Clean, Zen modern backyard cottage, easy access to SXSW, convention center, great dining, and public transportation. Gorgeous, peaceful space, close to the action but perfect for rest and recharging. Quick access to SXSW, ACL, F1 and all festivals.
The space
Enjoy this clean, modern tiny house nestled in a cozy but convenient Central East Austin neighborhood. Inspired by Japanese teahouses, this backyard cottage provides easy access to SXSW venues, ACL Fest, downtown, great restaurants, and public transportation while offering a peaceful retreat for resting and recharging.
Gorgeous light, vaulted ceilings, and an open floor plan make this unique 1 BR/1BA feel spacious, calm, and inviting. The Beehive features a full kitchen, roomy indoor and outdoor showers, a lovely work space, all-new furnishings and fixtures and a queen bed as well as a double foldout couch.
There have been 9 books and articles written about the Beehive which you can find on the bookshelves. You will be staying in a one of a kind architectural gem.
Please note: there is no tv or cable - the better to recharge. Since I work in tv, I find it encourages me to play records on the record player instead. There are plenty of books as well. In addition, this is a tiny home. A brand new (2024) ac/heat mini-split system keeps the place cool and dry. Every 30 minutes a pump turns on to remove the moisture from the air. (Austin is humid so we've gone to lengths to make sure the system works well for your comfort.) That pump sound turning on means everything is working great.
The Beehive is an easy bike, scooter or Lyft ride to downtown and UT. And there are great tacos, sandwiches, BBQ and coffee within walking distance. The train and bus lines are all handy. This is a cool, funky university neighborhood where adventurous, open-minded people thrive.
Access to the Beehive is a short walk down the driveway to the back of the main house. You will have total privacy in back with no shared common areas. The area is very safe, but we only have street parking.
Blow dryer, iron and ironing board, washer and dryer are all included as well.
Guest access
Parking is on the street. But there is always space and its very safe. Just don't leave things out in sight - like anywhere, random vandalism happens here.
Other things to note
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FOOD
Mi Madres on Manor Road -- best breakfast - get the migas or ranchero plate, the café de olla or horchata. The margaritas are delicious and they have an excellent happy hour at night as well as dinner.
Counter Cafe - E. 6th St - farm-to-table meets diner - with none of the pretension and all of the sass that Austin is known for. Breakfast here will make your day.
ADP sandwiches on MLK Road – fantastic, innovative quick food with outdoor seating only. Words fail about how fresh and innovative this menu is. Don't let the unprepossessing exterior fool you.
Juiceland on MLK Road – unique, freshly made juice combos and smoothies. They rock.
Hoover’s Cooking on Manor Road – excellent southern-style food -- very meaty and amazing.
Sour Duck on MLK and Chicon
Nice bakery and cafe/bar with outdoor seating and games on the tvs. Open, airy and easy.
Sam’s BBQ – on 12th street – Love a dive bar? Try this great old-school Texas BBQ joint. Sam’s was Stevie Ray Vaughan’s favorite. Experience an authentic Austin tradition without the American Express hoo-ha of Franklin’s. Look for the signed Elton John photo!
Sholz’s Beer Garden – an old Austin favorite, from the days when polka influenced conjunto. Now a great place to drink pints, eat brats and watch UT football under shady trees.
Mr. Natural – excellent vegetarian Mexican food – fresh, vegan and gluten-free baked goods. Quick buffet-style food all day until 7pm. A true Austin gem.
Quickie Pickie – great casual food and grocery store with outdoor seating.
Mi Tradicion Panaderia - If you don’t mind a drive, this little bit of modern Mexico is in a strip mall on William Cannon Road. They have great fresh food with homemade gorditas, tortillas and Mexican-style pastries.
Snow’s BBQ - this is a quick day trip to Lexington, Texas for some of the best BBQ around. Tootsie’s no-frills operation (Texas Monthly calls her the best female pit master in Texas history!) sells out by 9am so get there early and be prepared to hang out with her other devotees.
Any of the Kerbey Lanes or Magnolia Cafés – great 24-hour food for late night noshing. Schoolhouse Pub right close on Manor Road has excellent food until 12 midnight every night. Their burger is excellent and draft beer selection on point.
A few blocks away, the Butterfly bar in the garden at the Vortex Theater is a lovely place. Patrizi’s Italian food truck serves delicious fresh food and a full bar serves craft cocktails and you can sit around fires on cool nights. Cork and Screw has wine and pizza in a lovely backyard area.
Don't Miss Birdies or Nixta Taqueria - both award winning restaurants and close by.
Wholly Burger - slow, fast food. Situated in an old convenience store in South Austin. Organic Texas beef, served on buns - gluten-free, lettuce wraps or portabella mushrooms - delicious hand-cut sweet potato or regular fries and homemade onion rings. When you make a trek to End of an Ear records, come here!
Tamale House East and Cisco's - both are local legends and serve solid, fast old school Austin tex-mex. A quick breakfast or lunch is always good here.
And the very best Tex-Mex in town is the wonderfully inventive offerings at El Dorado cafe. Incredible margaritas, unique salsas, extremely good quality food and service. Not to be missed!
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED FINE DINING
Dai Due on Manor Road – fancy meat market and reserved seating dinners, casual locally sourced breakfast and lunch. Might feel a little “too-Williamsburg” for some, but it has made itself part of our neighborhood.
Hillside Farmacy – great, fine dining right nearby. Casual, outdoor seating with wonderful cocktails and solid locavore food. My go-to.
La Contesa - downtown - excellent high end Mexican food and incredible cocktails. Feels a bit LA but when you want to be fancy af, this is the spot to splurge.
Este and Suerte - stay on the East Side and enjoy tese lovely modern spaces. The staff are attentive and kind, the food is incredible - most of it locally sourced from Texas ranchers, farmers and fisherfolks - and the Cascara dessert is maybe the best thing ever made by a pastry chef EVER. Great cocktails and wine/beer options too. Exquisite service and atmosphere.
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED BARS
Techo Mescalario and Tequila bar – upstairs from Mi Madre’s through Schoolhouse Pub, is a tiny little jewel of a bar – romantic and cozy. A hideaway where you can taste every mescal and tequila you’ve ever wanted to try.
La Holly Mescalario - clearly we like our mescal. A dive bar vibe but serving very fancy cocktails with a taco truck in back. Great funky Austin vibe for the beginning of the night or the bitter end.
Skylark Lounge – great dive bar with local blues musicians who keep the East Side tradition alive and well. Giant outdoor backyard. Try happy hour every Thurs/Friday from 6-8pm with the legendary Margaret Wright.
Hotel Vegas - fun, local bands, an outside area to chill and a great Austin, alternative vibe. When you want to rock out and be a local.
The Cactus Cafe - located on the corner of the UT STUDENT CENTER - this treasure is the favorite listening room of many a fan and performer. Name a legend, and they've probably played here. I once saw Exene Cervenka and Lydia Lunch read poetry together here.
The Wheel – relaxed bar in the neighborhood with a bicycle theme and elegant whiskey cocktails. Outdoor seating.
The Carousel Lounge – yes, a circus-themed bar circa 1964 with live music. Words fail when trying to describe how beloved this dive bar is to locals.
Cheer Up Charlies – a super, fun place that is gay friendly and often has live bands. Once home to a dearly departed lesbian bar called Chances (see the old sign on the back porch of the main house) - home of the Punk Rock Prom!
Small Victories – Want a secret, quiet place to have a gorgeous cocktail? It’s in a parking garage downtown. Very little signage. 108 E. 7th Street between Congress Ave and Brazos St. It can get VERY crowded in peak hours - go at off times.
Not a bar but a venue - if you can get tickets to anything at Austin City Limits, do it. They have moved to a new studio space downtown but the curation is still solid and the sound perfect.
If you want a great late night taco truck that only locals know about, visit Tacos El Charly up north and get a giant cup of Jamiaca with tacos al pastor.
COFFEE
Cuvée Coffee on E. 6th St is probably the best coffee I've ever had. Not snobby. Just particular.
Bennu Coffee on Martin Luther King Road - its closeness to the house is its greatest asset. And you can print something out if you need to.
ACTIVITIES
Take a walk from the house down the Boggy Creek Greenbelt trail which you can find just across the tracks of the MLK train station.
Mckinney Falls State Park is a short drive away and has gorgeous easy paths. Check out the 540 year old Cypress, "Old Baldy".
Barton Springs - the crown jewel of Austin. A gorgeous, enormous spring-fed pool that is crisp and clear as a summer day. When it's hot as hell or you're enduring a hangover, the Springs will cure you. In the summer, go after 9pm and it’s free. Night swimming, oh yes.
Deep Eddy pool - also spring-fed but looks like a regular pool. Sit under the trees and feel the local vibe. Right next door is a great bar with pool tables and an open-air burger place - Deep Eddy Cabaret and Pool Burger.
Yoga – Practice Yoga has donation-based classes all day at convenient times – 1103 E. 6th Street.
East Side Pedal Pushers – for bike rentals, 1414 E 5th St, Austin, TX 78702
Austin record stores - you can spend days in the great shops that specialize in vintage and new vinyl. My faves are End of An Ear and Waterloo records but search the list that Time Out did for Best Austin Record stores for a place that suits you.
Thrift Stores and Vintage - this town is a vintage mecca- we love Room Service, Blue Velvet and New Bohemia. For hard core thrifters, Thrift Town on Manchaca, and Goodwill Blue Hangar (clothes by the pound) offer incredible foraging.
Stand up paddle boarding, kayaks and canoes can be rented for a lovely day at Town Lake. Or stroll along the hike and bike trail that runs along the lake on both sides to see the Stevie Ray Vaughan statue annd the bats under the Congress Street bridge.
Besides the East Side, other fun neighborhoods are the Allandale and North Loop areas for vintage shopping and food. South 1st street and South Congress aka SoCo have great record stores, vintage, food and bars. Explore and have fun!
