32 Sights in Austin, United States (with Map and Images)
Legend
Welcome to your journey through the most beautiful sights in Austin, United States! Whether you want to discover the city's historical treasures or experience its modern highlights, you'll find everything your heart desires here. Be inspired by our selection and plan your unforgettable adventure in Austin. Dive into the diversity of this fascinating city and discover everything it has to offer.
Sightseeing Tours in AustinActivities in Austin
Barton Springs Pool is a recreational outdoor swimming pool in Austin, Texas, that is filled entirely by natural springs connected to the Edwards Aquifer. Located in Zilker Park, the pool exists within the channel of Barton Creek and uses water from Main Barton Spring, the fourth-largest spring in Texas. The pool is a popular venue for year-round swimming, as its temperature hovers between about 68 °F (20 °C) and 74 °F (23 °C) year-round. The pool's grassy hills are lined with mature shade trees.
Zilker Metropolitan Park is a recreational area in south Austin, Texas, at the juncture of Barton Creek and the Colorado River that comprises over 350 acres (142 ha) of publicly owned land. It is named after its benefactor, Andrew Jackson Zilker, who donated the land to the city in 1917. The land was developed into a park during the Great Depression in the 1930s. Today the park serves as a hub for many recreational activities and the hike and bike trail around Lady Bird Lake, both of which run next to the park. The large size of the park makes it a capable venue for large-scale events such as the Austin City Limits Music Festival and the Zilker Park Kite Festival. The park was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.
3. Texas State Capitol
The Texas State Capitol is the capitol and seat of government of the U.S. state of Texas. Located in downtown Austin, Texas, the structure houses the offices and chambers of the Texas Legislature and of the Governor of Texas. Designed in 1881 by architect Elijah E. Myers, it was constructed from 1882 to 1888 under the direction of civil engineer Reuben Lindsay Walker. A $75 million underground extension was completed in 1993. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970 and recognized as a National Historic Landmark in 1986.
4. Harry Ransom Center
The Harry Ransom Center, known as the Humanities Research Center until 1983, is an archive, library, and museum at the University of Texas at Austin, specializing in the collection of literary and cultural artifacts from the Americas and Europe for the purpose of advancing the study of the arts and humanities. The Ransom Center houses 36 million literary manuscripts, one million rare books, five million photographs, and more than 100,000 works of art.
5. Blanton Museum of Art
The Jack S. Blanton Museum of Art at the University of Texas at Austin is one of the largest university art museums in the U.S. with 189,340 square feet devoted to temporary exhibitions, permanent collection galleries, storage, administrative offices, classrooms, a print study room, an auditorium, shop, and cafe. The Blanton's permanent collection consists of more than 21,000 works, with significant holdings of modern and contemporary art, Latin American art, Old Master paintings, and prints and drawings from Europe, the United States, and Latin America.
6. Texas State History Museum
The Bullock Texas State History Museum is a history museum in Austin, Texas. The museum, located a few blocks north of the Texas State Capitol at 1800 North Congress Avenue in Austin, Texas, is dedicated to interpreting the continually unfolding "Story of Texas" to the broadest possible audience through meaningful educational experiences. The museum is operated by the Texas State Preservation Board, which also operates the Texas State Capitol, the Texas Capitol Visitors Center, the Texas Governor's Mansion, and the Texas State Cemetery.
7. Saint Mary Cathedral
Saint Mary's Cathedral is the cathedral parish of the Catholic Diocese of Austin located in Austin, Texas, United States. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, as St. Mary's Cathedral.
Wikipedia: Cathedral of Saint Mary (Austin, Texas) (EN), Website
8. Paramount Theatre
The Paramount Theatre is a live theatre venue/movie theatre located in downtown Austin, Texas. The classical revival style structure was built in 1915. The building was listed in the National Register of Historic Places on June 23, 1976.
9. McKinney Falls State Park
McKinney Falls State Park is a state park in Austin, Texas, United States at the confluence of Onion Creek and Williamson Creek. It is administered by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The park opened on April 15, 1976 and is named after Thomas F. McKinney, a businessman, race horse breeder and rancher, who owned and lived on the land in the mid-to-late 19th century. The park is part of the El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail.
10. Scholz Garten
Scholz Garten is a beer garden and restaurant in downtown Austin, Texas and one of the oldest operating businesses in Texas. Among the Texas businesses that predate Scholz Garten are the Daily News in Galveston (1842), the Excelsior Hotel in Jefferson (1858), the Menger Hotel in San Antonio (1859), and Imperial Sugar in Sugar Land (1842).
11. Scottish Rite Dormitory
The Scottish Rite Dormitory (SRD) is a private women's dorm for the University of Texas built and operated by the Scottish rite of Freemasons in Austin, Texas. Located just north of campus on 27th Street and Whitis Avenue, the colonial revival style building was completed in 1922 during a housing shortage on campus and was intended to provide housing for the daughters and relatives of Master Masons.
12. The Ritz
The Ritz is a historic theater in the 6th Street district in Austin, Texas. The building's history includes use as a movie theater, music hall, club, and comedy house. It reopened after renovations in fall 2007 as the new downtown location for the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. The venue temporarily closed in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and was permanently closed in 2021 when the Alamo Drafthouse filed for bankruptcy. It now serves as Joe Rogan’s comedy club, Comedy Mothership.
13. Vietnam Veterans Monument
The Texas Capitol Vietnam Veterans Monument, is a memorial designed by New Mexico artist Duke Sundt, installed on the grounds of the Texas State Capitol in Austin, Texas, United States. It serves as a tribute to all Texans who served in the Vietnam War and a memorial to the 3,417 who died. Ground was broken on March 25, 2013 on the northeast side of the Capitol. The monument was dedicated on March 29, 2014.
14. Woodlawn
Woodlawn, also known as the Pease Mansion as well as Governor Shivers’ Mansion, is a pre-Civil War mansion located at 30.2871° -97.7581° in Austin, Texas. The Greek Revival style house was owned by two Texas governors. Some notable people that have visited the mansion include Sam Houston, General George Custer, Elisabet Ney, Will Rogers, and Edith Head. Woodlawn was added to the National Register of Historic Places on August 25, 1970. Although the house faces Pease Rd, it has two separate entrances. One entrance is off Niles Rd and the other is off of Northumberland Rd, which is where the mailbox is located.
15. Mexic-Arte Museum
Mexic-Arte Museum is a fine arts museum in Austin, Texas. The Mission of the organization is to enrich and educate the community through the presentation and promotion of traditional and contemporary Mexican, and Latino art and culture.
16. University United Methodist Church
University United Methodist Church, Austin, Texas, is a United Methodist Church belonging to the Rio Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church. Located at the corner of 24th Street and Guadalupe Street, UUMC has been a fixture near the University of Texas at Austin campus for more than 120 years.
17. Buford Tower
Buford Tower is a tower standing along the north shore of Lady Bird Lake in downtown Austin, Texas. The structure was originally built in 1930 as a drill tower for the Austin Fire Department, but it now serves as a bell tower and landmark. Named after fire department Captain James L. Buford, the structure has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 2016.
18. Jay C Hormel Nature Center
The Jay C. Hormel Nature Center is a municipal nature preserve on the north-eastern corner of Austin, Minnesota, comprising more than 500 acres (200 ha) of restored and remnant prairie, hardwood forest, wetlands and meandering streams. Purchased with municipal, state, and private donations, the nature center is administered by the Austin municipal government through the Parks and Recreation Department. Named in honor of Jay Catherwood Hormel, the son of Hormel Foods Corporation founder George A. Hormel, his private estate forms the original land of the park.
19. Littlefield House
The Littlefield House is a historic home in Austin, Texas, on the campus of the University of Texas at Austin. The home was built in 1893 for Civil War veteran George Littlefield, who was a successful businessman in the bank and cattle trades and a major benefactor to UT. It was designed using the popular Victorian style at a cost of $50,000.
20. The Long Center for the Performing Arts
The Joe R. and Teresa Lozano Long Center for the Performing Arts is a performing arts venue located along Lady Bird Lake in downtown Austin, Texas. The Long Center is the permanent home of the Austin Symphony Orchestra, Austin Opera and Ballet Austin and hosts other Austin-area performing arts organizations.
Wikipedia: Long Center for the Performing Arts (EN), Website
21. Esther's Follies
Esther's Follies is a modern-day vaudeville theatre located on 6th Street in downtown Austin, Texas. The group is named after actress Esther Williams. Acts incorporate magic, juggling, singing, dancing, and sketches on current events. The show is fast-paced, and most of the acts incorporate a comedic theme.
22. Millett Opera House
The Millett Opera House, home of the Austin Club, is a historic building in downtown Austin, Texas. Built in 1878 by local lumber seller Charles Millett on one of his lots, the house was one of the largest performance spaces in Texas upon its completion. It featured 800 removable seats, 24-inch limestone walls, and the largest enclosed space in Texas. The Opera House was designed by Frederick Ruffini, an architect working throughout Texas.
23. Martin Luther King Jr.
Martin Luther King Jr. is an outdoor bronze sculpture depicting the American civil rights leader of the same name by Jeffrey Varilla and Anna Koh-Varilla, installed on the University of Texas at Austin campus, in Austin, Texas. The statue was installed in September 1999. Efforts to erect a monument were initiated by a group of students, who formed the Martin Luther King Jr. Sculpture Foundation in 1987.
Wikipedia: Statue of Martin Luther King Jr. (Austin, Texas) (EN)
24. Brown Building
The Brown Building is a ten-story office and residential tower in Downtown Austin, Texas. It is 137 feet (42 m) tall. Completed in 1938 at the southwest corner of 8th Street and Colorado Street, the building was home to many significant companies throughout 20th century Austin, including the holding corporation for the Lyndon Johnson family. The Texas Broadcasting Corporation (KTBC) operated from the building for many years around World War II, counting among its employees humorist Cactus Pryor and future governor John Connally. The engineering company Brown & Root also had its headquarters in the Brown Building at one time.
25. Saint Augustine Catholic Church
St. Augustine's Catholic Church of Austin, Nevada, United States, located at 113 Virginia St., was built in 1866 and is Nevada's oldest Catholic church building. It includes Gothic Revival and Italianate architecture. It was extended by a c.1900 sacristy addition and was renovated in 1939. It includes mural work from 1939 by Rafael Jolly and Duff Jolly, and an organ made by Henry C. Kilgen.
Wikipedia: St. Augustine's Catholic Church (Austin, Nevada) (EN)
26. St George Episcopal Church
The St. George's Episcopal Church in Austin, Nevada, United States, located at 156 Main St., is a historic Gothic Revival-style church built during 1877–78. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.
Wikipedia: St. George's Episcopal Church (Austin, Nevada) (EN)
27. Willie Nelson Statue
The Willie Nelson statue, or simply Willie, is a bronze sculpture of singer-songwriter Willie Nelson, located in Downtown Austin, Texas. The statue was commissioned to artist Clete Shields by the nonprofit organization Capital Area Statues.
28. Rosewood Neighborhood Park
Rosewood Neighborhood Park is a public park in East Austin, Texas. The park features tennis courts, playscapes, swimming pool, splash pad, as well as the Delores Duffie Recreation Center and the Doris "Dorie" Miller Auditorium. Combined, they comprise a 31,500 square feet facility with a gymnasium. They offer year round classes, workshops, special events, tournaments, performances, and demonstrations.
29. Clock Knot
Clock Knot is an outdoor painted steel sculpture by Mark di Suvero, installed on the University of Texas at Austin campus in Austin, Texas. The approximately 40-foot (12 m) sculpture was installed along Dean Keeton Street in 2007.
30. Austin Methodist Church
Austin Methodist Church is a historic church at 135 Court Street in Austin, Nevada. The Italianate church building was constructed in 1866 and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.
31. Emma Long Metropolitan Park
Emma Long Metropolitan Park is a large municipal park in northwest Austin, Texas. The park is on the shores of Lake Austin and was originally called City Park. The park features open space, camp sites, boat ramps, picnic table sites and a designating swimming area.
32. J.J. Pickle Federal Building
The J.J. Pickle Federal Building is one of the largest mid-century modern buildings in Texas and has a rich political history. The eleven-story structure is a quintessential specimen of mid-century high-rises with its vertically oriented, uniform exterior grid that "reflects a golden age for civic architecture in the 1950s and 1960s". The building is known for its famous occupants, including Congressman J. J. Pickle and President Lyndon B. Johnson.
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