The Driskill Hotel is also significant from a historical standpoint. I was the kid who read a new Goosebumps book every single day, so obviously, I wanted to learn all about the spooky happenings surrounding this 1886 hotel.

As we gazed out the van’s windows, Joe told plenty of stories to enrapture us! My favorite story was about the Driskill Hotel – which is the oldest operating hotel in Austin – and apparently this place is haunted! I’m a sucker for ghost stories. Ride Downtown including Historic East 6th StreetĪfter the Capitol Building, we took a ride around the University of Texas and Austin’s Downtown core. The gorgeous architecture, with its sweeping dome and granite and marble structure, along with an expansive lawn perfect for lazy picnics on sunnier days, still knocked me off my feet.įor this trip, Austin Detours thoughtfully includes a stop inside the Capitol Building – which was a real treat! Instead of aimlessly wandering on my own, I received cool insights regarding the statues and monuments on the Capitol’s grounds, stories about Texas’s governors, and much more! I especially loved learning about Miriam “Ma” Ferguson – the first female governor of the Lone Star State – and how she took a firm stand against the Ku Klux Klan. I already knew the capitol would be impressive, lots of people told me as much, but still. My jaw dropped when we first drove down Congress Avenue – with the capitol waiting for us at the end of the road. One of Austin’s most famous attractions is its incredible Capitol Building. Here are some of the awesome stops we made over the course of two and a half hours! So not only was the group small (just how I like it!), but the van made the tour enjoyable in rain or shine. Not my favorite weather! Yet, somehow, the steel sky didn’t make a single dent in my mood! After meeting my guide, Joe, and the other tour members, we boarded a funky blue van and were given both water and umbrellas for our adventure around the Texas capital!Īs a side note, Austin Detours uses cozy Mercedes vans for all their tours.

I took a leisurely walk to Austin’s Tourist Information Center on a humid, cloudy, and occasionally rainy morning. I try to schedule these excursions on my first day, so I develop a vague sense of direction (I rely on freakin’ google maps too much) and decide if I want to re-visit any cool attractions or neighborhoods later on.Īfter doing some research, I settled on booking The Real Austin Tour with Austin Detours.I wanted to learn more about the city’s unique history and culture, and of course, I was curious about what, exactly, made Austin so weird, haha. Personally, I’m a big fan of walking or van tours that take you to all the city’s main attractions. Because I only had four days to spend in Austin, I wanted to wisely maximize my time so I could fully experience this “weird” city.

Austin detours