Brenan Warner carries April Zacarias through standing water on Red River Street after a brief, heavy rainfall at South by Southwest on Thursday March 16, 2023. The couple from Austin had just evacuated Waterloo Park where the Lil Yachty concert was canceled due to lighting.
Jay Janner / American-Statesman
In Austin, love arrives with a yoga mat, a paddleboard and a glass of natural wine under a 20-foot cypress tree. The city is warming up, and dating is starting to feel like a series of sun-drenched scenes you accidentally auditioned for.
This May, new spots and events offer affordable ways to turn a simple date into something that feels cinematic. To impress someone, forget someone, or just see how you read in better lighting, these outings give you space to test-drive a summer romance.
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$20: Rooftop ‘Spring Fling’ at Rivian: yoga, DJs, and the illusion of balance – May 9
The front office of Rivian’s Austin, Texas facility on Oct. 6, 2022. The location services and maintains vehicles and also serves as a delivery and pickup hub for new vehicles.
Aaron E. Martinez / American-Statesman, Austin American-Statesman
By 9 a.m., the Rivian rooftop is already pretending it’s the most enlightened place in Texas. Black Swan Yoga and Korrect Fitness are turning the space into a free wellness experiment disguised as a social outing — part movement, part marketplace, part “we should do this more often” lie. Josh Wechsler will lead a flow. By 10, Francheska Martinez will have you moving in ways that feel ancestral. By 10:45, the event dissolves into a social hour with vendors, matcha, tarot readings and aura photography. A budget of $20 gives you room for some post-yoga treats.
There will also be raffle prizes: a free month of yoga, fitness memberships and the possibility that you leave with a new romantic storyline. You can RSVP to the event through Partiful.
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Rivian: 208 S. Congress Ave. rivian.com/spaces/austin.
$30: Movies on the Lake at Mozart’s – Every Thursday
Mozart’s hosts a movie series on their Lake Austin deck.
Sara Diggins / Austin American-Statesman
If Austin had a dating philosophy, it would be: put people in water and see what they reveal. This summer, Lake Austin at Mozart’s Coffee Roasters becomes an open-air theater. You can sit on the deck for free if you RSVP early, or you can pay $30 for a two-person floating chair, which is more of a mild commitment to buoyancy.
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May’s lineup is emotionally unhinged in the best way: “Mamma Mia” on May 7, “Encanto” on May 14, “Shang-Chi” on May 21 and “Top Gun” on May 28.
Mozart’s: 3825 Lake Austin Blvd. 512-477-2900, mozartscoffee.com.
$50: Only the Wild Ones + South Congress stroll
The patio at Only the Wild Ones, a new vinyl-focused listening bar and wine concept in Austin, features a sunken courtyard and live oak tree designed for outdoor listening sessions and lingering conversation.
Ashley Randall/Provided by Only the Wild Ones
The recently opened Only the Wild Ones is a vinyl listening bar and natural wine concept built around slow decisions: a sunken courtyard, a 20-foot cypress bar and a live oak tree.
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Inside, the sound is analog and the menu doesn’t rush you. You can order cocktails like the white mezcal negroni or the honeydew margarita.
When you step back outside, South Congress is doing what it always does — neon signs humming, traffic inching forward, someone posing in front of Jo’s “I Love You So Much” mural. By the time you loop back toward the car or call it, you’ve spent around $50 in wine, snacks and the mild tax of being perceived.
1600 S. Congress Ave. 512-291-2553, onlythewildones.com/austin.
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