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“She’s known for renovating Hotel San Jose on South Congress. “She’s basically Austin’s most famous and badass lesbian around,” said Austin dweller and writer Krista Doyle. We asked some Austin locals to give us the lowdown on where to eat, stay, shop and play while in town for SXSW, or any other time you might want to make the trip to the queerest town in Texas.įirst thing’s first: You’ve gotta know Liz Lambert. The out hotelier owns several different businesses both in and outside of Austin, but she’s a fixture of the city, and her hotels are the coolest places to stay or stop in for a drink in the Lone Star state. Notwithstanding Austin’s regular LGBTQ events and options during the year, SXSW is one of the best times to visit, as during the festival, the city not only bustles with interesting people looking to meet new faces, but serves up Southern hospitality in its everyday haunts. In a city known for its love of live bands and BBQ, Austin-philes also hail this musical mecca for its wonderful weirdness, which certainly speaks to its queerness. If you’ve never been to the famous festival (happening March 10-19 this year), South By (as locals and regulars call it) overlaps a week of Interactive (read: Internet and app-based panels, events and parties) with its film and comedy offerings (screenings, shows, even more parties) and its line-up of respected musicians and buzzed-about new acts, with every record label, lifestyle company, podcast and YouTube channel clamoring to cover who’s next. Every year, musicians, filmmakers, creatives, techies and the people that love them flock to Austin, Texas for SXSW.