January is a time for new beginnings, reflecting and a great month to work toward some new goals. A popular way many enjoy practicing self-care at the beginning of the year is Dry January. It can be challenging to find fun things to do if you are used to grabbing drinks with friends to enjoy yourself, so we did the leg work and found some enjoyable downtown activities that don’t involve booze.
Texas Selfie Museum
Hopefully you are feeling your best while sober, so why not look your best too? Grab some friends and a camera (or let’s be honest, your phone) and head to the Texas Selfie Museum in that fire new outfit.
Workout
If you are participating in Dry January, chances are you are focused on improving your health. Check out our blog post: Your Guide to Staying Active Downtown, for fun workout options downtown!
Shopping
Let’s be honest, you are probably saving a bunch of money by not drinking. You may as well treat yourself and go shopping. There is no shortage of fun, unique places to shop downtown, like the Second Street District and seasonal markets.
Head to a Museum
Tickle your brain at the Museum of the Weird, where you can learn about Bigfoot and mermaids, see shrunken heads and discover so many strange things. You can also feast your eyes on artistic beauties at The Contemporary Austin and the Mexic-Arte Museum. Both art museums change their exhibits regularly so you can find something new each time.
Feed Your Inner Child
At Punch Bowl Social, you don’t need liquid courage to get up on stage for karaoke night. You and your friends can rent out a private karaoke room and sing your hearts out. If karaoke isn’t your thing, no worries, Punch Bowl Social has an abundance of games and, perhaps most exciting, they have duck pin bowling! It is a fun new challenge if you haven’t tried it before. Punch Bowl Social also offers refreshing mocktails.
Grab Mocktails
This one is not for the faint of heart. If you are meeting friends who are not participating in Dry January, there are many places with beautiful mocktails so you can enjoy something special, too. We recommend the Peacock, Zanzibar, Garage Bar, The Roosevelt Room or Higher Ground as good places to start.
Go to a Concert
Live music can easily be enjoyed sober. There are even a few spots that have live music every night of the week if you want to replace happy hour. Check out our Live Music Venues blog post for some fun ideas.
See a Film
Get tickets and head to Violet Crown Cinema, a film series at the Paramount or even the rooftop Blue Starlite Drive-In. You can lose yourself in another world instead of losing your credit card at the bar.
Just because your January is dry of alcohol, doesn’t mean it has to be dry of fun! We hope this helped and wish you luck in your dry journey.