Live music, great restaurants, a hip art scene, and welcoming atmosphere; the city of Austin is the perfect girls getaway or romantic hideout because there's something for everyone to enjoy. It is currently becoming one of the fastest growing cities in the country—probably due to its eclectic vibe and the fact that the food scene has become increasingly popular over the years.
I recently found a two-day, mid-week flight and hotel package for two people at the four-star Lakeway Resort and Spa for $600. And since there was so much to experience, we rented a small economy car to make the most of everything the Texas State Capitol had to offer.
Here are some of Austin's must-see spots:
Eat at Salt Lick Bar-B-Que
Courtesy of Tiffany D. Smith for xoNecole
Austin is no stranger to great barbecue; some of the city's restaurants boast lines that are hours long. And please believe me, a drive to Salt Lick Bar-B-Que (located in Driftwood, TX about 35 minutes from Austin) is well worth the wait and the drive!
The meat is smoked over a giant pit that greets visitors upon entering the establishment and the menu assortment (including the mouthwatering beef brisket) is surely something to write home about. I suggest you have a Y.O.L.O. moment like I did and splurge on the $25 dollar "all-you-can-eat" option that provides a little of everything on the menu (plus sides). The restaurant is BYOB and is conveniently located next door to Salt Lick Wine Cellars so that you can experience some delicious Texas wine to pair with your meal.
Tour of the City’s Food Truck and Art Scene
Courtesy of Tiffany D. Smith for xoNecole
Austin is no doubt what I like to call "food truck country." You can't turn the corner without seeing one. From tacos to Thai food, the scene is about as diverse as the residents. The city is also known for some of its cool neighborhood street art, and for $35 dollars, you can explore both!
Austindetours.com provides visitors with an up-close look at some of the coolest local landmarks, graffiti art, and food trucks. Visit the state capitol, check out the "Greetings from Austin" mural and more! They also offer a variety of other tours that include wine tasting and music crawls.
Listen to Live Jazz at Elephant Room
Terry Hagerty Photos
Dubbed one of Austin's most popular jazz bars, The Elephant Room has been serving up sexy smooth grooves from both local and national acts since 1991. The small, narrow room that sits below street level gives the feel of a speakeasy (which I love) and is the perfect vibe for a date night. There's nothing overly pretentious about this club, as patrons are allowed to show up in jeans and enjoy a delicious craft beer while listening to the music. Wine and cocktails are also available.
Enjoy the Restaurants and Shops on South Congress
South Congress (or the "SoCo" shopping district) has some of the hippest shops and restaurants that Austin has to offer. Before burning through your wallet and purchasing those cool retro threads at one of the many boutiques or grabbing the perfect accent piece for your home, stop and have brunch at the South Congress Cafe. It'll give you all the fuel you need to shop till you drop! The short rib hash with two eggs, fingerling potatoes, red bell and poblano peppers is highly recommended. This dish is large and decadent enough for two to share. But the popular carrot cake French toast with cream cheese pecan syrup is the show-stopper. Be sure to wet your palate with a glass of their froze' (frozen rose).
Enjoy Some Down Home Cooking at Hoover’s
Courtesy of Tiffany D. Smith for xoNecole
Located in East Austin, this black-owned establishment is sure to make you reminisce about your grandmother's kitchen. Hoover's Cooking draws crowds from all walks of life and has been serving up mouthwatering southern delights for two decades. The biggest dilemma you'll have at this establishment is which dish to order. Whether it's the pinto beans, fried okra, crawfish etouffee or the golden flaky catfish platter, each and everything on the menu is a hit! Be sure to wash your meal down by ordering a "glass" of lemonade that is actually served in a mini pitcher with a straw.
Have a Purple Margarita at Baby Acapulco
Courtesy of Tiffany D. Smith for xoNecole
What exactly is in a purple margarita? Who cares if it puts you exactly where you need to be, right? This popular Mexican chain serves up a deliciously strong frozen purple concoction that they say is as mysterious as the Bermuda Triangle! The fact that they only allow two per customer says it all. And for those of you who are unable to decide which of the many other flavors on the menu you'd like to enjoy, the frozen margarita flight is the perfect solution. One flight is equivalent to a regular-sized drink. Salud!
Visit Desert Door, The Only Sotol Distillery in the U.S.
Courtesy of Tiffany D. Smith for xoNecole
Also located just outside of Austin (in Driftwood) is a must-see operation—America's only Sotol distillery, Desert Door. The brand was started by three military vets who met at the University of Texas and is a distilled spirit that is affectionately nicknamed tequila's "crazy little brother" and mezcal's "cousin" because it is made from a plant similar to the agave. For just $10, you can receive a tour and tasting of this one-of-a-kind distillery and get a first-hand look at how the spirit is prepared from start to finish. Tequila lovers BEWARE! This 80-proof concoction is NOT for the faint of heart! Luckily there are cocktail recipes on their website because a straight shot of the stuff might have you dancing on the bar!
Courtesy of Tiffany D. Smith for xoNecole
Desert Door Distillery
Featured image courtesy of Tiffany D. Smith for xoNecole.
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RELATED
So, we handpicked one hundred It Girls who embody that palpable It Factor moving through us as young Black women, the kind of motion lighting up the world both IRL and across the internet.
It Girl 100 became xoNecole’s most successful program, with the hashtag organically reaching more than forty million impressions on Instagram in just twenty-four hours. Yes, it caught on like wildfire because we celebrated some of the most brilliant and influential GenZennial women of color setting trends and shaping culture. But more than that, it resonated because the women we celebrated felt seen.
Many were already known in their industries for keeping this generation fly and lit, but rarely received recognition or flowers. It Girl 100 became a safe space to be uplifted, and for us as Black women to bask in what felt like an era of our brilliance, beauty, and boundless influence on full display.
And then, almost overnight, it was as if the rug was pulled from under us as Black women, as the It Girls of the world.
Our much-needed, much-deserved season of ease and soft living quickly metamorphosed into a time of self-preservation and survival. Our motion and economic progression seemed strategically slowed, our light under siege.
The air feels heavier now. The headlines colder. Our Black girl magic is being picked apart and politicized for simply existing.
With that climate shift, as we prepare to launch our second annual It Girl 100 honoree list, our team has had to dig deep on the purpose and intention behind this year’s list. Knowing the spirit of It Girl 100 is about motion, sauce, strides, and progression, how do we celebrate amid uncertainty and collective grief when the juice feels like it is being squeezed out of us?
As we wrestled with that question, we were reminded that this tension isn’t new. Black women have always had to find joy in the midst of struggle, to create light even in the darkest corners. We have carried the weight of scrutiny for generations, expected to be strong, to serve, to smile through the sting. But this moment feels different. It feels deeply personal.
We are living at the intersection of liberation and backlash. We are learning to take off our capes, to say no when we are tired, to embrace softness without apology.
And somehow, the world has found new ways to punish us for it.
In lifestyle, women like Kayla Nicole and Ayesha Curry have been ridiculed for daring to choose themselves. Tracee Ellis Ross was labeled bitter for speaking her truth about love. Meghan Markle, still, cannot breathe without critique.
In politics, Kamala Harris, Letitia James, and Jasmine Crockett are dragged through the mud for standing tall in rooms not built for them.
In sports, Angel Reese, Coco Gauff, and Taylor Townsend have been reminded that even excellence will not shield you from racism or judgment.
In business, visionaries like Diarrha N’Diaye-Mbaye and Melissa Butler are fighting to keep their dreams alive in an economy that too often forgets us first.
Even our icons, Beyoncé, Serena, and SZA, have faced criticism simply for evolving beyond the boxes society tried to keep them in.
From everyday women to cultural phenoms, the pattern is the same. Our light is being tested.
And yet, somehow, through it all, we are still showing up as that girl, and that deserves to be celebrated.
Because while the world debates our worth, we keep raising our value. And that proof is all around us.
This year alone, Naomi Osaka returned from motherhood and mental health challenges to reach the semifinals of the US Open. A’ja Wilson claimed another MVP, reminding us that beauty and dominance can coexist. Brandy and Monica are snatching our edges on tour. Kahlana Barfield Brown sold out her new line in the face of a retailer that had been canceled. And Melissa Butler’s company, The Lip Bar, is projecting a forty percent surge in sales.
We are no longer defining strength by how much pain we can endure. We are defining it by the unbreakable light we continue to radiate.
We are the women walking our daily steps and also continuing to run solid businesses. We are growing in love, taking solo trips, laughing until it hurts, raising babies and ideas, drinking our green juice, and praying our peace back into existence.
We are rediscovering the joy of rest and realizing that softness is not weakness, it is strategy.
And through it all, we continue to lift one another. Emma Grede is creating seats at the table. Valeisha Butterfield has started a fund for jobless Black women. Arian Simone is leading in media with fearless conviction. We are pouring into each other in ways the world rarely sees but always feels.
So yes, we are in the midst of societal warfare. Yes, we are being tested. Yes, we are facing economic strain, political targeting, and public scrutiny. But even war cannot dim a light that is divinely ours.
And we are still shining.
And we are still softening.
And we are still creating.
And we are still It.
That is the quiet magic of Black womanhood, our ability to hold both truth and triumph in the same breath, to say yes, and to life’s contradictions.
It is no coincidence that this year, as SheaMoisture embraces the message “Yes, And,” they stand beside us as partners in celebrating this class of It Girls. Because that phrase, those two simple words, capture the very essence of this moment.
Yes, we are tired. And we are still rising.
Yes, we are questioned. And we are the answer.
Yes, we are bruised. And we are still beautiful.
This year’s It Girl 100 is more than a list. It is a love letter to every Black woman who dares to live out loud in a world that would rather she whisper. This year’s class is living proof of “Yes, And,” women who are finding ways to thrive and to heal, to build and to rest, to lead and to love, all at once.
It is proof that our joy is not naive, our success not accidental. It is the reminder that our light has never needed permission.
So without further ado, we celebrate the It Girl 100 Class of 2025–2026.
We celebrate the millions of us who keep doing it with grace, grit, and glory.
Because despite it all, we still shine.
Because we are still her.
Because we are still IT, girl.
Meet all 100 women shaping culture in the It Girl 100 Class of 2025. View the complete list of honorees here.
Featured image by xoStaff
So, we handpicked one hundred It Girls who embody that palpable It Factor moving through us as young Black women, the kind of motion lighting up the world both IRL and across the internet.
It Girl 100 became xoNecole’s most successful program, with the hashtag organically reaching more than forty million impressions on Instagram in just twenty-four hours. Yes, it caught on like wildfire because we celebrated some of the most brilliant and influential GenZennial women of color setting trends and shaping culture. But more than that, it resonated because the women we celebrated felt seen.
Many were already known in their industries for keeping this generation fly and lit, but rarely received recognition or flowers. It Girl 100 became a safe space to be uplifted, and for us as Black women to bask in what felt like an era of our brilliance, beauty, and boundless influence on full display.
And then, almost overnight, it was as if the rug was pulled from under us as Black women, as the It Girls of the world.
Our much-needed, much-deserved season of ease and soft living quickly metamorphosed into a time of self-preservation and survival. Our motion and economic progression seemed strategically slowed, our light under siege.
The air feels heavier now. The headlines colder. Our Black girl magic is being picked apart and politicized for simply existing.
With that climate shift, as we prepare to launch our second annual It Girl 100 honoree list, our team has had to dig deep on the purpose and intention behind this year’s list. Knowing the spirit of It Girl 100 is about motion, sauce, strides, and progression, how do we celebrate amid uncertainty and collective grief when the juice feels like it is being squeezed out of us?
As we wrestled with that question, we were reminded that this tension isn’t new. Black women have always had to find joy in the midst of struggle, to create light even in the darkest corners. We have carried the weight of scrutiny for generations, expected to be strong, to serve, to smile through the sting. But this moment feels different. It feels deeply personal.
We are living at the intersection of liberation and backlash. We are learning to take off our capes, to say no when we are tired, to embrace softness without apology.
And somehow, the world has found new ways to punish us for it.
In lifestyle, women like Kayla Nicole and Ayesha Curry have been ridiculed for daring to choose themselves. Tracee Ellis Ross was labeled bitter for speaking her truth about love. Meghan Markle, still, cannot breathe without critique.
In politics, Kamala Harris, Letitia James, and Jasmine Crockett are dragged through the mud for standing tall in rooms not built for them.
In sports, Angel Reese, Coco Gauff, and Taylor Townsend have been reminded that even excellence will not shield you from racism or judgment.
In business, visionaries like Diarrha N’Diaye-Mbaye and Melissa Butler are fighting to keep their dreams alive in an economy that too often forgets us first.
Even our icons, Beyoncé, Serena, and SZA, have faced criticism simply for evolving beyond the boxes society tried to keep them in.
From everyday women to cultural phenoms, the pattern is the same. Our light is being tested.
And yet, somehow, through it all, we are still showing up as that girl, and that deserves to be celebrated.
Because while the world debates our worth, we keep raising our value. And that proof is all around us.
This year alone, Naomi Osaka returned from motherhood and mental health challenges to reach the semifinals of the US Open. A’ja Wilson claimed another MVP, reminding us that beauty and dominance can coexist. Brandy and Monica are snatching our edges on tour. Kahlana Barfield Brown sold out her new line in the face of a retailer that had been canceled. And Melissa Butler’s company, The Lip Bar, is projecting a forty percent surge in sales.
We are no longer defining strength by how much pain we can endure. We are defining it by the unbreakable light we continue to radiate.
We are the women walking our daily steps and also continuing to run solid businesses. We are growing in love, taking solo trips, laughing until it hurts, raising babies and ideas, drinking our green juice, and praying our peace back into existence.
We are rediscovering the joy of rest and realizing that softness is not weakness, it is strategy.
And through it all, we continue to lift one another. Emma Grede is creating seats at the table. Valeisha Butterfield has started a fund for jobless Black women. Arian Simone is leading in media with fearless conviction. We are pouring into each other in ways the world rarely sees but always feels.
So yes, we are in the midst of societal warfare. Yes, we are being tested. Yes, we are facing economic strain, political targeting, and public scrutiny. But even war cannot dim a light that is divinely ours.
And we are still shining.
And we are still softening.
And we are still creating.
And we are still It.
That is the quiet magic of Black womanhood, our ability to hold both truth and triumph in the same breath, to say yes, and to life’s contradictions.
It is no coincidence that this year, as SheaMoisture embraces the message “Yes, And,” they stand beside us as partners in celebrating this class of It Girls. Because that phrase, those two simple words, capture the very essence of this moment.
Yes, we are tired. And we are still rising.
Yes, we are questioned. And we are the answer.
Yes, we are bruised. And we are still beautiful.
This year’s It Girl 100 is more than a list. It is a love letter to every Black woman who dares to live out loud in a world that would rather she whisper. This year’s class is living proof of “Yes, And,” women who are finding ways to thrive and to heal, to build and to rest, to lead and to love, all at once.
It is proof that our joy is not naive, our success not accidental. It is the reminder that our light has never needed permission.
So without further ado, we celebrate the It Girl 100 Class of 2025–2026.
We celebrate the millions of us who keep doing it with grace, grit, and glory.
Because despite it all, we still shine.
Because we are still her.
Because we are still IT, girl.
Meet all 100 women shaping culture in the It Girl 100 Class of 2025. View the complete list of honorees here.
Featured image by xoStaff