The Town
The Texas State Capitol , at 13th Street and Congress Avenue, is over
300ft high, taller than the national capitol in Washington, with a red
sunset granite dome that dominates the downtown skyline. The chandeliers,
carpets and even the door hinges of this colossal building are
emblazoned with lone stars and other Texan motifs, a theme continued in
the recent extension, a sleek maze of marble halls (daily 9am-5pm;
public tours every 15min; free). Nearby, the antebellum Governor's
Mansion , 1010 Colorado St, contains displays on Texan history (free
tours Mon-Fri every 20min 10am-noon). Congress Avenue , a stretch of
1950s shops and muted office buildings that slopes south from the
capitol down to the river, is worthy of a stroll; at dusk 1.5 million
bats - the world's largest urban bat colony - emerge in a large cloud
from their hangouts under the bridge. 6th Street , also known as Old
Pecan Street, runs west from I-35 to Congress Street, and is the focus
of much of the city's nightlife, as well as featuring many renovated
buildings, galleries and hip shops. The elegant Romanesque Driskill
Hotel , on the corner with Brazos Street, has its own self-guided
walking tour, with a glossy leaflet recounting the hotel's many links
with government since 1886. Between 5th and 6th streets, just west of
Lamar Boulevard, the 600-year-old Treaty Oak is the last of the Council
Oaks where treaties were signed with Native Americans; unfortunately,
someone chose to poison the tree in 1989, and only one-third of it
remains.
The recently opened Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum , at Martin
Luther King Jr Boulevard and North Congress Avenue should satisfy
anyone's curiosity for Texas arcana. Exhibits include the diary of
Stephen F. Austin, generally considered the founder of the state, and a
Bible that saved the life of Sam Houston Jr, during the Civil War; a
bullet is still lodged in its pages (Mon-Sat 9am-6pm; $5). The Elisabet
Ney Museum at 304 E 44th St is a German-influenced castle-like building
in a leafy, historic residential area. It preserves the last studio,
with marquettes and finished marbles, of Austin's most celebrated
sculptor (Wed-Sat 10am-5pm, Sun noon-5pm; free).
Zilker Park , across the river from Amtrak and southwest of the center,
is one of the best of the many fine parks in the city, a perfect retreat
on sweaty Austin afternoons. One of its main attractions is the spring-fed
(and deliciously cold) Barton Springs Pool , a 1000ft turquoise
rectangle shaded by pecan trees (daily 5am-10pm; $2.50 Mon-Fri, $2.75
Sat & Sun). You can paddle in the pebbly creek below the pool free of
charge, and you'll also find hiking and biking trails, a miniature
railroad winding beside the river (daily 10am-7pm; $2.75), and, to the
west, the wildlife garden of the Austin Nature and Science Center (Mon-Sat
9am-5pm, Sun noon-5pm; free; tel 512/327-8181, ). South of the Barton
Springs Pool on Robert E. Lee Road, the Umlauf Sculpture Garden (Wed-Fri
10am-4.30pm, Sat & Sun 1-4.30pm; $3.50; tel 512/445-5582, ) is a
tranquil, grassy enclave dotted with more than one hundred works in
bronze, terracotta, wood and marble. More outdoor relief can be found
farther north on the banks of the Colorado River. Don't miss Mayfield
Park , a peaceful idyll complete with water lilies and peacocks. Nearby
Mount Bonnell gives great views over the city and surrounding
countryside.
The Austin Museum of Art is in the process of relocating from its Laguna
Gloria location, at 3809 W 35th St, to a permanent facility downtown,
scheduled to open in 2004. In the meantime, many exhibits are on view at
a separate downtown location, at 823 Congress Ave (Tues-Sat 10am-6pm,
Thurs until 8pm, Sun noon-5pm; $3; tel 512/495-9224, ).
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