Lockhart Party Bus, Limo & Coach Bus Rental

A party bus BBQ tour to Lockhart is one of the great culinary pilgrimages in America. Here is the itinerary our groups consistently love. 10:00 AM -- Bus departs Austin. The thirty-six-minute drive on US-183 (not I-35) passes through rolling farmland and small communities. Music is playing, the group is hungry, and the anticipation is building. 10:40 AM -- First stop: Kreuz Market. This is the most traditional of the three -- no sauce, no forks. Order the sausage links (a blend of beef and pork that snaps when you bite into them), the prime rib (thick slices of pepper-crusted beef), and the shoulder clod. Eat standing at the butcher-paper-covered tables. The atmosphere -- open fire pits, smoke-blackened walls, the sound of cleavers on cutting boards -- is unforgettable. 12:00 PM -- Second stop: Black's Barbecue. Walk a few blocks to the oldest major BBQ joint in Lockhart. The brisket here is the star -- a beautiful bark, a pink smoke ring, and tender beef that melts on the tongue. The sides (potato salad, coleslaw, pinto beans) are excellent accompaniments. This is where you explore the sauce options -- Black's serves both a traditional Texas tomato-based sauce and a tangy mustard sauce. 1:30 PM -- Third stop: Smitty's Market. Enter through the original 1900 building and walk past the open fire pits to the ordering counter in the back. The atmosphere alone is worth the visit -- the building feels like a temple to Texas barbecue. The pork chops and hot links are standouts. 2:30 PM -- Optional: Walk the Lockhart square to see the Caldwell County Courthouse (an 1894 Romanesque Revival masterpiece), browse the antique shops, and grab a coffee or glass of wine at one of the newer establishments on the square. 3:30 PM -- Bus home. The ride back is the food-coma cooldown -- AC on full blast, belts loosened, and the satisfied silence of a group that has just eaten some of the best barbecue on earth.