3 Best Places to Shop in Downtown with Sixth Street and Rainey Street, Austin

Texas's largest independent bookstore is a homegrown alternative to monster chain stores. It was established in 1970 and has been voted Austin's best bookstore for more than 20 years, stocking bestsellers along with books on topics such as women's studies, personal growth, and alternative home building; there's also a good children's section. Browse magazines; shop for quirky, hard-to-find gifts; and catch readings and signings by local authors, literati luminaries, and even former presidents who make stops here while on book tours.

This fantastic place is so much the ultimate toy store of your childhood fantasies that it's too good to save for actual children—don't be embarrassed to come in even if you don't have little ones of your own. It's the place to get things like Edgar Allan Poe and Beethoven action figures, vinyl dinosaur figurines, reproductions of vintage toys you played with as a kid, and floor-to-ceiling diversions for all ages, including science toys, metal robots, stuffed animals, costumes, hard-to-find candy, baubles and bangles, and more.

Right at the cusp of downtown, the 80,000-square-foot flagship store for the natural/organic supermarket chain's world headquarters is both a showcase for the company's philosophy and one of the most entertaining supermarkets you'll ever visit. It's been a major tourist attraction (seriously) since it opened in 2005. There are several places inside the massive store to enjoy a casual sit-down lunch, and the options are abundant, whether you're craving sushi, pizza, or seafood. The store also has one of Austin's largest wine selections and a walk-in beer cooler (to keep those six-packs cold). There's ample free garage parking available.