ILL be at austin,tx this coming 2 wks for a bus. trip. Any particular places i can visit for fun and shopping?

i will be staying along research blvd, near research park.

You will be staying on the northwest side of town, so for a true Austin shopping experience, you will need to head central to Guadalupe (The Drag) and south to Congress Avenue or Lamar.

Coincidentally, these are also some of the best areas to have fun in Austin (good local restaurants, bars/clubs, etc.).

I hope you enjoy your stay in Austin!

For shopping there are also a lot of shops in the Arboretum area which will be close to you as well as nice resteraunts. South Congress, the Domain, Barton Creek Mall, the Drag(Guadelupe St.) , all good shopping areas. Nite life would be 4th st., 6th st., S. Congress, Draght Hause, I would get on citysearch.com and you can find a lot of stuff to do! Have fun!

dave and buster's
6th street

Yes!
Luckily Austin is easy to get around, so even if you're not staying right downtown, you can get there within 10 minutes during non-rush hour times.

Now, there's a lot of cool stuff you can see and do--but I'll give you a list of things I think you shouldn't miss:

1. Whole Foods
You can't miss it...it's smack dab in the middle of town and it's not only a wonderful place to grab a meal, but it's a great place to shop. This is their flagship store and it is huge so it's a great way to spend an hour or two.

2. Amy's Ice Creams
There's several locations around town including across the street from Whole Foods--and also in the Arboretum close to where you're staying. This is a locally owned store with hand made icecreams. DELICIOUS.

3. The Domain
This is a brand new shopping center that is up in the northwest area where you're staying. It is mostly high-end shops, but it is gorgeous and a great place to grab a coffee and window shop if you don't feel like blowing a big wad of cash.

4. Bob Bullock History of Texas Museum
This is a huge fairly new museum with lots of cool stuff about Texas history--and it has an IMAX theater in it, too.

5. Alamo Draft House Cinema
A great place to get dinner, a beer, and a movie--all at once. Again, there's a few locations, including one up north.

6. Uchi Sushi
Do yourself a favor.

I hope that gives you some good ideas. Enjoy your stay!