Austin has a large and active recovery community, making it a great place to begin or maintain sobriety. With such a high volume of 12-Step meetings and sober things to do, Austin proves that you can, in fact, have fun in recovery. Try incorporating one of these six sober activities into next weekend’s plans.
1. Dive Into Austin’s Art Scene
Austin is full of art, from murals and graffiti to swanky galleries and museums. The Contemporary Austin, Canopy, Art on 5th, The Vortex, the Mexic-Arte Museum and the Austin Art Garage are just a handful of the city’s eclectic artistic offerings. Or, spend the day tracking down Austin street art. There is a ton of wall art throughout the city that is perfect for Instagram.
2. Shop for Records
In a city that has one of the biggest live music scenes in the country–Austin is home to 250+ live music venues–it’s no surprise that there is no shortage of record stores. If you’re looking to build your vinyl collection or just want to get lost in the shelves, there are plenty of cool record shops to check out. End of an Ear, Waterloo Records and Breakaway Records offer prized originals, new releases and deluxe reissues across a range of genres.
3. Go to the Movies
In Austin, going to the movies is an experience. These aren’t your typical movie theaters. Hit the Blue Starlite Drive-In, an old-fashioned drive-in theater, or the Violet Crown Cinema, arguably the nicest place to catch a movie in town. The Paramount Theatre is a historic venue that hosts concerts and comedy shows in addition to showing movies.
4. Get Outside
Zilker Park is arguably Austin’s most popular park. The 351-acre park boasts volleyball courts, a disc golf course and picnic areas. It’s also home to Zilker Botanical Garden, which includes the Taniguchi Oriental Garden, and Barton Springs Pool, a beautiful natural spring-fed pool with an average year-round temperature of 68 degrees. Rent canoes, kayaks or paddle boards at Lady Bird Lake. The River Place Nature Trail, Walnut Creek Trail, Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve and St. Edwards Park offer moderately easy hiking trails and are located in or just outside of Austin.
5. Shop for Vintage
Vintage records, vintage clothing, vintage furniture… Austin boasts dozens of vintage stores where you can spend the day thrifting. The Austin Antique Mall offers 30,000 square feet of vintage furniture, clothing, toys and memorabilia. Blue Velvet Vintage Clothing and Uncommon Objects are also local favorites.
6. Explore Austin on Wheels
Austin has made significant efforts to become more bike-friendly over the years, including reducing the number of car lanes to accommodate more bike lanes. If the weather is right, rent electric bikes and spend the day pedaling around Austin. Veloway Park, the Boardwalk Trail at Lady Bird Lake and the Southern Walnut Creek Trail are three great paved bike trails in Austin that are perfect for beginners. Many people who are new in recovery have a hard time believing they’ll ever be able to enjoy themselves without drinking or using, but once those habits are broken, they start to see that life in recovery can be even more fun. Permanent recovery is possible. If you or someone you care about is ready to break the cycle of addiction once and for all, Spearhead Lodge can help. Contact us at 1-888-483-0528 for more information about how our recovery programs can help you heal.