Local news and fun, every day 6am.
Featured
austonia newsletter
Most viewed

Like a vision of what's to come, a Cybertruck was seen driving around the Texas Giga Factory facility on Thursday night.
The driver? None other than Elon Musk himself.
Cybertruck at Giga Texas pic.twitter.com/c1RuektPnN
— Tesla (@Tesla) April 16, 2021
Musk said in a tweet that he was driving the futuristic truck around the under-construction site. The site, located in southeast Travis Couty will be the home to the largest factory for the Tesla Cybertruck and the Tesla Semi.
In the visit, Musk was seen speaking with construction workers while showing off his ride. The model in question is thought to be an older prototype because it still has door handles, while newer designs of the vehicle do not.
Elon Musk with CyberTruck visiting Giga Texas!! Ok let's get us the CT ASAP 😆😆 pic.twitter.com/XhbcBFZdqt
— Vincent 🚀🟠 (@vincent13031925) April 16, 2021
The truck, which looks like a sci-fi fantasy realized, is an electric pickup truck that is said to be bulletproof and has come out on top in a tug-of-war with an F-150.
Giga Texas has been under construction since last summer. The $1.1 billion, 2,100-acre, 7.9-million-square-foot factory is expected to be completed this year with deliveries for the Cybertruck and Model Y Tesla also expected to be underway "if we're lucky." Cybertruck volume production will begin in 2022.
Until then, Musk has plenty more up his sleeve in and around Austin. Musk is a big component to the city's "boomtown" status, as he has called it, and his other companies—The Boring Company, SpaceX and Neuralink are all operational in the Lone Star State.
- Elon Musk's SpaceX to build manufacturing facility in Austin - austonia ›
- SpaceX's latest satellites look like UFOs in the Austin sky - austonia ›
- 7. Giga Texas in Southeast Travis County - austonia ›
- McKalla Place, Giga Texas and other Austin towers in 2021 - austonia ›
- Work underway on Tesla's Austin Gigafactory site - austonia ›
- Tesla Gigafactory will accelerate growth in southeast Austin - austonia ›
- Musk labels Austin as next US 'boomtown' on Joe Rogan podcast ... ›
- Tesla's Austin Gigafactory on track to open later this year - austonia ›
- New building seems to be in the works on Giga Texas site, records show - austonia ›
- Ford’s F-150 Lightning vs. Tesla’s Cybertruck: The race to become America's pickup - austonia ›
- 5 updates on Elon Musk's Texas ventures from Tesla to SpaceX - austonia ›
- How Elon Musk has spent the last 10 days since turning 50 - austonia ›
- Elon Musk doesn't care if Tesla's Austin-made Cybertruck flops - austonia ›
- The CyberLandr is a disappearing camper for your Cybertruck - austonia ›
- Facility for Cybertruck campers are moving R&D to Austin - austonia ›
- A Boring Company warehouse could be coming to Bastrop - austonia ›
- San Antonio, Boring Company in talks for underground tunnel - austonia ›
- Austin officials visit Las Vegas to meet with Boring Company - austonia ›
- Tesla is adding a 500,000-square-foot building to Giga Texas - austonia ›
Popular
(San Gabriel Music/Instagram)
🗓 Friday
🎙Live Music at Lone Star Court*
Enjoy the deep roots of Texas music with weekly live performances at Lone Star Court. Located at The Domain, there’s always a tune for you to tap your foot to at the retro-inspired property. Every Thursday through Saturday, locals and travelers alike can enjoy live performances and specialty cocktails at the Water Trough. This week you can catch Drew Moreland, Julia Hatfield, and Clayton Gardner.
7-9 p.m. Thursday, 8-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday | 📍 Lone Star Court, 10901 Domain Dr.
🗓 Saturday
⚽️ Austin FC vs. Atlanta United FC official watch party
Austin FC is playing away this weekend at Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium but you can still enjoy those Verde vibes at Celis Brewery’s official watch party. Support your local team and grab a brew as they take on Atlanta United FC.
Kickoff at 6 p.m. Saturday | 📍 Celis Brewery, 10001 Metric Blvd.
🎥 The Godfather showing
Cult classic mob drama “The Godfather,” featuring the likes of Al Pacino and Robert De Niro, is returning to the big screen for its 50th anniversary. This weekend celebrates the filmography of Francis Ford Coppola as part of The Paramount Theatre’s Summer Classic Film Series. Tickets are $11 each.
4 p.m. Saturday, 1 p.m. Sunday | 📍The Paramount Theatre, 10001 Metric Blvd.
🎹 Live music from San Gabriel
Enjoy some of San Gabriel’s “bedroom-pop,” with a drink in-hand on Radio’s airy outdoor patio, complete with food trucks Veracruz All Natural, Dee Dee Thai and Briscuits. Admission is free.
8-11 p.m. Saturday | 📍Radio Coffee & Beer, 4204 Menchaca Rd.
🗓 Sunday
🎭 The Sound of Music
Watch the classic musical surrounding the Von Trapp family live and on stage from Austin performers from the ZACH Theatre. You can see the show through July 24 and tickets start at $25.
Showtimes at 2:30 and 7:30 p.m. Sunday | 📍The Topfer at ZACH, 202 S. Lamar Blvd.
📚 The Winter’s Tale
The Austin Chamber Music Center and Austin Shakespeare are blending music and poetry in their fifth annual collaboration, this time celebrating “The Winter’s Tale.” Tickets start at $30 and tickets for online on-demand access will be available on Monday.
3 p.m. Sunday | 📍Bates Recital Hall, 2406 Robert Dedman Dr.
Content marked with an *asterisk has been paid for to help Austonia keep producing free content.
(Laura Figi/Austonia)
The original Z’Tejas location on West 6th Street is closing its doors after more than 30 years on the lot to make way for new development.
Z'Tejas owner Randy Cohen told Austonia the restaurant will be open at least through the end of 2022, possibly through March 2023.
Cohen said the owners—Larry McGuire of McGuire Moorman Lambert Hospitality—of the land have something new planned, though he’s not exactly sure what. Additionally, Cohen said maintenance costs for the old building were becoming prohibitively expensive.
“I think the people who own the dirt will tear it all down and build condos or some other development,” Cohen said. “I mean, it's a 60-year-old building, Z'Tejas has been here for 33 years and before that, it was something else. So it's just progress, that's all."
The restaurant isn’t going away though—Cohen said Z’Tejas is already looking for a new spot in the downtown area to move into. Z’Tejas also has a location in Avery Ranch, another in the works for Kyle and two in Arizona.
“We have all our ducks in a row right now and the management team is all rowing in the right direction,” Cohen said. “We're just excited, we're excited to build this iconic brand back.”
(Laura Figi/Austonia)
Once he finds a new place, Cohen plans to bring along its mural, “The Last Zupper,” which features Willie Nelson, Matthew McConaughey and Barbara Jordan. Cohen also plans for the adjoining ghost kitchen, Woo Woo Burgers, to follow to the new downtown location.
“We're still booking events through the end of December,” Cohen said. “Come ‘Z' me at Z’Tejas, we'd love to see you before we’re gone.”
- Complete guide to Austin FC's Q2 Stadium food options 2022 ... ›
- Austin food under $10, cheap eats that are delicious - austonia ›
- Sustainability office spearheading regional food plan - austonia ›
- Brazilian food places to try in Austin - austonia ›
- From Mexico City, machetes have made a spark in the Austin food ... ›