Anyone visiting Austin, needs to visit the Continental Club, it is a historic venue & it’s been a rocking place for many years. The inside is all on one level and fully accessible, the entrance has double doors - so it opens wide (with no bar in the middle separating the 2 doors). In my manual chair it's sometimes hard to get over the door jam, because I have anti-tip wheels on the back of my chair that can sometimes get stuck. Once I am in, I always go right up to the stage. As you roll through the doors the stage is straight ahead and the bar is on your left there is seating on the right along the wall, opposite of the bar. The Continental Club is very popular and the only hard thing is getting through people around the bar to get upfront. People always make way and let us get through, it’s like a family atmosphere there, everyone seems to know everyone. I have been going to this club for over twenty-five years. The staff of the club are friends & they always ask if they can help with anything.

This was one of the 2 locations that held the “Stand with Russ” benefit in 2018, to help purchase a new Permobil Standing Chair.

The parking for the club is not that great, for anyone - all parking is on the street. There are accessible spots around, but South Congress is a very popular area, so you have to be determined or lucky to get a spot. Usually we take the Cap Metro Access to get dropped off and picked up. There are curb cuts right at the corner, so its a perfect drop off and pick up location.

The building is a historic building & because of that, the bathroom situation is not very good. If you have to use the bathroom while you are there, there are two solutions that I have found. You can either go to the Lucky Robot and use their bathroom or go across the road to Jo’s and use their facilities. Depending on the times you are there, because Lucky Robot might be closed. What I usually do when I’m going to The Continental Club is make sure that I go before I leave. The other part of the club that is not accessible is the back door to go out and hang in the alley, it’s up a few steps up and the solution to that is just to go out the front door and around the block to the back. The bar is accessible and the staff is going to make sure that you are taken care of and get what you need. The Continental Club has some of the best music in Austin on a nightly basis. Their residencies are incredible and world renowned talent, and some of the residencies have been going on for over 20 Years. This is definitely a spot that everyone needs to check out. It’s a historical landmark & a damn good time.

The Continental Club
1315 S Congress Ave.
Austin, TX 78704
(512) 441-2444

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Carolyn Wonderland sings, “On My Feet Again” a song she wrote for Russ after he received his standing chair from the “Stand with Russ” benefit to raise money for a new power chair that allows him to stand at concerts.

The ABGB (Austin Beer Garden Brewery) is a fully accessible restaurant bar & music venue. It gets really crowded because the pizza and beer are really good. I have been to this venue in both my manual and power chairs and it works really well. The first thing you notice when you go to this venue is the large ramp that you have to go up to get in. There are actually two nice ramps. One at the side and one at the front of the building. We have used the bus or Uber WAV and we have also driven. There is plenty of accessible parking by both ramps or a convenient drop-off area. We just rocked out there for New Year’s Eve with Deadeye.

When you enter the building from the side ramp, its leads right to the main entrance. The bar is directly across from the entrance, where you can order food and drinks. There is also individual seating at the bar and alongside the windows. The large tables are easy to slide up next to and eat or drink. There is even a section that is located towards the back, which is the front of the building where you can sit and talk during the music and still be able to communicate. Outside there are picnic tables, that I can use & sit at either end since the benches are attached. You order your food & drinks at the bar and they provide you an “order tag” which has different characters, then the staff delivers your food. We lucked out and got Bobby Hill as our card that said, “give me back my purse!” One piece of advice about going to ABGB is to arrive early because all the tables fill up. When you roll in, the stage is to the right and the tables and seating are to the left. I go there pretty often for the happy hour gigs, Warren Hood plays a good show every Wednesday evening.

The bathrooms are designed as multiple stalls with a designated accessible stall in both bathrooms and there is plenty of room to maneuver. There are no private bathrooms. Thankfully there are bars in all the right places.

The venue is rather large, as with every other venue, my choice during the music is to go up to the front. It is flat and easy to get around. You just have to maneuver through the crowds of people.

Overall, this is a great spot, and as my friends and I say, ‘ya gotta try the pizza!” It really is great, but don’t tell Home Slice.

The ABGB
305 W Oltorf St,
Austin, TX 78704
(512) 298-2242

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Dolce Neve is a gelato shop on South 1st St., it opened in 2014 & it is our favorite gelato place in Austin. The name means, “Sweet Snow”. There are now several locations in Austin and one in Houston, but the location on South 1st St. is the flagship store. It is a very quaint shop, because of the size, there is no bathroom. The gelato is very authentic according to Russ, since I have not been to Italy (YET! I am finally going in June ‘23). One of the owners, Francesca was formally trained Bologna, Italy & her husband is from Northern Italy. There is accessible parking and a ramp which goes up to the front door & the door opens wide and I was able to go through easily. I was in my power chair when we visited Dolce Neve which is quite larger than my manual chair & I had no problems.

The flavors are covered by big silver lids, but they are all at eye level so I have no problem seeing them in my chair. The best part about picking your flavor is when you see them remove the lids, (insert, high vocal: ahhhhhh). There are very unique & delicious flavor profiles, as well as the traditional favorites. It is great to be able to try the flavors before you make your selection - be adventurous & try different flavors - you never know which one you are going to love. The homemade gelato is made with seasonal and locally sourced ingredients. They have a rotating menu which includes: Chocolate with Candied Orange Peels, Mascarpone & Figs, Whiskey & Pecan, Ricotta, Honey & Pistachio, Goat Cheese & Blueberry Jam, Fromage Blanc & Apricot Jam but some of the staples you can always find are: Chocolate 100%, Vanilla from Madagascar, Salted Caramel, Stracciatella, Organic Pistachio, Organic Hazelnut and Crema Dolce Neve (Custard with Lemon Zest). We have tried a lot of the flavors but the Organic Pistachio is out favorite, we typically get that with a scoop of Chocolate, it’s a great combo of sweet & salty. That’s the other great thing, you can have multiple flavored scoops in one cup - which is great if you are sharing or indecisive - which is perfect for us.

Once you place your order at the counter, then you pay, which is fairly low and easily accessible. The seating is open and there are several tables, when we were there they were all open when we sat down, so we had our pick. However, once we sat down and were enjoying our gelato, we watched the line form out the door & it filled up quickly. The gelato is really good, so the place is often packed. It is really a one stop place where either get your gelato to-go or you eat it there & leave. They also have amazing Cappuccinos and they serve the classic Italian dessert, Affogato which is incredible. If you have never had it, it is a shot of hot espresso poured over a scoop of gelato.

The staff is awesome & super friendly and helpful, especially when you are having a hard time choosing a flavor. Highly recommend, to cure your sweet tooth. Gustare!

Dolce Neve
1713 South 1st street
Austin, TX 78704
(512) 804-5568
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Jo’s coffee shop is another one of our Sunday rituals. It’s a good place to go for coffee and pastries while they last because it’s a very popular place and most days they sell out of the muffins and pastries. A lot of people know of Jo’s Coffee for the famous green wall with the red words written in cursive “i love you so much”. Jo’s is an outdoor venue where I can pull up and order. The counter is on a bit of an incline, so wheel lock is a must before you order. Ordering takes place at the high counter - but its not problem ordering, then you pay at eye level. The pickup window is around the corner but there is a step, so you just need to go all the way around and up the ramp, past the bathrooms & then you can pick up your drinks. There are different levels to the seating, but there is a ramp and it’s all maneuverable.

They have 2 accessible parking spots at Hotel San Jose. Jo’s Coffee & Hotel San Jose share a parking lot. Sometimes there is a mule or a horse parked in the spot & you may have to ask him to move over.

The bathroom is really excellent because it is a private room with bars & you can pull up under the sink. There is another bathroom that is not accessible because of the steps in-front of the door.

The Sunday’s Sinner’s Brunch with the Jo’s house band has been my hang for close to twenty years. Jo’s is a good place to hang out even if you can’t make the specific music times. You can get a great cup of coffee and hang out and talk with your friends.

** Please note, our park job was so bad, because the person next to the accessible spot parked over the line, we could not transfer out of the car without moving the car over into the loading zone.


Jo’s Coffee
1300 South Congress Avenue 
Austin, Texas 78704
(512) 444-3800

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In my opinion, Home Slice is the best pizza in Austin (you can fight me if you want)! One thing that bothered me back in the day was that the Home Slice restaurant would close on Tuesdays (this is still true) when I would attend Hippie Hour at The Continental Club. I think it took a couple of years, but finally More Home Slice (MHS) opened a to-go spot right next door. Now, we can enjoy Home Slice Pizza on Tuesdays. This spot is open every day and later so everyone can grab a slice no matter the day or time. This became my go-to spot before or after a gig in town. On this night we went in there with different eyes for this blog, it turned out to be another fantastic night. MHS is super accessible. There are 2 designated accessible spots in back of the Home Slice Restaurant & there is also 1 designated accessible spot on Elizabeth St., next to STAG Provisions.

To get into the inside of MHS there is a ramp in front of STAG. But you do not have to go inside. There are 2 options for ordering pizza, outside at the window or inside at the counter. If you do decide to go inside, the entrance into MHS has a very wide door. The counter is low enough to be accessible & easy to order, plus you can watch them make the pizza. There are spots to eat inside & outside. Inside you will find high counters & bar stools, this is great when I am in my powerchair, I can raise the height to accommodate the high table. It’s kinda family style bar seating which is cool to meet other people, which we did. When I am in my manual chair I sit below the counter or I can sit outside at the end of a picnic table, with my side to the table.

There is a single person private bathroom for all (the “washroom” graphic is humorous) There’s plenty of room to maneuver around & the bars set up in the right spots. Whenever there is a private bathroom this is always my preference & the best situation for me, so thumbs up here!

The outside eating area has changed since the pandemic to accomodate more outside seating and they closed off the entire front lot which is awesome because now there are many picnic tables so you can pull up and eat.

When you order pizza inside or outside, the staff will bring it out when it’s ready. This is a great experience & the best pizza in Austin, but I'll let you can be the judge.

More Home Slice
1421 S Congress Ave.
Austin, TX 78704
(512) 444-7437

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