Lite + Brite’s Guide to Old Austin Stuff

As the 13th largest city in the U.S., Austin experiences a lot of turnover. The closing of Lamme’s Candies after 141 years has recently made us hyper-aware of this. So we wanted to take a moment to honor some of the Austin businesses and events that have staying power, which, for our purposes, we’re defining as “founded in 1976 or before.” “Make new friends but keep the old” can apply to storefronts, too, right? 

P.S. We have no reason to believe that any of these venues are haunted, but the possibility is always on the table!

50 years old: Bookwoman, feminist bookstore

50 years old: Wheatsville Co-op, grocery store

50 years old: Waterloo Ice House, bar + restaurant

51 years old: Antone’s, live music venue

51 years old: El Arroyo, Tex-Mex restaurant with iconic marquee

51 years old: Fonda San Miguel, upscale Mexican restaurant

52 years old: Hole in the Wall, bar and live music venue near UT

53 years old: Catfish Parlour, catfish restaurant

53 years old: Playland, roller rink and arcade

54 years old: Lala’s Little Nugget, year-round Christmas-themed bar

55 years old: Top Notch Hamburgers, fast food joint

56 years old: BookPeople, Texas’s largest independent bookstore

57 years old: Draught House, brewpub with plenty of outdoor seating

62 years old: The Broken Spoke, classic honkytonk for Texas two-stepping

62 years old: Eeyore’s Birthday Park, annual freewheeling party in Pease Park

63 years old: Carousel Lounge, bar and music venue with carnivalesque decor

63 years old: Little Longhorn Saloon, honkytonk known for weekly Chicken Shit Bingo

71 years old: The Continental Club, South Congress music venue

74 years old: Matt’s El Rancho, Tex-Mex restaurant

78 years old: Peter Pan Mini Golf, exactly what it sounds like

80 years old: Mattie’s at Green Pastures, upscale restaurant in a Victorian home

88 years old: Quality Seafood, fish market

89 years old: Karavel Shoes, shoe store

97 years old: ABC Kite Fest, annual festival in Zilker Park

100 years old: Dirty Martin’s Place, fast food joint

111 years old: The Paramount, historic theater

140 years old: The Driskill, upscale hotel with bar + restaurant

160 years old: Scholtz Garten, German beer garden