Valentine's Day is just around the corner. We're sure lots of you already have your dinner plans squared away, but if you've got a sweet tooth after your romantic meal, check out our list of the best places to get some lovely dessert for you and your Valentine.

Big Top Candy Shop

1706 South Congress Avenue
Open 11am - 7pm on Valentine's Day 2017

Big Top has perhaps one of the greatest selections of classic candy in Austin. Plus, they also feature a fully stocked soda bar and milkshake menu to satisfy even the largest of sweet cravings. Just a short (uphill) walk from the famous "I love you so much" painted on the side of Jo's Coffee, it's a great place to take your sweetheart for some sweet treats. According to Big Top's Facebook page,

Image Source: PureAustin.com

5 Fitness Centers in Austin to Help Start Your New Year Workout Plan

Now that its 2017, you might be adopting the motto "New Year, New Me" and working out a plan to hit the gym more often. If you live in Austin, you're in luck: Austin ranked #15.5 (tied with Raleigh, NC) in 2016 for being one of the fittest cities in the U.S., partly due to all of the fitness centers and gym options available.

There's plenty of indoor and outdoor places you can go to get a workout in if you live in Austin. Here's a list of a few of our favorites we've compiled to help with your New Year's motivation.

Go Rock Climbing at Austin Bouldering Project

Looking for an indoor rock-climbing gym in Austin? Austin Bouldering

Image Source: FreeFuninAustin.com

Even though we live in Texas, we do still (sort of) have a winter. With the temperature cooling off, a lot of Austinites are looking for fun winter activities for when the weather outside is frightful. Luckily there is a lot to do! Here's some of our favorite hot spots to hang out when it gets cold in Austin:

Grab a Bowl of Soup to Warm Up

Austin has plenty of places to grab a hot bowl of soup to warm you up. There's Ramen Tatsu-Ya, which offers Japanese soul food in the form of ramen. The No. 1 Tonkotsu Original comes with creamy pork broth, noodles on the side, pork belly, and an ajitama (a marinated boiled egg). It's definitely worth trying.

There's also Gourmands Neighborhood Pub, where you can order

It can be easy to forget how many quirky, lovable spots there are in the great city of Austin. If you're looking to immerse yourself in some great Austin-local businesses with a charm all their own, we hope you'll consider these great mainstays.

1. Violet Crown Cinema

When people think of movie watching in Austin, they think of the Alamo Drafthouse or the Paramount. However, this gem is a much quieter, much more sophisticated alternative to those other Austin staples.

Located in the 2nd Street District downtown, the Violet Crown's film selection might not be as widely varied as at the Drafthouse, but the quality of the films on offer is guaranteed. The Violet Crown leans more towards arthouse fare. It's not uncommon to see catalog titles such

Austin is steadily becoming one of the most desirable American cities to call home. As the market continues to expand, Austin real estate properties continue to increase in value. We decided to see what your money can actually get you in Austin, compared to some other places around the world. Turns out, some private islands might run you a little less than a well-situated Austin home!

1. A Lot on a Fiji Private Island vs. Renovated East-Side Beauty

Fiji Island - Price: $125,000 USD
Island Details

For $125,000 USD, you can purchase a 42 acre lot on Mavuva Island, located within the Great Sea Reef of Fiji. The island is currently being developed into an island community, with plans for a clubhouse, restaraunt, and bar in the near future. Being

Image courtesy of @jimyaria on Instagram

National Coffee day is here: September 29th. If you're looking for a cup, you're in luck. We've compiled a list of our favorite places to grab a coffee in Austin, with a coffee shop for everyone.

The best coffee shop is the one that's closest to you. Next door, down the street or down the block, you're probably close to a coffee shop you know and frequent. If you're close to one of these 23 coffee shops, though, you're in for an even sweeter treat. From locally founded Austin coffee roasters to the most iconic coffee shops in Austin, you're sure to find the perfect place to perk up.

Mozart's Coffee Roasters

Image courtesy of @mozartscoffee on Instagram

There's no better place to relax on warm fall

Now that you’ve moved to Austin, you’re probably going to have a lot of out of town guests very soon. Of course friends and family will want to visit you -- you now live in one of the coolest cities in the U.S.! There’s always something going on, from music festivals to hot sauce festivals, depending on the time of year. We thought you might need some suggestions on places to take friends or family in Austin, so here’s a few of our favorite Austin places to visit when you have guests visiting.

The Texas Capitol 

Located in downtown Austin on Congress Avenue and 11th Street, it’s full of Texas history and has a nice view of the UT Tower behind it. Free guided and audio tours are available Monday through Sunday at various times throughout the

The upcoming presidential election has a lot of people thinking about moving to Canada. Recent polls indicate that as many as 28% of Americans have at one point considered a permanent move to Canada. Instead of high-tailing it for our Northern neighbors in November, we've compiled some reasons to consider moving to (or staying in) Austin instead.

Similar growing economy to Canada

As of 2015 surveys, the GDP of Texas is slightly higher than all of Canada. If Texas was its own country (#texit) its economy and GDP would rank in the top 15 of the world. Austin is at the top in terms of places in Texas with a growing economy, due to its 20 year tech boom that continues to encourage growth throughout the city.

Canada is hard to immigrate into

*Updated July 14 at 2:30 p.m. Now that downtown Austin is no longer a deadzone, we've expanded this from the 13 best spots to the 18 best spots. We'll update the map and hotspots daily.

Unless you live under a rock, you're probably playing Pokémon Go in Austin right now. With an unprecedented level of immediate success, Pokémon Go has trainers of all ages braving the heat in search of new Pokémon. Now that downtown and central Austin have finally been filled with Pokéstops, we've compiled a list of the best places in and around the city that will help you catch 'em all.

The Capitol

Hailed as one of the few Capitol buildings in the country larger than the U.S. Capitol, Texas's gorgeous Capitol is also home to a dizzying number of

Photo from Wikimedia Commons

At Pauly Presley Realty, we're always looking for the best ways to improve your home's appeal. In Austin, we're lucky enough to have many species of greenery that make gorgeous additions to both a front and back yard. Here are our favorite Texas native plants, both for their beauty and for their function in your landscape!

American Beautyberry

Photo by Virginia State Park Staff on Flickr.

The American Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana) is perhaps the most versatile native plant on our list. Included because of the fruit's unique purple hue, along with the fitting name, Beautyberry plants act as great decorative shrubs in yards, and provide other topical benefits. For example, the leaves of American