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    No Ordinary Hostel

    Want to travel Texas in style for less than $40 a night? Then stay here.

    Shelley Seale
    Oct 26, 2015 | 4:19 pm

    If when you think "hostel" you think dingy, bunk bed-stuffed rooms that only a desperate young traveler would dare to sleep in, you haven't seen HK Austin. The immaculately renovated Victorian mansion that opened in Austin in August is redefining "co-living space" with accoutrements normally suited to a boutique hotel.

    Visitors have transplanted Austinite Matt Kepnes to thank for it.

    "After having stayed in probably close to a thousand hostels since I started traveling, I've seen what makes a good (and bad) hostel … and I've also seen what makes for a truly mind-blowing one," Kepnes says. "I've been wanting to help make a world-class hostel that gives travelers an amazing experience and a good night's sleep for years."

    HK Austin is located in a registered historic landmark building, on the city's thriving east side. It was originally constructed in 1892, but aside from the dual wraparound porches, it sure doesn't feel like it.

    The hostel offers two six-bed dorm rooms and a private double room, all with brand-new comfy mattresses and access to amazing showers. The bunk rooms go for $34 per person per night; the private room is just $64 per night. There is also a large indoor common space, free Wi-Fi, a coworking space, laundry facilities, a fully stocked kitchen, onsite secured parking, and events and games (think cornhole and darts) for guests.

    So how did a guy who grew up in Boston to a family who didn't travel much end up opening a hostel in Austin? At 23, he took his first trip overseas, after which he settled into the life of a typical college graduate. He got a job with the standard American two weeks of vacation time a year, but a journey to Thailand opened his eyes to the possibility of living life on the road.

    In Chiang Mai, he met five backpackers who showed him one didn't need to be rich to travel — that, in fact, long-term travel was often far less expensive than the two-week vacations, and he could find ways of making money on the road.

    So Kepnes quit his cubicle job and, after finishing his MBA degree, set off in July 2006 for an adventure around the world. He started a blog — one of the ways he makes money while traveling — and has become quite well-known as "Nomadic Matt."

    After six years of traveling solo, Kepnes started feeling like he wanted a better balance in his nomadic life. He made New York City his home base and leased his first apartment in years. He still traveled for eight to 10 months out of the year, including to Austin for South by Southwest.

    "I love the vibe (and warmth) of the city," he says. "The music, the food, the people. It's a really awesome city that's on the move and changing."

    He transferred his home base from New York to Austin — "I want a city without winter with more access to the outdoors," he says — then took it a step further. With his friend Brent Underwood as a business partner, Nomadic Matt opened HK Austin.

    Underwood previously ran a hostel in Brooklyn for three years and made the perfect business partner. He also is a traveler, having experienced many hostels in 20 different countries.

    "I fell in love with the atmosphere and energy within a hostel and really wanted to re-create it back home," Underwood says. "I think the most important part of a hostel is fostering an atmosphere where everyone is comfortable and able to enjoy the city they are visiting."

    "I love fulfilling dreams of mine, and this has been a 10-year-long dream that has finally come to fruition," Kepnes says. "I'm also excited to create something psychical that contributes to the traveling community. I'm a lover of hostels and travelers, so this is a passion project for me."

    There are two six-bed dorm rooms and a private double room.

    HK Austin hostel bunks
      
    Photo courtesy of HK Austin/Brent Underwood
    There are two six-bed dorm rooms and a private double room.
    openingseast-austinhotels
    news/travel

    Park News

    Texas agency acquires 1,100 acres for new state park in Hill Country

    Brianna Caleri
    Apr 25, 2025 | 10:08 am
    Colorado Bend State Park riverbed
    Texas Parks and Wildlife Department/tpwd.texas.gov
    The new park will be across the river from Colorado Bend State Park (pictured).

    Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) has acquired a new patch of land that they plan to use to create a new state park. According to a release, the agency has acquired 1,100 acres on the border of Burnet County and Lampasas County, 90 miles northwest of Austin — joining a prior acquisition of 2,020 acres made in January, and helping to push the state park into the realm of reality.

    The 1,100 acres are located across from the existing Colorado Bend State Park, on the other side of the Colorado River. Within the land are a mile and a half of Yancey Creek (which is about four miles long and empties into the Colorado River), limestone bluffs, and several natural springs.

    Before this second purchase had been made, the park was only a proposition. Now, TPWD and specifically chairman Jeff Hildebrand of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission are referring to the 3,000-acre state park as a reality.

    Funds for the purchase came from a one-time funding appropriation as well as sporting goods sales taxes.

    Development of the state park will come from a different source: a $1 billion, voter-approved Centennial Parks Conservation Fund. The fund was created in 2023 and has also led to purchases doubling the size of Enchanted Rock Natural State Area near Fredericksburg.

    “I’d like to thank our incredible team for their hard work in not only acquiring these properties, but also the recent additions at Enchanted Rock and the purchase of Lake Colorado City State Park,” said TPWD executive director David Yoskowitz in the release. “The voters of Texas also deserve a huge thank you for saying ‘yes’ to the Centennial Parks Conservation Fund, which will make the development of this park possible.”

    TPWD has been gathering input from the public about what types of recreational opportunities they'd like to see. According to the release, the next step is using the input to develop a plan. Considerations also include habitat protection and conservation of the natural springs in the area. The land is also 10 miles upstream from Lake Buchanan, further informing the possibilities.

    "This acquisition will give visitors access to the Colorado River, a beautiful creek and the diverse landscapes that are featured across the property," said Rodney Franklin, director of Texas State Parks. "We look forward to generations of Texans enjoying the scenic views of the unique post oak woodland and outdoor adventures awaiting on this property."

    state parksparksnature
    news/travel
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