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10 Signs that You Grew Up in Austin in the 90s

signs you grew up in Austin

I was born at Seton Hospital in Austin in 1984. I think it’s safe to say that my hometown has experienced a few changes since then.

After all, I was here before the hipsters arrived, before SXSW started, before Sandra Bullock and everyone else decided ATX was the place to be.

In honor of all my fellow native Austinites, who remember the good old days before crazy traffic and expensive eats were our way of life, here are 10 surefire signs that you grew up in Austin in the 80s and 90s. (Sorry about the shorts, Dad.)

grew up in Austin zilker park

10 Signs that You Grew Up in Austin in the 90s

  1. During the Blue Bell Ice Cream recall, you took solace in the fact that you still had Amy’s Mexican Vanilla, established in Austin in 1984.
  2. While sitting in traffic, you have brainstormed what you could spell with the letters in a “Waterloo Records” bumper sticker.
  3. You remember when Schlotzsky’s, Academy, Whole Foods and Chuy’s were local mom-and pop-operations with one store and a handful of employees.
  4. You never, ever call Mopac “Loop 1,” even though that’s what it’s called on every single TxDOT sign. (At least the post office agrees with you.)
  5. You dread driving in the rain, because even a mere sprinkle means 3 wrecks will occur instantaneously, especially if you’re on I-35 or Mopac. (See number 4.)
  6. You remember trying not to drink too much water so you wouldn’t have to go to the bathroom at Magic Time Machine, before it closed and became a Landry’s.
  7. You remember when going to Salt Lick Barbeque felt like a day trip because Driftwood was truly in the middle of nowhere.
  8. You’ve celebrated a birthday at Pandemonium or Kiddie Acres, or, if you were really fancy, Spaghetti Warehouse, Tokyo Steak House or Old San Francisco Steak House.
  9. You’ve experienced the Trail of Lights through the window of a car and spun under the giant tree, without half of California’s population joining you.
  10. And, last but not least, you still call that body of water under the bat colony “Town Lake.”
grew up in austin zilker park

What’s your favorite memory of growing up in Austin?

Let me know in the comments.

99 replies on “10 Signs that You Grew Up in Austin in the 90s”

I can remember when we use to go celebrate birthdays at the kiddie park at Barton Springs & Lamar , where Jack in the Box is now , Christys seafood was where the Hyatt is now , and my dad use to rave boats at Austin Aqua Fest , then we’d go eat at the Nght Hawk on Congress ….

Dude, that was not the 90’s! But thanks for those memories, I’m 55 and I remember ALL of those places. Left out 2-Js.

My mom would always take me to 2-JJs to get ice cream after we left the doctor’s office! I believe it was Dr. Talbot

I was born at Seton as well in 1990.

My most cherished memories are countless but two stick out that weren’t named here.

1. Riding the entire zilker trail around Town Lake with my grandpa without having to fight unreasonable traffic in the roads or people on the trail.

2. Seeing the frost tower soar above every other building letting me know i was home after a trip out of town. Always felt like a small town inside a big city.

To the good times…

If your memories of the “good ol’ days” in Austin include find memories of the Frost Tower, I think you’re a bit young for the sentiment of this article… 😉

I’d say more of the white stair stepper building…that was the tallest building in austin til the nose picker came along!

I was born here in 1970. I miss Holiday House and the Night Hawk. Downtown is unrecognizable to me and the traffic sucks all of the time. But, growth is inevitable I guess, and it’s still a great town. Sadly, I feel like we are losing our hippie vibe and weirdness that makes Austin so unique. These new hipsters don’t really get it.

Yes, there was one at Airport Road and 2222. That’s the one we used to go to all the time.

Oh yes. Several. One on Airport, one on Barton Springs Rd. And the ‘Drag’ near 19th. My favorite #5 with cheese and pickles!

There were several at one time, including one on Barton Springs that had an enclosure with an alligator! It hardly ever moved though. We still got excited to see it. Ralph Moreland owned the Holiday House restaurants and a few others as I recall.

That post was about Holiday Houses. The reference in Bitsy’s post about 19th and the Drag was, I believe, to the most awesome Night Hawk. I ate 4 Frisco burgers once when I was 14 after a full summer day of manual labor.

Omg no one understand the deliciousness of Holiday House! Thank you for reminding me! I had forgotten.

Yes!! I’m a 1982 Seton Austin baby! Magic Time Machine and Old San Fran birthdays, love that the Zilker train is still operating…I still call it Town Lake and despise the names SoCo and SoLa….love that Mozarts is still a fun place to hang out for coffee and that I can still bowl at Westgate Lanes! Ahhh, good memories and great blog post!

I grew up 7 blocks behind westgate lanes and that neighborhood doesn’t seem to have changed much at all ?

I’m a 1984 Seton Hospital baby too! I went to Summit Elementary. Showbiz pizza was my favorite spot since free tokens were given for good report cards!

Born in the red brick 5-story Brackenridge Hospital in 1962. My doctor’s office was located on Sabine Street about 2 blocks north of the hospital under what has been the Frank Erwin Center for over 35 years. My friend’s dad started AquaFest, I went to school with Dan & Fran’s kids when he ran King Burger in the 1970s. I worked at the old Scarbrough’s downtown just out of high school and attended the grand opening of Highland Mall when I was 9. I went to the same church with Freddie Steinmark and recall the prayer service for him before his leg was amputated. My oldest brother was a teenager working for Angel Funeral Home in 1966 when he was called to go pick up dead bodies on the west mall of UT. (He made the pages of Life Magazine.). It’s been quite a ride!

I love this!! Cooking dinner so only have a second but along with Waterloo bumper sticker was tittybingo! I had a bday at Pandemonium and Spaghetti Warehouse. Thanks for the post!!!

I was a Seton baby also (1977), and I remember birthday parties st Spanky’s, Northcross mall (ice rink), and ice cream cones at Sandy’s. I love Austin, but every time I come back home I recognize it less and less.

I’m. St. David’s (76) baby. Top Notch. I hear it’s still there but not the same. Aaaand now I crave a grease burger….

I was a 1978 baby and ate many bday dinners in the cabose inside spaghetti warehouse! I remember Highland lanes bowling when we were too young to drive and got dropped off, climbing the cows at the Arboretum and the movie theater there with clouds on the ceiling and thunder every hour or so. I miss driving Spicewood Springs Rd super fast to get some air and playing at Volente Beach. Those were some great years growing up..so different now.

I didn’t grow up here, but I moved here in the summer of 1972. I really miss The Stallion Drive In and the Skyline Club.

Oh – the Stallion on North Lamar for a steak and a beer. Sigh.
Anyone remember Shakey’s Pizza Parlor? Might be a little old for most of you. Became Antones on Guadalupe. Great jukebox.

Pizza, fried chicken and potato wedges at Shakey’s. It was across the street from El Patio on Guadalupe. And I preferred the chicken fried steak at the Stallion. Great memories. How about Conans Pizza?

Unfenced Mt. Bonnel; Holiday House on Barton Spring Rd, that had the live alligator out front and the live birds in the back room; sitting on the floor of the Armadillo World Headquarters, watching so many famous musicians just starting out; The Filling Station on Barton Springs Rd; Dan’s Hamburgers on S Lamar and on S Congress; plus so many others! Wonderful place to be in those days!

Seton 1982! I remember trips to the Capital Plaza which was home to the epic Merry Christmas Store and the best Toys ‘R’ Us EVER. And if you ever flew out of Mueller Airport with the bluebonnet ceiling, you know you’re a native! Thanks for this list. Takes me back…

Seaton 1969. I grew up close to Northcross Mall and spent time ice skating and shopping there. Saw several midnighters of Rocky Horror Picture Show at the Northcross Theater.

What about Aqua Fest on Auditoreum Shores? I was hand gifted a hermonica from Jimmie Vaughan back when he was with the Thunderbirds.

Wow! That’s pretty cool getting anything from Jimmie Vaughan. My brother, may he R.I.P., used to be a stagehand for Jimmie Vaughan at the Armadillo World Headquarters, and before he passed away he gave me one of the original pictures that used to hang on the wall. It’s glass with an Armadillo wearing cowboy attire on it. I’m a 1964 kiddo, so

Seton 1979. Went to Summit Elementary, I remember have birthday parties at Kiddie Acres and back then that was a long drive. It will always be MoPac and Town Lake to me.
Ice skating at Northcross mall every weekend and the tragic news one December morning in 1991.
While it took me 2 hours to get from Burnet and Steck to Pflugerville because of traffic the other day I was remembering the good old days of no traffic. I ended up graduating from Pflugerville in 98 when the population was 4,444 and 685 was a 2 lane road that had nothing on it.

High school in the 80’s: I worked at Chez Fred, had coffee at Captain Quackenbush’s, visited the Last Store (or something like that) on City Park Road on our way to the lake, ate Frito Pies at the only Bert’s Bar-B-Que on MLK, got a warning from a cop when I was stopped going 108 mph on Mopac at 2 a.m, went to field parties off 2222 (or Cove Parties) where there was often a keg and a bunch of teenagers from all the area high schools (Austin, McCallum, Anderson and Johnston because they were supposed to go to Anderson but were bussed to East Austin), paid a bouncer 20 bucks to get me and a friend into the REM concert at the Austin Opera House, ate Migas at Cisco’s Bakery, bought friendship rings and charm necklaces at the then unknown James Avery on Anderson Ln., ate hamburgers at Wally’s on Mesa Dr., shopped for groceries at Safeway…so many memories. I miss the old Austin. It’s painful to go back and see how it’s changed.

My favorite memories (just a few!)
–playing on the fire truck at Zilker
— learning about science with Stuffy at the Austin Children’s Museum
–participating in the Kids in Business day at Northcross Mall (and the ice skating!)
–getting a check up for my bear at the Teddy Bear picnic

Bowling at Dart Bowl and actually going to “hang” at NorthCross Mall before they got rid of the ice rink and turned into a CA-type outdoor walking mall.

Also, birthdays at Putt Putt Golf on Lamar were a MUST!

There was also a second Holiday House on Riverside/Barton Springs for a while behind the Auditorium. They had a live alligator there that you could throw food at and feed.

Also forgot ice cream at Swenson’s on Anderson. JKF, we must have met at one of those Cove parties out on 2222 when there was nothing out there but streets waiting for houses. I still remember the week they put up the 360 bridge (at the time it was a bridge to nowhere).

I was born ’83 at South Austin Hospital.

I remember when Ben White was a two lane road and if you went south of it you were out of Austin. The area south of the river was South Austin.When I was a kid Capital Metro was free during the summer, my brother and I would travel all over the city going to differnt events during the summer.
The three years that the Dallas Cowboy’s did spring training at St. Ed’s will always be one of my greatest childhood memory. I would spent all day watching them pratice.

I’m a 1988 baby born at St.David’s South Austin (when it was a 2 story rural hospital in the middle of no where!) and I love this! Pandemonium, celebration station, and that place at 183 and MOPAC that had the giant roller slide/indoor playground were the best places as kids. I love the thinkery but miss the old children’s museum where we could grocery shop and cook and build stuff out of recycled material. My mom worked at Old San Francisco Steak House before I was born- but the food was good and I loved the holiday house and AquaFest was amazing. Gah so much has changed and I do miss the Austin of old- it was a hidden gem and it was full of native people just living life and enjoying the beautiful city!

Thinking the playplace in the Gateway shopping area was the DZ/DiscoveryZone I remember going to a couple of times. Wish that and Pandamonium were still around so I could decide whether those slides and tunnels were as high up as I remember them, or if it just seemed that way because I was ~9 years old. I definitely ALWAYS picked out the lobster when pushing my grocery cart around the children’s museum.

Is showbiz the place with the monkeys with cymbals and the magician??? I’ve tried to remember the name of that place for so long! I’m a 1973 St. David’s baby! Sister is 1978 Seton baby.
Love all these!!! I SOOO miss our Austin!!!

Stacey! The place you are talking about was Scampi’s Organ Palace. Loved that place, too! Good one.
Ahh, so many things I miss about “old” Austin…
I was born at St. David’s hospital in 1974.
I remember (and truly do miss) :
Monterey House on Ben White (mexican food restaurant)
The Drive-in movie theater, also on Ben White–now a Wal-Mart sits where the drive-in used to be 🙁
Mad Dog & Beans on 24th and Guadalupe area. Best frito pie I ever had.
Technophilia, also on the drag. Great record store, along with Sound Exchange a little further south on the corner of 21st and Guadalupe. I bought all my records at these two places.
Celebration Station on IH 35 for sure was a great time. I walked there from where I lived in Dove Springs.
Fashion-wise, I miss Dressed To Kill-an amazing boutique that had all the clothes I loved to wear at that time.
Garb A Go-Go was also on the drag and it was there I purchased all my Manic Panic hair care products.
Waterloo Video. I miss you everyday.
Zeppoli’s on the corner of 24th and San Gabriel. I saw so many great shows there. I guess they served pizza, but I always went for the punk shows.
And last but not least, Liberty Lunch. According to my ticket stubs I have kept all these years, I was there every night for an entire month.

I worked at Aquafest; people thought I lived to far out in Cedar Park; 1431 between Cedar Park and Round Rock was a dirt road. Had my son at Seton and a party for him at Kiddie Acres; my husband worked at OSF back in the 80s.

Seton 79, I remember spending all day at Northcross while mom went about her business. The arcade, the recording booth, oshmans, running a muck at the arcade to finish the night with Faves of Death.

Props to the HH. they had the best milkshakes and burgers. I miss Leslie, walking the Drag and Kens donuts. Does anyone remember the tennis shoes on the phone lines over town lake? Or the 4th of July water balloon fight? Thunder cloud subs….cookies from Texas French Bread Co….

Born at St Davids in 1978 by the same doctor that delivered my mom?. I miss:
1. The push merry-go-round at zilker, that you would hang on for dear life as your cousin tried to push you off.
2. Walking from zilker to Sandie’s for a cone, without getting hit by a bike, skateboarder or crazy driver.
3. let’s just say.. South Lamar.. And leave it like that.??
4. paying a quarter to swim in Maple Davis pool
I just miss Austin without the cranes, people and buildings that just pop up.

Hanging out on the drag in the 90’s whe. I was still in high school, northcross skating, walking to 7-11 on braker from my house before braker was a busy road. Worked at pandemonium and chuck e cheese in high school. Lone Star restaurant, anyone remember that? Round Rock Was a whole other town. Highland mall hanging out all day on a Saturday. Off campus lunch was usually Gattis buffet. Mount Bonell at night. The origional whole foods location. K Mart. Mueller being and airport and not a trendy neighborhood.

Eating at 2J’s on the kids tables that were actually like sitting on small animals with a tray for your food.

Aqua fest in the summer on auditorium shores. When it was cool to hang at north cross mall to ice skate and meet your friends at the food court.

When driving past 183 and Mopac or Ben white and Mopac meant packing a snack Bc It took forever!

The original taco shack! And then the original taco shack bowl between mac and Anderson.

2J’s Hamburgers on N Lamar.
Airport Haven Hamburgers on Airport and Guadalupe.
Northcross Mall being the “IT” mall.
Pete’s Flat Top Shop on Burnet rd.
Celebration Station on S I-35.
Einstein’s & Le Fun on the Drag.

So many amazing places gone … Add Les Amis, Electric Lounge and Ruta Maya on 4th to the list. Still have Hole in the Wall, which has been pretty much the same forever. Austin is still an amazing city. While I miss so much of old Austin a part of it is that I (and probably several of us) just miss that time of our lives.

’81, St. David’s downtown baby….Malibu Grand Prix, y’all – I totally forgot about Pandemonium and Skateland off Rundberg.
A day on the drag: going to Spider House in middle school for a “Black and White” (Amy’s Mexican vanilla ice cream with espresso on top, they took this off the menu- WHY?) and then up to Good Gawd vintage and over to Atomic City to shop for fancy shoes and Japanese toys.
Later on, sneak out of the house at night and head to Metro for a coffee and cigarette smoking indoors and then to Einstein’s Arcade.
I went to a private school in elementary that had a giant dinosaur constructed out of wood where you could climb into the mouth and sit in with your best bud. They tore it down after a few kids broke their arms falling off of it.
I would never say Loop 1 either. It’s not even a Loop because it was never finished! I only recently discovered MoPac was short for Missouri Pacific because of the railroad that runs in the middle of it!
Back when we used to say five-o-clock traffic – because it actually started at 5:00 and not 3:00.

Seton ’82. Does anyone remember 2Jays, where EZ’s currently is? We’d sit on big plastic animals in the front. And I miss the Martin Brothers restaurant on Guadalupe. And I have many good memories of the first Whole Foods- being pushed by my mom while drinking Kefir 🙂

Oh man the first whole foods! I remember the guys in the produce feeding me every kind of fruit. I may have to give them all credit for my adventurous palate.

#8! Pandemonium was my spot! I literally had a birthday at every place mentioned too.

Born in 1988 at Brackenridge. I was going to bring up Celebration Station. Pretty sure I had my birthday there at least 4 or 5 times before they shut down 🙁

Born at the old Brack Hosp in 1951. Went to Crockett HS when there was nothing south of the school. Miss Barnetts pies on S Lamar. Mays store, Handy Andy also on S. Lamar. Going to Barton Springs through the back and not having to pay. Going down Congress towards the Capital and counting all the Christmas decorations! Racing on Congress and the drag, light to light! Holiday House, A&W rootbeer on Barton Springs. Split Rail, Broken Spoke South 40.
Those were the days!

Yarings in North Loop, Scarbroughs Downtown, Sid’s Steak House. When Burnet Middle School was Lanier High School. Gulfmart on Burnet was the last place out of time. There are so many more.

When we flew kites at the kite festival with an entry fee, tangles kites, food trucks. We were able to sit in the park with our dog on a blanket and fly our kites. Then we would watch the big ass kite finale.

I’m brack 1984. I take my son the the X’mas tree. I s poo in him around and my mom yells, “watch out for people! ” and I yelled, “the ones standing around?!?! This tree is for spinning!!!”

I know that this is a little bit country, but what about Callahan’s General Store and Feed near the Montopolis bridge and going out to Lake Walter E. Long? Oh yeah, don’t forget about the hippie days of skinny dipping in the coves on Lake Travis with the rednecks boating by to look at the naked girls. Driving out to Hollingsworth Corners in Spicewood to get the “exotic” bottled Colorado Coors Banquet beer. (southern most delivery location). Oh, if only we could relive just a few of those daze. It was truly a magical place and I feel blessed to have been there from 1972 till 1995.

’87 Seton Baby
I remember going to the dollar movies up by Wells Branch as a kid. North Cross Mall was definitely my favorite place to go on the weekend. There was an Oshmans sporting goods place, and I would beg my dad to let me play basketball because they had a court in the back. They would also let you ride bicycles around the store. If my brother and I were well behaved, sometimes my parents would treat us to Lambs Candies, which was right by Bealls or Oshmans, or take us to Furrs! I also took ice-skating lessons there for years. Occasionally, we would catch a movie or play in the arcade. So many memories.

I’m glad you mentioned Amy’s Ice Cream, but it had to come from the shop on the drag with the photo booth! Then a short walk to Toy Joy?

I remember going ice skating at North Cross Mall when it was not scary or looked like a ghost town…or ripe for criminal activity. I even saw Santa there….and there was a pet store!

I’m an ’82 Seton baby and I went to Sunset Valley Elementary. I remember when the only places to eat at Barton Creek mall were omas house, arbys, chic-fil-a, and Chelsea street pub. All my school clothes were purchased at solo serve. We ate at Dan’s every Friday night before Crockett football games. If Dad was the one taking me to the Dr/dentist, it meant Peter Pan Putt Putt and Sandy’s burgers and shakes after. I remember when lakeline mall was built and they had that virtual realty stuff by the theater. And lakeline was in the middle of nowhere. The number of Aquafest Skipper Pins you had were grounds for bragging rights. Showbiz, pandamonium, and celebration station were the BEST bday party locations. I used to sneak in to shows at Liberty Lunch and Black Cat. ROCKY HORROR every weekend at the dollar movies on westgate!!

Playing on the train car downtown and going to Holiday House on Barton Springs to see all the birds and reptiles.

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