Manchaca Springs Saloon

If you've ever wondered what it would be like to knock back a few cold ones in an outdoor antique shop, come on down south of the border and find out at Manchaca Springs Saloon. To be clear, I mean the Austin limits border, because Manchaca is located a literal stone's throw from the city's southern edge. It's here that owner Josh Rodriguez (@mayor.of.manchaca) was driving past one day and saw a Property For Sale sign scribbled with sharpie marker, thinking "That doesn't look too expensive."

He bought the land about 7 years ago and started running a BBQ operation. No doubt, a popular venture in Texas, though the 16-hour days around the smoker do tend to wear one down. Running an extension cord from the neighbor to keep things powered didn't help. After about 1.5 years of the grind and a 4-month break, he pivoted to the bar that has been open on this spot since. Getting the business through COVID was no joke, but his hot rod shop helped pay the bills through the rough stretch.

"Oh this stuff just finds me," says Josh when asked where the hell all the collectibles came from. They're packed into seemingly every nook and cranny, spilling out into the outdoor area and detached music stage. You can walk around for a good hour finding new stuff to check out. There are a couple of food trucks too out front in case you get hungry from all the snooping about.

A cross between the airplane graveyard from 'Con Air' and the back room of Austin's Uncommon Objects antique shop, Manchaca Springs Saloon is the kind of place where your musician brother and antique-hunting mom can both have a good time. It's weird and unpretetious, capturing that fabled spirit of Old Austin. Take the trip down, you won't regret it.