I just got back from a Metroblogging meetup with some of the members of the Chicago, San Francisco, Houston and Los Angeles metblogs. Over the course our discussions, I mentioned a few places that they should check out, so I thought I’d share with all of the other SXSW-going readers.

The music portion of the festival hasn’t officially kicked off yet, but you can get an early jump on it at Emo’s where you can catch San Antonio garage punk masters Sons of Hercules along with Pat Todd & The Rank Outsiders and The Golden Boys. Before you go, fuel up with a massive burger at Casino El Camino. They’ve been voted best burger and best jukebox in Austin several times over. I recommend the Amarillo burger and be sure to give yourself at least 45 minutes cook time. Those suckers take a long time and they’ll be busy down there. If you’re looking for something lighter or perhaps some caffeine to fuel your festival-going, hit Little City between 9th and 10th on Congress. Did I mention that both Casino and Little City have free wi-fi?