are going to make you puke.  I'm talking about movies you can actually sit through with your friends and family. 

1st on the list the official Elvira Mistress of the Dark Movie of course! 

2. Elvira's Haunted Hills

3. Practical Magic

4. Batman Returns

5. Sleepy Hollow

6. Underworld

7. Nightmare Before Christmas

8. The Craft

9. Dracula

10. Hocus Pocus

11. Beetlejuice

12. Clue

13. Sweeney Todd

14. Night Watch and Day Watch - Russian
15. Gremlins
16. Addams Family
17. Fido
18. Hellboy
19. Dracula - Dead and Loving It
20. Blade
21. Death Becomes Her
22. Rocky Horror Picture Show
23. Poltergeist
24. Interview with a Vampire
25. Ghostbusters
26. Edward Scissor Hands
27. Young Frankenstein
28. Alien
29. Wallace & Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit
30. Pan's Labyrinth
31. Troll 2 - Now let me be honest with you, this is one of the worst movies ever made.  I mean EVER.  As the Queen of Camp, I had to include at least one on my list.