In 1839, The Republic of Texas established Austin as the capital and built a log cabin as the first Capitol. In 1853, a limestone Capitol was built but burned down in 1881. In 1882, ground was broken for a new Capitol building made of “Sunset Red” granite. The Capitol’s central rotunda is part of a “double dome” structure made in Belgium.

The Lundberg Bakery (now known as the Old Bakery and Emporium) is a historic building located a half a block south of the Capitol. Swedish-born owner, Charles Lundberg opened the bakery in 1876. People would wait in line with cloth lined baskets to buy the bread. The building was used for a bakery until 1936. The Old Bakery now operates as a consignment store with art from local artists.

The Driskill Hotel was built in 1886 by cattleman Col. Jesse Driskill. He lost ownership of the hotel less than three years after opening it. He died shortly after losing the hotel. It is known for being one of the most haunted hotels in the U.S. Over the years, it has hosted presidents, governors, celebrities, and musicians.

The Paramount Theatre is a live theatre in Downtown Austin. The four-story theatre was built by Ernest Nalle, who commissioned architect John Eberson to design the building in 1915. The theatre opened under the name “The Majestic.”

This beautiful library overlooking Shoal Creek and Lady Bird Lake opened in 2017. Things to look for in the library include: reading porches overlooking Lady Bird Lake, a Recycled Reads Bookstore, The Gallery featuring local artists, and Christian Moeller's giant red 'cuckoo clock' in the entrance.

The Blanton Museum of Art located at The University of Texas at Austin has the largest and most comprehensive collection of art in Central Texas. The exterior grounds and plaza were designed by Snohetta and include twelve towering “petals.”

"Austin", a stone building with colored glass windows was designed by Ellsworth Kelly

Zilker Park was donated by Andrew Jackson Zilker, a businessman and philanthropist. In 1876, he moved to Austin and operated one of the first ice factories. He donated his ranch to the city, which now included what is now Barton Springs. The park was officially named Zilker Park in 1934.

The park includes Zilker Botanical Garden, Umlauf Sculpture Garden, Barton Springs Pool, and Austin Nature and Science Center.

The Butler Hike and Bike Trail is a 10 mile trail around the Lady Bird Lake.

*Along The Boardwalk section of the trail, look for cast bronze belts:

'Belting It Out' is an installation of 36 cast bronze belts integrated into the railings with song lyrics from well-known Texas singers embossed on each belt.

Congress Avenue Bridge shelters the largest urban bat colony in North America. Between 750,000 and 1 million bats fly out near dusk April to October.

South Congress Ave (SoCo) is a vibrant and eclectic district known for its unique blend of local boutiques, trendy restaurants, live music venues and street art.

Inspired by a 1940’s postcard, Rory Skagenn and Bill Brakhage, also known as Skagen-Brakhage, painted this iconic mural. It’s located on the southern exterior wall of Roadhouse Relics.

Roadhouse Relics is the studio and gallery where neon artist, Todd Sanders crafts his vintage-style designs. His neon contemporary art evokes a time when America fell in love with the road trip.

"We hopped in the family wagon to explore the nation, lured to motels, diners, and curious roadside attractions by the colorful glow of neon.”

The legendary club opened its doors in 1955 and is one of the oldest continuously running clubs in Austin. It’s located on South Congress Avenue and is a Mecca for live rock, country and swing music.

The Cathedral of Junk, a giant sculpture made up of just about every kind found object, is located in the backyard of artist, Vince Hanneman. Vince began building the Cathedral in 1988 and he’s added to it ever since.

Call 512-299-7413 to make an appt to see it.

The park opened in 1976 and is named after Thomas F. McKinney, a businessman, race horse breeder and rancher, who owned and lived on the land. The park includes several hiking trails and the scenic upper and lower falls along Onion Creek.

Mount Bonnell, also known as Covert Park, is a prominent point alongside the Lake Austin portion of the Colorado River in Austin. It has been a popular destination since the 1850’s. It’s just a short hike for beautiful views of downtown Austin and Lake Austin.

Mayfield Park is a historic cottage, garden and nature preserve on a bluff overlooking Lake Austin. Originally built in the 1870’s, the cottage was purchased by former Texas Secretary of State, Allison Mayfield in 1909. It is now open to the public and is known for its free roaming peacocks.

Laguna Gloria is the former home of Clara Driscoll, a Texas philanthropist known as the ‘Savior of the Alamo’ for her work to preserve the site of the Battle of the Alamo. In 1914, the property was purchased by Clara and her husband, and they completed the villa two years later, inspired by a visit to Lake Como in Italy. Clara was an avid gardener and spent many years planting native plants around the site and designed the terraced gardens. In 1961, the site became an art museum.

Pennybacker Bridge, also known as the “360 bridge” is named after Percy V. Pennybacker Jr, a Texas civil engineer who pioneered the technology of welded structures particularly for bridges. The 360 bridge is the second bridge in the world to be built with a cable support system. For beautiful views, take a short hike on the Lake Austin/360 Bridge Overlook Trail.

Owners Reyna and Maritza Vazquez are sisters and best friends. They were born and raised in Mexico and now live in Austin. From a young age, Reyna and Maritza wanted to own their own restaurant. They grew up helping their mother in the kitchen in Veracruz, Mexico. Persistent with their dream, they saved enough money and in 2010 bought a food truck where they could finally start cooking tacos.

A family-owned business named after Terry Black, two passed down barbecue knowledge to his children. The Black family opened the Original Black’s BBQ in Lockhart in 1932 as a meat market. Terry and his sons split off to Austin and named their restaurant Terry Black’s Barbecue.

Aaron Franklin grew up in Bryan-College Station, Texas where he spent time with his grandparents at a barbecue joint. He and his his wife, Stacy, started having backyard cookouts, which sparked their interest in barbecue. In 2009, they opened a small trailer on the side of an Austin interstate. And in 2011, Franklin Barbecue moved to a brick-and-mortar location.

Created by three great friends who wanted to bring the authentic goodness of NY style pizza to Austin. Jen Strickland, Joseph Strickland and Terri Hannifin Buis opened the first Home Slice in 2005.

Paula Samford and Ryan Palmer began making doughnuts based on family recipes, like her grandma’s Christmas pie. In 2009, they began selling their doughnuts out of a 1978 Airstream trailer. In 2012 they opened a brick-and-mortar restaurant, Gourdough’s Public House.

Amy Simmons opened her first store in Austin in 1984, after working at Steve’s Ice Cream in Somerville, Massachusetts. The company’s motto is “Life is uncertain, eat dessert first.”

In 2003, Larry Perdido and Chuck Smith opened Moonshine Grill. It is housed in a part of the historic old Waterloo compound, an original grouping of some of the very oldest commercial buildings in Austin.

Originally named the Omelettry West when it opened in 1979 on Lake Austin Blvd. Saturday mornings everyone would stop and sing the Omelettry theme song. It’s now owned by Kent Cole and is located on South Congress.