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The skyline of Austin, Tx.RoschetzkyIstockPhoto/Getty Images/iStockphoto

On her new EP South Texas Suite, the Prince Edward Island-raised honky-tonk sweetheart Whitney Rose sings about bluebonnets, three-minute affairs and the non-negotiable conditions of her destinations. "I'll go if I can wear my boots," she sings, mentioning thrift shops, saloons and country-music places.

She's talking about Austin, Tex., the music nirvana and margarita haven where she's now based. The city hosts South by Southwest, a major festival of music, film and multimedia, which this year happens March 10 to 19. You can catch Rose at the festival or on her current Canadian tour, with stops in Winnipeg, Edmonton and Calgary (Feb. 23 to 25).

We asked the two-steppin' singer-songwriter about her favourite hangouts and hot spots in the Lone Star State's capital city.

Best place to cool off

"It's incredibly hot in the summer in Austin. Even in the winter, it can be quite warm. At Barton Springs Pool, filled with water from natural springs, the water temperature is 20 C all year round. It's a cheap way to keep cool. There are different areas to the pool, but my friends and I stick to what we call the hillbilly side."

Best place to see country-music legends

"The Continental Club, in South Austin. I play there every Thursday during happy hour when I'm not touring. It's one of the great joys of my life. Every Sunday evening, there's a band that plays there called Heybale! It's a supergroup made up of country legends, and it's insane. You have Redd Volkaert (who played with Merle Haggard), Earl Poole Ball (who played for Johnny Cash for over 20 years), Kevin Smith on bass, Tom Lewis on drums and Dallas Wayne is the lead singer. It's just a band of monsters, and most of them played on my record."

Where to go for a margarita (or two)

"Matt's El Rancho, which is a huge, beautiful Tex-Mex restaurant. They have really great chile con queso and tacos, but their margaritas are delicious – and deceiving. I'm very proud of how much I can drink for my size, but if you have more than two of these killer margaritas, you're done."

Where to go to smoke inside

"You can't smoke in buildings in Austin, proper. But if you go just outside the city, where most of the real honky-tonks are, you can. Singer-guitarist Dale Watson owns the Big T Roadhouse, in St. Hedwig. It's pretty much the law that you have to order a Lone Star when you watch Dale play. It's a family-run joint, where the bartender has a baby on her hip as she cracks open beers. I'm not really a smoker, but this is my heaven."

Best place to spend five dollars

"The City-Wide Garage Sale, at the Palmer Events Center, is a flea market held every month or so. I've gotten a few pairs of cowboy boots for $4 or $5. It's where I got a vintage bathing suit, just my size. And I found the most beautiful bowling shoes ever made: White leather, from the 1970s, in perfect condition. Whoever owned them originally put their name on gold plates on the back of the shoes – Jeanette on the left side, and Breedlove on the right. That's my new bowling persona, Jeanette Breedlove."

Where to go on a Sunday afternoon

"C-Boy's Heart & Soul is a sister bar to the Continental Club, which is about a three-minute walk away. On Sundays, they have a band, free hot dogs and something they call Chicken $#!+ Bingo. They take a chicken out of its coop and put it on a board with numbers. If it [poops] on your number, you win the pot. One time, I hosted it myself, but nobody hosts the show quite like Dale Watson. He's really something."

This interview has been condensed and edited.

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