Clarksville

Clarksville houses an eclectic crowd. From young professional homeowners to student renters, the neighborhood is diverse but doesn’t lack the feeling of a community due to its diversity. Rental prices are all over the map, making it affordable to students to a higher end condo crowd straight from California that desires downtown living in a neighborhood setting. A hilly neighborhood with great views of downtown it’s easily accessible to Zilker Park, the Hike and Bike trail and during busy park events such as Austin City Limits streets will be packed with concert goers and event types.

Because Clarksville is now officially all grown up, you find a rich mix of people who have been here for years and others who have only been here for a few months. It’s dynamic in it’s population keeping it young at heart but traditional in nature.

Clarksville is all about casual-- catering to students and long time residents, the Mean Eyed Cat, Don’s Depot Honkey Tonk bar, Deep Eddy and a smattering of other casual laid back bars make jeans and flip flops welcomed. Some are only beer bars, whereas Don’s Depot is a local legend with a full bar and oftentimes features live honky tonk music and popcorn. Clarksville's commercial district deep in the heart of the neighborhood features a vegetarian restaurant, Galaxy Cafe, a coffee shop, corner store, Italian bistro, Fresh Plus grocery store, and Jeffery’s fine dining. Closer towards downtown off of 5th Street houses a bakery, Z Tejas Tex Mex restaurant, Amy’s Ice Cream, a few vintage clothing and furniture stores and a smattering of other restaurants and bistros. Walkable to the heart of downtown if you feel the need to dress up or go over to a full-fledged grocery store like Whole Foods, or the legendary Waterloo Records and Icehouse for some record shopping or a burger. Clarksville houses a variety of places to eat, hang out and explore.

Clarksville is all about laid-back bars and pubs. The beauty of the neighborhood is that if you wish for a night scene that includes clubs and lounges and famous venues, its just a quick cab ride away. Deep Eddy Cabaret is a local legend. This bar has been around for quite sometime, and although technically a street outside of Clarksville, residents still find it to be a unique and divey watering hole. Think Johnny Cash meets a beer bar. and you’ve got the Mean Eyed Cat. With a pool table, TV and great outdoor space oftentimes featuring live performances, this bar survived the condo uprising next door with local residents putting their foot down to preserve this spot. Don’s Depot Piano Bar and Saloon features honkey Tonk played in an old cable car with a full bar, live music and popcorn served throughout bar hours. Don’s Depot has been a staple in Austin for a laid-back group gatherings. A little fancy came into Clarksville: Jeffrey’s. Nosh on an eclectic menu of appetizers while sipping on something delightfully fancy. This is a place where you might need to trade the flip flops for something a little more substantial. Third Base is the sports bar that reigns in Austin. Relatively new to the neighborhood, it’s a full bar with multiple televisions making it a great place to host any sports event worth watching. It can get very crowded during UT events so come early or expect to stand. Bar food served up famously greasy.

Clarksville is full of restaurants, bistros and cafes ranging from casual take-out options to more upscale dining experiences. El Arroyo (the Ditch) features Mexican food in an outdoor atmosphere. Always funky and full of college undergrads, they boast a great billboard and Mexican fare that hits the spot right off of 5th street. Cipollina is a small Italian bistro located jut off of West Lynn, with salads, deli food and delicious pizzas to eat in or take out. Cosmic Cafe is the place to quench the vegetarian taste buds at this local vegetarian hot spot. Right on West Lynn’s main commercial district. Jeffrey’s is an upscale, eclectic dining make for a dining experience that is always top rated in Austin’s best of. Valet parking. Off of West Lynn. Grab some homestyle delicious grub from  Galaxy Cafe. It’s a favorite for salads, sandwiches and brunch. It’s laid back dining atmosphere and friendly staff make it a Clarksville goody. Every neighborhood needs to it’s local coffee shop. Cafe Medici is a great place to grab a coffee or tea or get your house coffee ground to your liking Nau’s Enfield Drug is an old-fashioned drugstore still boasts a soda fountain and milkshake menu alongside a full pharmacy.  Seated firmly on West Lynn in the middle of the commercial district. Sweetish is a legendary bakery just a few blocks West of Lamar is favored for its great coffee, breakfast treats and lunchtime sandwiches. Cafe Josie is  a popular cafe in the neighborhood serving up a treats with an American tropic twist. Located on West 6th Street. Z Tejas offers an upscale version on Tex Mex and a full bar. Located directly on 6th street and offers valet parking. Waterloo Ice House is burgers burgers and burgers. Directly on Lamar next to the famous Waterloo Records. Amy’s Ice Cream is a  local ice cream shop that stays open late and offers a variety of homemade flavors. Located off of 6th Street near downtown. Portabla is a great place to get some delicious take-out! Off of West 6th Street.

Clarksville offers apartment, flat and condo style living in old bungalows, duplexes and brand new condos. The options of rental living runs the gamut and your neighbors may be homeowners or renters too. In terms of renting, you can often get more bang for your buck in other neighborhoods that are less central, but you give up the city views and the urban living at your fingertips.

You can expect to pay on average from $650 to $3000 depending on exact Clarksville location, number of bedrooms and updated amenities. Studios and one bedrooms tend to run from $650 to $1100 and up whereas the more bedrooms the more expensive the price tag. Parking can be tight, especially during big events held in Zilker Park or Auditorium Shores (both walking distance to Clarksville), but for the most part, garage spaces or assigned parking isn’t necessary if you are willing to walk a block or so. This isn’t the neighborhood that’s the least expensive in Austin, but you are paying for quick city access and lots of amenities sans car.

Clarksville is served by a few major bus lines that go downtown and north to campus Most are accessible off of 6th Street and often students use the bus system to get to campus relatively quickly. Cab rides downtown are quick and painless on your pocketbook. Traveling by car is easy with parking in the neighborhood. Clarksville is a very walkable neighborhood, within a mile of the downtown city center of Whole Foods and the Town Lake/Lady Bird Hike and Bike Trail. Oftentimes, you can ditch the car and hoof it with ease.

Clarksville can be a bit of a competitive neighborhood to live in and the apartments and condos to rent range from the upscale to the studio in need of a remodel. At the lower price ranges don’t expect to find a place with every amenity desired such a washer and dryer, dishwasher or assigned parking. Nosier streets include the always buzzing 5th and 6th streets with constant cars and buses. Oftentimes, your rental may have some green space along with it which makes living in a historical area full of bungalows a perk.

Most of Austin is pet-friendly and Clarksville is no exception.  Clarksville has a great central Clarksville Park for dogs and a smaller West Austin park near MoPac that is very dog friendly. In addition to two great parks to let your dog run and play, it’s a very walkable neighborhood and it’s near Town Lake/Lady Bird Hike and Bike Trail where dogs can join in on the fun with Auditorium Shores nearby where your pooch can run, jump, play and swim.

Austin is an outdoorsy dream. With the Town Lake Hike and Bike Trail within walking distance, Auditorium Shores, Zilker Park, Barton Springs, tennis courts and multiple parks there’s always something to do outside. Being close to, but not right on top of Zilker Park allows for easy walking access to the multiple music events and festivals that are hosted year round.

t’s hard to go wrong when picking a place in Clarksville. The streets most central to downtown will garner higher rental prices, but you most likely will be living in old bungalows that have been remodeled for apartment or flat style living with gracious views of the city and downtown at your backdoor. The neighborhood is quaint and intimate the closer in to downtown and becomes more sprawling as you get further from Lamar and closer to MoPac. West Lynn is a central street that houses most of the commercial area and is virtually halfway between the intimate downtown feel and the busier and less intimate MoPac area, but truly it’s hard to go wrong. If you are noise sensitive avoid anything off of 5th and 6th streets and nearby MoPac. You will get some highway noise, downtown remnants and a passing train most hours, but its downtown noise is inescapable due to the location of the neighborhood.

Whether you need to pick up a few items or really go shopping, Clarksville has a vareity of options for grocery shopping. Fresh Plus is a specialty foods grocery store in the heart of the West Lynn commercial district. Offering much of a what a full-fledged grocery store might, with some organic twists and local treats. Whole Foods is an upscale, locally owned organic grocery shopping dream. Not only does this grocer offer everything you could ever need, it also has “stations” where you can eat in and boast fantastic take out options as well. A mile from the furtherest point in Clarksville it’s a walkable shopping experience and more than a simple grocery store. Randall’s is another option for quick grocery shopping. A clean, grocery store with all of the essentials it’s technically not in Clarksville, but in neighboring Tarry Town -- still walkable or drivable for a cheaper alternative.


There are no gyms directly in the Clarksville neighborhood, but three great gyms are located downtown within walking distance and are well loved by those that call Clarksville home. The YMCA is just off the Town Lake/Lady Bird Hike and Bike Trail and offers a clean and affordable workout experience. Mecca Gym and Spa: is located just off of 6th and Lamar. Super swanky, overlooking downtown and offering spa services in addition to classes and traditional gym fare. Castle Hill Fitness is just a tad out of the neighborhood, but close enough to jog. It’s a full service gym offering great classes with weights, treadmills and the like. Still pricey, but more of a gym atmosphere.  Pure Austin Fitness is where the professional 30s and 40s-something crowd goes to get fit. Memberships are pricey to get started, but well worth the price tag. Across from Whole Foods off of Lamar and 5th. Classes are included in your membership and specialty classes are extra. A good social networking scene in addition to a great place to get your sweat on.


No post office --closest is downtown and a bit of a drive.


A self-serve car wash is located off of 5th street near Don’s Depot. Right next door is a bank where an all night ATM is available. Anthony’s Laundry and Dry Cleaning: located on West Lynn in the commercial district. Not the cheapest or fastest dry cleaners, but they do a great job. Others are right outside of the neighborhood- a quick drive off of Lake Austin Blvd. Sledd is a local nursery located in the heart of the West Lynn commercial district. Quix Food: is Clarksville's very own convenience store located on West Lynn with great beer options and late hours. Always a nice, friendly staff and a clean location to pick up some extras when you need them.

Matthews Elementary School built in 1915 is located on West Lynn and became registered as a historic landmark in 2000. Home to grades kindergarten to six, it’s centrally located to the Clarksville neighborhood making it an easy walk for kids and parents to and from school.

Clarksville Park and West Austin Park are family friendly parks with swimming pools and playgrounds and great views of the city at night.