Good Time Tours Austin Party Boat Rental: Food and Drink Ideas
Late morning on Lake Travis, the water turns the coloration of a efficient bottle and the breeze incorporates the sound of laughter from the coves close Starnes Island. Someone drops anchor, the Bluetooth hits a widespread Austin playlist, and a great cooler slides open with a delightful scrape. Food and drink are the heartbeat of any party boat day, and getting them appropriate is more straightforward than maximum workers assume. If you might be booking Good Time Tours Austin Party Boat Rentals, a transparent plan helps to keep every body fed, completely happy, and upright till you pull to come back into the slip with sunlight-crimson cheeks and memories to exchange.
What follows comes from years of feeding crews on Lake Travis and other Central Texas lakes, in all types of climate, for communities that swing from mellow brunchers to bachelor blowouts. The top way blends Austin’s premiere flavors, boat-riskless packaging, shrewd ice leadership, and a gentle hand with the booze.
What to expect on a Lake Travis social gathering boat
Good Time Tours runs boats sized for corporations, in most cases with shade, a colossal open deck, cushty seating, a swim ladder, and lots of house for coolers. Amenities can fluctuate through boat and season, so affirm the small print once you booklet. Ask about the quantity of coolers you possibly can deliver, whether grills or warmers are allowed, what time you'll load in, and any restrictions on glass. Many operators recommend or require cans and plastic solely, and that fundamental policy avoids mid-lake oops moments. On Lake Travis, rougher chop can display up whilst the afternoon wind kicks in. Pack ingredients that could cope with a easy jostle and stick to bins with tight lids.
From downtown Austin, predict a 30 to 50 minute power based on traffic on RM 620, with the direction skirting neighborhoods like Westlake and Bee Cave and rolling beyond landmarks such as the Pennybacker Bridge on Loop 360 and the Texas State Capitol when you launch from primary locations. If your team is coming from The Domain or North Austin, the RM 2222 minimize with the aid of towards Four Points and Steiner Ranch could be speedier outdoors rush hours. Parking at marinas near Lakeway and Hudson Bend can refill on busy weekends, so set arrivals ahead of departure. This is helping friends who're rolling in from East Austin, Mueller, or South Congress beat the scramble.
Brunch on the boat: the Austin way
If your Good Time Tours Austin Party Boat Rental kicks off sooner than noon, one can win the day with food that travels well and nods to local style. Breakfast tacos are an noticeable play. Load flour or corn tortillas with scrambled eggs, potato, and cheese, then percent separate warm containers of chorizo or bacon for people who need them. A veggie taco with poblano strips and black beans retains plant-based totally visitors in the game. Salsa and sizzling sauce ride in squeeze bottles to sidestep mess, and a shaker of all the things-bagel seasoning earns its hold on scrambled eggs.
Kolaches, savory or candy, make pocket cuisine that works with a lifestyles jacket on. If you've got a number of early risers for your institution, ship them via a bakery on South Lamar or in East Austin at the approach out of town, and stash the haul in a heat bag. Add clean fruit that might be eaten with one hand, like grapes, cherries, or apple slices spritzed with lemon. For drinks, cold brew in plastic growlers and oat milk or 0.5 and 1/2 in smaller cartons stay coffee essential and reliable. Canned mimosas and challenging seltzers conceal the celebratory perspective devoid of the glass possibility from Champagne bottles. Brunch eaters tend to be social grazers, so plan approximately 1.five to 2 tacos consistent with character plus a part.
Afternoon coves call for cool, crisp, and unfussy
Afternoon cruises round Devil’s Cove and Starnes Island are in which appetite meets warmth. Aim for bloodless, strong ingredients and crisp flavors. Think submarine sandwiches wrapped tight, sturdy salads that keep, and chips or crackers that do not turn to grime at the 1st wave. A chopped salad with romaine, chickpeas, cucumber, feta, and a lemony French dressing travels nicely in case you clothe it desirable beforehand serving. If you like caprese, switch in cherry tomatoes and small mozzarella balls to sidestep watery leaks. Grazing forums work in case you layout them to in good shape a rocking boat. Hard cheeses in 1-inch cubes, cured meats minimize into short strips, olives in a sealed plastic jar, and nuts turn into a low-attempt crowd pleaser.
H-E-B along Bee Cave Road or in Lakeway is a in charge ultimate give up for ice, sub platters, and keen aspects. If you prefer a little greater Austin cred, decide upon up pretzels from Easy Tiger, salsas from the South Congress or North Lamar farmers markets whilst in season, and a container of cookies from a local bakery in Hyde Park or Bouldin. Desserts that do not depend upon frosting dangle up more suitable on a scorching deck.
For drinks, canned preferences rule. Local lagers, crisp pilsners, and about a low or no-alcohol beers keep the day faded. Canned ranch waters and palomas bring the lime and salt you need after a swim, and for those that select zero facts, sparkling waters with citrus wheels fulfill. Plan at least two to 3 cans according to person for a 3 to 4 hour go back and forth, adjusting up if it's far a scorching day or you may have a long swim end.
Sunset into town lights
A overdue afternoon constitution that pushes into blue hour may sense upscale, in spite of the fact that anybody is barefoot. The nutrients can lean there too, devoid of fitting fussy. A fajita-fashion spread, if allowed, retains workers coming lower back for small plates over the course of the trip. Wrap warm proteins in heavy foil, pre-sauté peppers and onions unless simply mushy, and hinder tortillas in a zipper bag next to a towel-lined hot bag. When genuine warm isn't really an alternative on board, room temperature grilled meats flavor quality, chiefly with brilliant salsa, pickled onions, and a squeeze of lime.
If you propose to concentrate on finger foods, understand pimento cheese on pretzel rolls, bird salad with grapes spooned into mini croissants, or Vietnamese fashion spring rolls with peanut or nuoc cham, double wrapped for sturdiness. The spring rolls really feel fresh while the air cools and the lighting over Hill Country homes spark on. As you head returned closer to the slip, the skyline from Lake Travis does now not educate downtown the method Lady Bird Lake does, but the stars do their area.
Where to to find Good Time Tours and how to plot your pickup
Good Time Tours Austin Party Boat Rentals on Lake Travis
17141 Rocky Ridge Rd

Slip #D11
Austin, TX 78734
Phone (512) 924-2911
If your organization is staying around Rainey Street or the University of Texas campus, rideshare caravans keep parking headaches. Coming from Round Rock or Pflugerville, deliver your self added buffer for the RM 620 bends. Most captained charters ask you to reach early for money-in and loading time, and that window is the best time to ice down beverages and label coolers.
Quantities that in general work on water
Here is the math birthday party planners overlook: of us devour rather less than at a backyard fish fry given that swimming and sun sluggish the regular grazing. Drinks apply the opposite trend, especially waters and electrolyte mixes. The balance you desire is beneficiant without waste, and it differences while the heat index jumps.
For a 4-hour cruise, plan 1.five kilos of ice in keeping with man or woman, plus 10 to twenty kilos for spare. If you're packing uncooked seafood or touchy dairy, add yet another bag. Two to three cans of liquids according to human being for afternoon journeys, or 3 to 4 if your staff does now not drink alcohol, given that they are going to hit the gleaming waters arduous. One hearty hand held consistent with consumer, plus facets. For tacos and sliders, objective for 1.five to 2 in step with character. One massive bag of chips and one tub of dip for each five americans, no longer each three, which avoids the leftover obstacle. Fruits and goodies in 1/2 portions. People nibble watermelon and cookies, they do not consume them after the first hour within the sunlight.
Boat-trustworthy beverages devoid of the glass
Most Austin occasion boat leases, inclusive of many with Good Time Tours, desire no glass on board. That rule simplifies lifestyles and spares the deck. Canned beer, wine spritzers, and geared up-to-drink cocktails are your neighbors. If you prefer to carry wine, transfer it to insulated, really categorised plastic carafes and p.c. reusable cups. Batch cocktails in a cooler jug do the trick, so long as you prevent dairy and soft herbs.
A strong batched drink appears like this: brand new citrus, a spirit, a sweetener, and plenty of water to melt the edge. A tequila grapefruit combine, constructed with lime, grapefruit juice, a hint of agave, and club soda additional true previously serving, tastes crisp although the ratio drifts a little bit over the day. For non-alcoholic drinkers, stock non-gleaming and glowing waters, iced tea with lemon, and a 0 facts edition of your batched cooler. Electrolyte packets support past due within the day, fantastically whilst the solar pops back out after a cloud duvet tease.
The cooler packing order that assists in keeping things cold
Getting the coolers proper is the change among chilled seltzers at sundown and a slushy mess. Cold air sinks, and ice melts rapid while you normally open the lid, so institution presents by means of when you possibly can want them.
Pre-chill the entirety overnight. Warm cans and tepid rooster salad crush your ice reserve in an hour. Line the bottom with a thin ice layer, set the heaviest, least used items subsequent, and fill gaps with cans to cut back air pockets. Add a high shelf of what you'll reach for first and maintain it with a flexible reducing board or a shallow crate. Pour a small amount of water over the ice to create a chilly bathtub for cans. Keep uncooked proteins, if any, double sealed and out of the soften water. Assign a cooler wrangler. One man or women minds lids and rotates new ice in sooner than you run dry.
If you've got you have got space for a dry snack tote, hinder chips, bread, tortillas, napkins, utensils, and paper towels there. Nothing ends a chip bag turbo than condensation from the drink cooler dripping into it.
Local taste with out the hassle
Austin shines once you allow vicinity staples do the heavy lifting. Driving from South Congress out toward Lake Travis, grasp breakfast tacos from a solid spot, then stash them in an insulated tote. Coming from East Austin, Veracruz vogue migas tacos or a torta tray from a small store near East Cesar Chavez packs tight and feeds a crowd. If your group loves barbeque, select up sliced brisket and sausage past within the morning. Wrap them tight in butcher paper and foil, and consume at room temperature mid-lake with pickles, onions, mustard, and white bread. It tastes like Sunday in Central Texas. Just brain the timing, because fatty meats get too comfortable if they take a seat sizzling in a closed container too long.
If you might be staying near The Domain or Arboretum, a geared up-salad-and-sandwich give up maintains setup uncomplicated. For dessert, Amy’s Ice Creams is an Austin vintage, yet purely bring pints in case you comprehend you will have a cooler area with dry ice or an awfully brief time between the shop and a shaded deck. On the method west, the Bee Cave and Lakeway grocery retail outlets disguise the fundamentals top previously RM 620 receives curvy.
Dietary demands and considerate labeling
You do no longer desire to cut up the menu for 6 extraordinary diets. You merely desire to create more than one clean anchors and label them. A vegan taco tray subsequent to a traditional egg and bacon edition stops the query show formerly it starts off. Gluten loose crackers plus cheese and fruit think like inclusion, no longer compromise. Pack separate tongs for meat and veg, and write short, legible labels with painter’s tape on lids. If any person for your organization has a nut hypersensitive reaction, avoid nuts quarantined in a categorised, arduous-sided container.
For kosher, halal, or other different desires, the the best option route is continually ready-to-devour packaged treatments with clean labels. If a dish rides inside the equal cooler as red meat or shellfish, seal it tight and permit the visitor judge if they're completely satisfied eating it. These small picks educate respect and stay each person relaxed.
Food safe practices on a relocating deck
Party boat rentals austin seem carefree, and they may be, provided that you remain one step in advance of the solar. Follow the two-hour rule for perishable foods at ambient temperature, or shorten that to one hour if the deck hits upper 90s. Repack what which you can into smaller boxes to decrease open-air publicity. Keep mayonnaise heavy salads for cooler evenings or switch mayo for olive oil depending dressings that don't cut up. Use a clear-cut virtual thermometer once you are neurotic about rooster temps, then leave it in the auto once the delicacies is cooked.
Ice concerns extra than some other nutrients safe practices step. Bagged ice is inexpensive round Lake Travis marinas. Aim for block ice at the lowest if it is easy to uncover it, since it lasts longer, then cube ice for the desirable. Remember that the lake itself is simply not reliable to sit back some thing, and you do no longer wish to fish a runaway can from beneath the swim platform at the same time as the captain is repositioning.
Sustainability and cleanup that fit a boat
Austin cares about its watersheds, from Lady Bird Lake downtown to Lake Travis upstream. That care exhibits in effortless selections. Cans over glass and plastic bottles simplifies recycling. Compostable plates aid if you'll continue them dry until eventually use. Keep a dedicated trash bag clipped to a rail, and a 2nd bag for cans. Line one more bag inside the snack tote for overdue degree wrapper chaos. If your direction brings you near Mansfield Dam Park after the constitution, you can actually offload trash responsibly in place of cramming a marina bin. Wipe up sunscreen slicks with a small microfiber towel and delicate soap at the cease. The deck will thanks.
A few recipes that continue their own at the water
Boat days praise meals with texture and brightness. Try a citrusy corn and black bean salad with lake travis party boat rentals diced bell peppers, cilantro, and a lime-cumin French dressing. It receives more suitable as it sits and scoops smartly onto chips or into tortillas. Make a no-mayo slaw with shredded cabbage, carrots, rice vinegar, sugar, and sesame oil. It cuts the salt and solar in a single chew. For a thing warm at sunset with no an open flame, p.c. pre-cooked sausage, sliced, and toss it in a sealed field with sautéed onions and peppers. It tastes hearty at room temp and pairs with mustard on smooth rolls.
For a sweet note, elect muffins over frosted cupcakes. Brownies do now not brain slightly heat and they stack. If you adore fruit salads, prevent it to melon, pineapple, and berries in monstrous chunks. Bananas bruise, peaches leak juice, and beneath-ripe mangoes are misery on a boat.
Budget, mid-number, and splurge paths
Every neighborhood has a finances. You can make each one buck work and nonetheless nod to Austin’s delicacies way of life. On the price range conclusion, store intelligent at a Lakeway grocery: a sub sandwich tray, a hassle-free salad kit, chips, salsa, watermelon, and canned liquids land you under the per-consumer value of a unmarried downtown cocktail. Mid-diversity, upload a native bakery give up and a arranged barbeque pound or two to fold into tacos with pickled onions and limes. Splurge, and you might be calling a community caterer for fajitas or sushi trays with greater ice and clear training to percent tight. Sushi should be would becould very well be elegant at some stage in a sunset cruise, however basically should you continue it chilled and serve it speedy. If there is any doubt, keep raw fish for an after-celebration in Westlake or Bouldin if you have refrigeration.
Safety and pacing the party
A captain, whether a part of your Good Time Tours reserving or an add-on, keeps the boat nontoxic. Your task is to maintain the vibe riskless. Alternate alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. Put water within the so much obtainable cooler. Serve salty snacks early to encourage hydration. Remind the institution that sun and wake enlarge alcohol’s outcome. If your path involves a swim end near Starnes Island, let individuals hydrate first, then crack new cans after they may be on the ladder once more. Sunscreen, hats, and a gentle canopy-up alternate the day from draining to user-friendly.
Austin warmness can spike even in September, and March brings the ones crisp, misleading days whilst the water appears warm but steals your center warmness in mins. Keep a towel according to individual and about a spares. If children are on board, % greater water than you watched you need and set out snacks on a time table. Parents from neighborhoods like Allandale or Crestview customarily swear via a 0.5-chilled thermos of broth or miso soup for the journey back, which sounds bizarre except you check out it with a breeze hitting your shoulders.
A brief plan for a conventional Good Time Tours day
If you need one tight blueprint, here it's miles. Book an afternoon slot with Good Time Tours Austin and confirm cooler be counted and glass rules. The day of, two persons swing as a result of South Congress or East Austin for tacos, limes, and salsa. Another automotive stops at a Lakeway grocery for ice, waters, and canned drinks. Everyone meets at the jetty 30 minutes early. One particular person is the cooler captain. After lines are off, the neighborhood heads toward a cove, snacks come out in rounds, and waters remain within take hold of succeed in. At the swim quit, the anchor drops and sandwiches and fruit take the degree. An hour later, the fajita or salad circular lands. As the sun starts offevolved to perspective, cakes and a circular of zero proof concepts keep each person stable. Back on the slip, trash is bagged, a ultimate cooler cost wraps it up, and the organization is on the road to a second wind downtown, per chance near ACL Live or the Moody Center if there may be a reveal.
If you might be in quest of the top of the line celebration boat condo in Austin Good Time Tours makes planning uncomplicated. Between clean booking, captained boats, and user-friendly legislation that store your staff protected on the water, you'll focus on foodstuff, drinks, and the laughter that includes across Lake Travis. Whether your crowd is coming from Mueller, wandering the retail outlets close to the Texas State Capitol, or pre-gaming on Rainey Street until now they head west, the precise menu turns Good Time Tours Lake Travis party pontoon a elementary charter into a day your friends talk about long after the final can clinks into the recycle bag. If you believe you studied of your menu as a number of good anchors instead of a complex unfold, it is easy to get the stability Austin does major, laid back and a touch considerate, unexpectedly.