We went to one of the most accessible outdoor venues that we have been to—The Moody Amphitheater. Everything is super accessible. We have been there 2 times now, the first time we took the Metro Access and the other time Lani drove. I felt like we could roll anywhere we wanted. The cap Metro drops off at the Red River entrance & when we drove we parked on the Trinity street entrance which is the artist and VIP entrance. The only complaint is there is no curb cut in front of either entrance, you have to walk down the block, or have an additional person help out. But once we got over the curb with the help of others we were good. In Austin, people are always willing to help, even when it's not needed, which is great. There were ramps set up to go wherever you needed to go. We took the ramp that went down to the front of the stage because we both like being front and center for the shows, so that’s what we did. They have different set ups depending on the show.
At the Blues Festival the set up was GA floor everywhere. At Tedeschi Trucks Band, there was seating throughout the venue, with a designated handicap section. The great advantage of this venue is that you can see from every angle. We stayed and danced in the front for a long time at the Blues Festival, but we got hungry and decided to roll around and get food, before we left our spot we asked many kind folks to save our spot as we planned on returning. We left and went up the same ramp to the middle level and took a right and rolled around toward the food and drinks and we saw many friends on the way. You can roll across the whole venue with ease, there are vendors set up on either side of the stage and both accessible. The food tents have eye level service where the bars and drink service areas are elevated. The line at the food tent was quite long, but we didn’t notice because we were constantly being faced with old friends coming up to say “hello.” We got our food and rolled back to the other side of the venue and went down the ramp. What was cool about this was that most festivals and venues I've been to take a long time to roll through the crowd, but here they had a specific path so it was easy to maneuver. We rolled back down the ramp to the front of the stage and the people saved our spots, so we parked in the best seats in the venue once again and watched the show and ate our food. We watched another set of great music and then I needed to use the bathroom, so we asked the people around to save our spots again and we went back up the ramp and this time we took a left and went to the bathroom area.

There are accessible bathrooms at the venue outside and also accessible bathroom stalls in the VIP section and we rolled through with no problem. When we got into the bathroom it was really an amazing experience because the bars are set up in the perfect area and there is plenty of space to pull up next to the toilet to transfer. Once again we returned to the front row and we’re able to get our spots back to close out the show. This is something that never really happens because once you leave your spot at a show, you usually lose it. This is an outdoor venue that was recently created in a park that used to hold the Fun Fun Fun Fest, so I hadn't been here before for music. It was really a great place!

Moody Amphitheater
1401 Trinity St.
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 541-3520

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I love donuts! Lani knew this and went to The Salty right after they opened and stood in line and brought back donuts. We enjoy them and I’ve been eating at The Salty once or twice a week ever since. They have an excellent delivery service through their app or via DoorDash and I have been partaking in that. We finally took a trip up to The Salty on Saturday afternoon. We drove up in my electric wheelchair, I wanted to drive, so Lani sat on my lap and we cruised up together. The Salty is located on South Congress just across the road from Magnolia Cafe and on the same block as C-Boy’s. We rolled up to The Salty and the first thing I noticed was the accessible parking spot right by the double doors, where there is also an access loading area and a ramp to the front doors. The double doors open wide, so rolling in was not a problem. There is a lot of space inside. At the counter you can order donuts / savory items, such as Terry Black’s brisket and cheese stuffed kolaches and coffee. There is a display of donuts next to the ordering counter and you pick out what you want. Then you roll down the aisle  & pick up your coffee and pastries. Around the corner there are tables inside that are all great to roll up and sit. I am a fan of the cake donut called The Salty Donut. It's a brown butter iced cake donut with sea salt flakes on top. We have tried most of the other donuts and they are all good. They also have really good coffee. The bathroom is super accessible. It is a private accessible all gender bathroom. The space was kind of tight with my big electric chair, we backed in & then had to move the trash can, but it all worked out great. I was able to get in and close and lock the door. The bars are all set up in the right spots. Particularly the horizontal bar on the left side is actually in the perfect place. Most places do not put it in such a good spot. They also have a porch area with a pickup window where you can sit outside, but that area is not accessible. This is a highly recommended place to have donuts, it’s open from 7 to 7, so it fits most schedules.

The Salty
2000 S Congress Ave,
Austin, TX 78704
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This is a premier venue that most people know of or have heard all about. All the big acts usually perform at this venue, here or at one time before there were other big venues in town. This is still considered an amazing venue, but there are a lot of new large venues popping up, but this is still a favorite. I have seen just about everyone in this venue. This is the home of the Austin City Limits TV Show which films live tapings here for PBS and it is an awesome experience to watch the cameras roll. This is a fully accessible venue. While I always enjoy being on the floor & close to the band to watch the stage interactions and energy of the band, this visit we focused on the whole venue to provide some insight for accessibility. The elevator at this venue is a big deal because it takes you from the outside to the first floor, to the mezzanine (middle floor), to the balcony. There is always a friendly elevator operator and they double as a ticket scanner, when your tickets are not at will call. Parking is pretty much not happening for this venue. There are very few accessible spots on the road & some random indoor paid lots but not cheap or super close. I have used both power and manual chairs at this venue. We have found that taking the Cap Metro Access Bus has worked out rather well, we get dropped off right in front of the venue and picked up at the same spot. The only time that this does not really work is when it’s really cold outside because there’s no inside place to wait for the bus, so you have to wait outside. Usually for big shows at this venue, if you're like me and like to be in the crowd, it is a good idea to arrive early because fans at this venue, I have noticed, like to pick a spot and stay there. You have to get there early and grab a spot because people are reluctant to move to let you in to see, even though if you think about it, letting someone in a wheelchair upfront lets more people see than not letting them upfront, but anyway that’s just what I think. The first floor level is extremely accessible; it is all flat.

Then to go up to the mezzanine you have to go out and get on the elevator, one of the reasons there is an elevator operator, is that you have to have a ticket to access all the levels of the theater. The mezzanine level is pretty awesome. It’s got a great reception area with photos by famous photographer, Jim Marshall. There is a bar that is easy to access to get a drink and roll around to check out the amazing photography. When you get off the elevator, you can either go into the reception area or you can go into the venue - there are buttons on the wall to press to automatically open the doors to roll in, hands free. The mezzanine level is really incredible because there are many accessible spots you can pull up to and see everything that is going on on stage. The mezzanine level puts the entire stage in view! 

To go up to the balcony level, you get on the elevator once again, the balcony level also has a reception area, with photos from the live recordings. There is also a bar, but the balcony level in my opinion is not the best for seeing the show, the wheelchair spots are in the very back top row. Being at the top means that you’re very far away from seeing what is going on on stage. I have seen many shows from this level but it is not my favorite, it may be fine for some, but I really enjoy the energy from the band and you miss this being so far away. I do have friends that like this level because they are able to go down the steps and sit lower but wheelchairs don’t have that option. 

The bathrooms at ACL Live are great! On the floor level which everyone can access for the bathroom experience, there are two individual private bathrooms. Like ACL 3Ten, these are also great bathrooms, but recently on the lower level they decided to put a shelf of stuff underneath the sink, so you can not get under the sink anymore. The bars are in all the right spots and there is plenty of room to roll around. There are bathrooms on all the levels. These are shared bathrooms, but there is an accessible stall on all levels. The key thing to know about is that you can go use the facilities on the floor level with any ticket. The backstage at ACL Live is fully accessible also, wide open and flat. This is a premiere venue in Austin and it is a recommended spot to check out. 


ACL Live at the Moody Theater
310 W Willie Nelson Blvd.
Austin, TX 78701

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Driving up to the Thompson Hotel, I did not know what to expect because it is a fairly new building where there used to be a Bank of America drive-thru and a parking lot. We were going to a two-night run at Antone’s, so we were happy to set up this stay downtown, and see both shows. We pulled up and the valet was right there and we got out of the car very easily as there’s no curb by the right side of the hotel, in front of The tomie (part of the hotel), my chair was able to get me right outside of the main entrance. The valet opened the huge door and I rolled inside and cruised right over to the front desk.

The staff was very friendly and communicative with me. They also recommended the Diner Bar for dinner, which was one of the best meals I have had in Austin, but more about that later. We got our keys and went up to the room, followed by our luggage. We hopped on the elevator with the bellhop. The elevators were a little tricky to load into as the door closed fast, but we can be fast too. When you get off the elevator you can go one way to The tommie or the other way to the Thompson hotel, clearly marked and designated by different colored carpets (black for The Thompson & red for The tommie). The hallway was easy to roll down as the carpet was very flat. 

We got to the room and went in, the door was very wide and was easy to enter. On the left was the bathroom and if you roll forward the bed is on the left and the is window straight ahead. I did a quick investigation of the bathroom, the door is a wide sliding door and the shower is on the left side and the toilet is on the right side. There are bars around the toilet and in the shower, there is a folding bench attached to the wall. An accessible sink you can roll up under since there is no cabinet below.

We rode the elevator downstairs and went into the restaurant, the Diner Bar from the lobby entrance and easily maneuvered to the front hostess stand to ask if there were any open tables. We were out of luck as the restaurant is super packed and busy because, it is home to two-time James Beard-winning chef, Mashama Bailey. It is rated the number two restaurant in the state by Texas Monthly, a great tip from the front desk. We were told that we could order food and eat it in our room, so we began to scour the menu. We lucked out because while we were doing that, the bartender said there were two seats available at the bar and one of these seats was an accessible spot for me, I have never seen this before and it was awesome! I could wheel right up and eat. The bar was low enough for me to enjoy my meal right next to Lani. 

We left the restaurant and went up to the room. The elevators are not full of mirrors, this must be a new trend as all of the hotels I’ve been to in the past had mirrors in the elevators. I used the facilities as we got ready to go out. The toilet is very accessible. There are bars and everything is easy to transfer over. The toilet is black, this was my first experience with a black toilet. Everything was good, the only suggestion I will make is that the vertical bar on the wall could be closer to the toilet as it would help transfer over a little bit more. But, this is a pretty standard placement at hotels. The shower is set up really smooth. Transferring over to the bench is easy it folds down from the wall. The shower comes out from two different places. There’s a handheld sprayer and a rainwater sprinkler head. If you are sitting on the bench you can only use the handheld shower hose, as the rainwater shower head is on the opposite side of the bench. As with my suggestion for the toilet, my suggestion for the shower wall is it would be easier to hold on if the bars were closer to me on the bench, but again, pretty standard placement. We got ready and rolled over to Antone’s for another night of great music.

We returned to the room after the show and it was effortless to transfer over to the bed. The bed is low and super comfortable. I slept through the night without waking up at all, which is not always the case.

After a great night’s sleep, Lani went down to grab us breakfast and coffee. The Grey Market and the coffee bar at The tommie, were off the main lobby. The Coffee Bar had an automatic door button in and out, which is very helpful.

The coffee & food was so good! I had the world’s best pancakes! The great part about eating in the room was the desk, I could roll right under and eat. After that, we got dressed and ventured down to check out.

Check-out time is 11 am, but if you are a Hyatt member the time is extended to 1 pm, which is great, because it takes us time to get ready & pack up all our stuff.

This is where my new mantra came up, I will always check out the pool when I check in to a hotel from now on. We visited the pool area after we went to the front desk to drop off our bags.

The pool area is absolutely amazing! To get to the pool, you go thru Wax Myrtle's restaurant. The restaurant has an open area to the pool. When you exit the restaurant, you roll through several seating / lounge areas. The pool is located inside a gate, when you go through that gate, there are lounge chairs all around and the pool & cabanas, with a clear path to go thru the seating area. At the other end of the pool is a wheelchair lift. I was really dying to try it out. However, I did not prepare for it to be a nice day because we are in Austin and the night before was freezing cold & rainy, which means that the next day is going to be perfect and 74 degrees. I always forget that our weather here is super crazy. I will definitely be going back to check out the pool. The accessibility seemed awesome, but I need to go back to give a full review and experience the heated pool and use the wheelchair lift. We toured around the pool level a little bit more and then made our quick departure.

At the front of the hotel there is a curb cut for a smooth transfer into the car. The valet brought our car up and we loaded inside & left with huge smiles on our faces. Our first hotel experience with Trippin’ On Wheels is now on the books and the Thompson Hotel was above and beyond our expectations. Check it out!

The Thompson Hotel
506 San Jacinto Blvd.
Austin, TX 78701
(737) 787-1234

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3Ten is where Russ and I met, on May 17 2019.

I have been to this venue many times and it is always packed full of people. It is located next door on the ground floor of the ACL Live Moody Theater. It’s flat and really easy to get around. There are two entrances, but typically the main one we use to get in is thru is by the will call ticket booth, but the other one is close to the Urban Outfitters. On the side we use, there is a ramp by the ticket booth for both ACL Live at the Moody & 3TEN. There is a clear pathway that is usually barricaded, but the barricade can be moved to let us in, by the bouncer / ticket taker. I have used both chairs at this venue. When you roll into the venue, the bar is on your right and straight back to the left is the stage. Usually I just enter and roll through the crowd to go up to the front of the stage to dig the music. I had not used the facilities until this past weekend. Looking at a venue through the eyes of reviewing accessibility has really changed the way I go out. Now I take the time to examine all the parts of the venue.

If you roll straight to the back from the entrance, that is where you will find the bathrooms at 3TEN. There are 3 bathrooms, 1 men’s, 1 women’s, and then a private accessible bathroom. In both the men’s and women’s bathroom there are private accessible stalls that are wonderful, with plenty of room to transfer and the bars in the correct locations. The private accessible bathroom, could possibly be the best bathroom experience - the mecca of accessible bathrooms. Not only is this a well designed bathroom from an accessibility standpoint, it is aesthetically pleasing and showcases a great big photo of Dolly Parton! There is a lot of room to move around and get under the sink with no problem. There are bars set up in all the right spots. This past night we were set up to go to the greenroom and talk with the band. Getting backstage was not super accessible thru the front since there are steps on the left facing side of the stage which obstructs the path to the backstage. The solution is to go around the back, past the bathrooms. There is a door that takes you down the hallway with ramps that lead to the back door of the greenroom.

As far as parking goes, there is not much parking. There are a few street spots, but the fill up quickly. So if you are going to this venue, be prepared to park in a garage. There are many garages around the venue. When we go to 3TEN, we usually take Cap Metro Access or a Uber WAV and this works out pretty great. The bar is crowded but accessible to grab a drink. Overall 3TEN is really set up as a sweet venue. The shows that usually play 3TEN are traveling acts.


3Ten ACL Live
310 W Willie Nelson Blvd,
Austin, TX 78701
(512) 225-7999

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