Stories
Austin stories for walks, landmarks, and local context
Short, source-backed reads that explain what you are seeing while you move through the city.
Essential story
Welcome to Austin
An introduction to Austin's relaxed outdoor culture, centered on Zilker Park and Barton Springs.
Essential story
The Spirit of Frontier Survivors
A glimpse into Austin's early frontier history through the stories of the French Legation and Alamo survivor Susanna Dickinson.
Essential story
The Frog That Kept Austin Weird
The origin story of Daniel Johnston's iconic frog mural and its connection to Austin's counterculture identity.
Essential story
From Gathering Place to Global Stage
The evolution of the Austin Convention Center as the launchpad for South by Southwest and Austin's rise to a global creative stage.
City story
A Blanket on the Hillside
The history of the free Zilker Summer Musical at the Beverly S. Sheffield Hillside Theater.
City story
A Catalyst for Women's Art
For nearly fifty years, a pioneering nonprofit arts organization in Austin has been shining a bright spotlight on contemporary art cre…
City story
A Century on Congress Avenue
The storied history of the Paramount Theatre from its vaudeville roots to its place in modern music festivals.
City story
A Community United in Art
Imagine a place where the air is filled with the rhythms of salsa music, the bright colors of Latino art, and the hum of a community c…
City story
A French Outpost in the Republic of Texas
In the early 1840s, when Austin was a rugged, dusty frontier town, a touch of Parisian diplomacy arrived on a hill in East Austin. Bui…
City story
A Legacy in Light and Stone
Imagine a chapel where the only preachings are light, color, and absolute silence. On the grounds of the Blanton Museum of Art sits a…
City story
A Library Transformed
In 1980, a historic building in East Austin made history of its own by becoming the very first neighborhood museum in Texas dedicated…
City story
Amphitheater of Democracy
The history of Wooldridge Square as a civic space and host to Booker T. Washington.
City story
A Public Love Letter
Sometimes, the most powerful art is also the simplest. If you stroll down South Congress Avenue to number 1300, you will find Jo's Cof…
City story
A South Congress Taco Staple
The energy and presence of Torchy's Tacos on South Congress Avenue.
City story
Austin's First Skyscraper
In 1910, a brand-new skyscraper rose above the corner of Congress Avenue and Sixth Street, forever changing the Austin skyline. The Sc…
City story
Barbecue, Beats, and Christopher Stubblefield
The history of Stubb's Bar-B-Q, tracking its journey from Lubbock to Red River Street.
City story
Barton Springs Bathhouse
Nestled in Zilker Park alongside the cool, spring-fed waters of Barton Springs Pool sits a classic piece of mid-century architecture.…
City story
Coloring the Town with Raasin in the Sun
Discover how the Austin-based nonprofit Raasin in the Sun, founded by Raasin McIntosh, partners with the Downtown Austin Alliance to t…
City story
E.H. Carrington's Grocery, a Black-Owned Anchor on Sixth
Discover the story of Edward H. Carrington and D.H. Lyons, who ran one of Austin's first Black-owned groceries on East Sixth Street fr…
City story
Fifty Years of Follies
On the bustling stretch of Sixth Street, there’s a venue that has been keeping Austin laughing with a wild mix of political satire, ma…
City story
From Pecan Street to Sixth Street
Discover how Edwin Waller's 1839 plan for Austin used native trees to name the city's east-west streets, and how the iconic Pecan Stre…
City story
Greetings from South First
If you head down to the corner of Annie and South First Street, you will spot a giant, colorful blast from the past. Painted on the si…
City story
Jeremiah the Innocent
If you walk down to the corner of Guadalupe and 21st Street, you will find yourself face-to-face with a bug-eyed frog who has been gre…