Wonderful Company Holiday Party

Our friends at Capstone Works had some lovely things to say about their recent Christmas holiday party:

“Just about the time I was thinking I need to plan a Christmas party for our small company team, we received a flyer in the mail for Austin Detours promising something “different” and “fun.” I got in touch with Elizabeth, told her what we needed, and she came back with several proposals. In the end, we chose a “Culinary Crawl” that started at Hops & Grains taproom for beer tasting, progressed to Jacoby’s Restaurant and Mercantile for dinner, and finished with dessert at OMG Cheesecakery. Each stop was amazing.



She even sent two vans to Cedar Park to pick us up and bring us back which saved us from the hassles of navigation and parking.



Everyone in our group raved about the event. It was well organized and professional. Our hosts were gracious, Elizabeth and her crew were friendly and seemed to genuinely love what they do, which made us feel welcome and well cared for.

I can’t say enough good things about this experience, but we’ll show our appreciation by calling Austin Detours next time we need a unique, fun, and worry-free experience.”

We love being given the opportunity to handcraft holiday and other parties for our corporate clients, and are thrilled Capstone Works had such an awesome time with us. Contact us if you would like us to tailor the perfect party for you!

/by
,

Beer, Wurst and Nimitz: A Day in Fredericksburg, TX

We recently took a visiting family from England on a private detour to Fredericksburg, where they enjoyed beer, wurst, and an informative and reflective day at the National Museum of the Pacific War. We also made a quick stop in Johnson City and the LBJ Ranch.

Beer_Fredericksburg_TX

At our clients’ request our first stop was The Auslander Restaurant and Biergarten, a Fredericksburg institution complete with Bavarian street scenes and menu offerings including Jagerschnitzel, Sauerbraten, and Krauerbutter Lendenstuck. Our clients opted for the Traditional Bratwurst, a sausage made with pork and smoked veal, and the Kasewurst, another sausage but this one made with beef, smoked pork and sharp cheddar. The meat, and more-than-ample soups and sides, were washed down with Paulaner Hefe-Weissen.

You can check out the Auslander’s menu and live music offerings at: http://www.theauslander.com

The Wall Street Journal’s Mark Yost recently described the National Museum of the Pacific War as “perhaps the most comprehensive, well-organized military museum I’ve ever seen.” Thanks Mark, you took the words right of our mouth! The sprawling complex is packed full of artifacts, memorabilia and information, with a few airplanes, submarines and interactive displays mixed in for good measure. Our clients were fascinated by the details of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and particularly enjoyed re-tracing the war as it raged through the Pacific islands.

You can learn more about the museum at: http://www.pacificwarmuseum.org

We love handcrafting experiences around our private clients’ specific requirements, and often run detours from Austin to Fredericksburg, the Hill Country and surrounding attractions. Please contact us for more details and let us create the perfect detour for you!

/by

A Corporate Offsite for ING: Bank on Us

We recently handcrafted an awesome corporate offsite for our friends at ING, the international bank. We visited three of our favorite Austin venues – Takoba, Hops & Grain, and Gourdough’s – and mixed in some unique fun activities to make the experience extra special.

Austin_Detours_Private_ING_Bank

At Takoba we indulged in mezzcaritos, ceviche, tacos and their amazing salads, all washed down with mescal flights and habanero-mango margaritas. The atmosphere was just right – a great combo of relaxed informality and the perfect level of noise and action. You can check out the fun at: http://www.takobarestaurant.com

Our good friends at Hops & Grain then laid on an awesome private beer tasting in their superb Tap Room. Pale Dog was barking good, Alt-eration transported us straight to Munchen (well, kinda), and Zoe was simply sublime. You can learn more about the latest a-hoppin’ and a-grainin’ at: http://www.hopsandgrain.com

Just in case our guests weren’t quite full, we then rounded off the private detour with a visit to Gourdough’s, home of all things doughnuty and nice. Let’s just say ‘Blue Balls, Dirty Berry, Funky Monkey’ and leave it at that. If you don’t believe us the evidence is available, permalink-style, at: http://www.gourdoughs.com

We love collaborating with our corporate clients and helping them craft rich experiences for their hardworking teams. With the relentless pressures of 9-5 (and more!) what better way to let off steam and recharge than a made-to-measure offsite experience?

/by
,

Sunday Funday at Threadgills

Our popular Sunday Funday detour this week took guests to Threadgill’s for a great brunch and fantastic uplifting music from The Stapletones. Here’s a photo from our great seats close to the action!

 

The Stapletones are Ange Kogutz on vocals, Alex and Glen Peterson on bass and guitar, Michael Hale on drums and vocals, and Dane Farnsworth on keyboard. If you haven’t seen them yet, you need to see them soon. Alex and Glen also do a regular Monday night slot at The Continental Club so you shouldn’t have to look hard to find them. You can check out the Continental’s play schedule at: http://continentalclub.com/

After brunch guests enjoyed a tour of Austin landmarks and a relaxing cruise on Lady Bird Lake. The cliched joke about the ‘national’ bird of Austin being the crane still somehow manages to get a laugh or two.

We rotate our Sunday Funday venues and activities to provide guests with a range of authentic Austin experiences. We have some great new things planned for fall and winter, so if you or your visitors want to discover Austin while avoiding the NFL, come join us on a Sunday Funday!

/by
,

BBQ & Boot Stompin’

BBQ Boot Stompin
We recently tailored a unique BBQ-themed private detour for two overseas clients stopping over in Austin as part of a summer-long adventure around the US. They wanted to combine our BBQ & Brew and Boot Stompin’ detours, so we handcrafted an awesome experience exactly as they wanted! We started with generous servings of brisket, ribs, sausage and all the fixin’s at the SaltLick BBQ, and then headed to The Broken Spoke to help all that food digest. To round off the evening we called in at Donn’s Depot and danced into the early hours.
We love creating special events that will last long in our clients’ memories. Check out our full list of detours and give us a call if you’d like us to craft something just for you.

/by

Crafty Fun at Stitch Lab

Some of the amazing fabrics at Stitch Lab

Stitch Lab owner Leslie Bonnell has created a crafting paradise at her great South 1st Street location. Leslie started offering sewing classes back in 2001 and these became so popular she upsized and hired extra instructors. The range of fun crafting classes at Stitch Lab is vast, with something to cover absolutely every taste: sewing (of course!), screen printing, quilting, and ribbon embroidery are just a few of the many offerings, and there are also kids camps, crash courses, and some special classes tailored just for guys.

You can visit Stitch Lab at 1000 South 1st Street or, alternatively, sign up for our Get Crafty detour, and we’ll make all the arrangements.

We carefully design our detours to be ‘Handcrafted Austin Experiences’, and Get Crafty has been planned with the crafting enthusiast in mind. On this detour you’ll get the opportunity to craft your own masterpieces at several Austin venues. Whether your mojo is quilting, needlepoint, dressmaking, embroidery or anything else involving skill, cloth, needles, etc., Get Crafty is an awesome and creative day out.

/by

White Wine Summer Friday @ The Austin Winery

Austin_Winery

We really like what Ross and Cooper are doing at The Austin Winery. We love wine but often feel intimated at some of the fancier upscale wine bars in town. That’s not to say The Austin Winery is shabby – far from it – but the atmosphere is relaxed and welcoming and makes us feel at ease. Andy and Ross source from only family-owned growers from the best regions in California, Oregon, Washington and, of course, Texas.

You can check things out at the winery and tasting room in Austin’s buzzing East Side, a few minutes across I35 from downtown. Alternatively, sign up for our Wine Not? An Urban Wine Experience detour, and we’ll make all the arrangements. Our recommendation for these warm summer evenings is a chilled Wild Hare Sauvignon Blanc.

http://theaustinwinery.com/#/about

We carefully design our detours to be ‘Handcrafted Austin Experiences’, and Wine Not? An Urban Wine Experience, has been planned with the wine enthusiast in mind. On this detour we’ll take you to meet the folk at The Austin Winery and several other fun, fresh venues around the city. Whether you’re into red, white, or something in the middle, Wine Not? is a great day out.

/by