24 Hours in Austin
We can’t wait to share this next segment of our “24 Hours” series as it’s one of our favorite cities in the United States! One of the fastest growing areas in the country, Austin, TX has a unique blend of modern and classic sights to discover including historic architecture, murals, and other works of art. Spend some time at legendary barbecue spots like Terry Black’s and Sam’s and soak up some live music between your roaming. Let’s dive in!
Starting in East Austin just north of Austin-Bergstrom International, you’ll find countless murals strewn amidst the residential neighborhoods and main streets. Our favorite is titled, “Butter Half”, and can be found along E. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard by Alamo Street. Designed by artist John Rockwell, it was developed for the United Way for Greater Austin to support the local community in fighting poverty and providing resources for families in need. Installed in 2012, it was part of the organization’s rebranding efforts in conjunction with the Creative Suitcase team who volunteered two days along with Rockwell to complete the piece.
After snapping a picture, head south to East 12th Street and then west underneath the highway to one of our other favorite hidden murals tucked away next to Sabine Street. “Spaceman with Floating Pizza” was designed by Mike “Truth” Johnson and can be found at 1201 Red River Street. One of Johnson’s best known works throughout Austin, he lived in Asia and the Middle East for four years with his wife which helped shape his creative processes. His major influences have been comic books, Jesus Cristo, and street art which he uses to bring the message of joy to his viewers.
Keep heading west along East 12th and you’ll find yourself at the historic Texas State Capitol, the primary seat of government for the state. Designed in 1881 by architect Elijah Myers, it took six years to construct and is surrounded by dozens of unique monuments and statues depicting integral moments of Texas history including, “Heroes of the Alamo”, the “Texas African American History Memorial”, and the “Eighth Texas Cavalry Monument”. You can wander the grounds or step inside and explore the amazing architecture throughout the multiple wings of the building. This is definitely a can’t-miss sight if you’re a history buff but otherwise feel free to spend an hour or two here before moving on!
Head south down Congress Avenue until you pass East 8th Street and you’ll come across the Paramount Theatre, a historic building built in 1915 by Ernest Nalle. Originally opening under the name, “The Majestic”, it still hosts shows to this day over 100 years later and is a prime example of Classical Revival Style architecture in the city.
Across the street you’ll also find “The Contemporary Austin - Jones Center” which houses must of the Austin Museum of Art’s collection throughout it’s 5,100 feet of exhibition space. The Contemporary Austin reflects the spectrum of contemporary art and was established in 1911. One of our favorite museums in the city, there’s plenty of others we recommend including the Mexic-Arte Museum, Umlauf Sculpture Garden, and Blanton Museum of Art.
By now maybe you’ve stopped walking and snagged one of the countless scooters around the streets which makes your journey to the next destination much easier! The “Obey Giantess Mural” can be spotted throughout the city and leads visitors towards the stunning Congress Avenue Bridge. The mural is located at the intersection of Congress and West Cesar Chavez so make sure you grab a picture before continuing across towards South Congress. Here you’ll find plenty of local shops as well as restaurants and coffee houses to refuel.
Located right by Homeslice Pizza, you’ll find a mural of iconic musician Willie Nelson who was born in Abbott, Texas in 1933. A key figure of the Austin music scene since moving to the city in 1972, it inspired him to return to performing where he frequently headlined at The Armadillo World Headquarters while working on his outlaw country albums including “Red Headed Stranger”.
At this point you’ve traveled through some of the key neighborhoods in Austin but we couldn’t leave out some of our other favorite sights! If you have time we definitely recommend walking along the Colorado River on the Ann and Roy Butler Trail towards Zilker Park or scoping out the Pfluger Pedestrian Bridge. Depending on the time of the year you can also circle back to the Congress Street Bridge which houses the world’s largest urban bat colony, composed of nearly 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats during the peak summer season.
We hope this post gave you some cool, free sights to check out in Austin and please feel free to add any other challenges you come across. Happy Roaming!
