SXSW Interactive is mostly clustered around one area of the Convention Center, which is impossible to miss because that’s where you get your badge and goodie bag. And there will be plenty of people around to show you where you want to go.
The Moonshine Grill is a restaurant across the street from the BACK side of the Convention Center, the side where all the truck deliveries go, on the east side of the building. It looks like a rambling old house, which is in fact what it once was.
Think of the Convention Center as having a front facing west on Trinity Street, a back facing east on Red River Street, a north end facing the Hilton on 4th Street, and a south end facing Cesar Chavez Street and the lake. I’ve put up a map at this link.
Looking at the map, the best way to get to SXSWi is to enter the Convention Center at the north end, or the northwest corner of the building, on either 4th Street or Trinity and 4th. You’ll see an escalator (or you can find an elevator) to take you upstairs to the registration area and where nearly all the panels are—also the “day stage.”
By the way, for those who are into getting away from the chatter and sensory overload of SXSW Interactive for a little bit of time, I would recommend our beautiful “hike and bike trail” that goes around Lady Bird Lake (formerly and recently known as Town Lake), which you can get to from the Convention Center by simply going south on Trinity toward the Four Seasons Hotel, and finding a way AROUND the Four Seasons (not hard to do) to the lake. You’ll pick up the trail there, and it goes west for quite a ways, and there are pedestrian bridges that can take you over to the other side of the lake and back again.
It’s a nice walk, and one of the most popular features of Austin. And it’s FREE! 
-- Gary
