Austin

The Story of Austin: Downtown History Walking Tour

Badge of ExcellenceAustin, USA

2 hours
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Austin is filled with stories of the past, which is what makes it a great city. Instead of exploring the city with your nose in a guidebook, book this historic walking tour of Downtown Austin and explore what was once the red light district with a live guide. Learn how Austin has turned into the dynamic city it is today and see historic buildings like the 19th-century Driskill Hotel.

Gain a better understanding of Austin’s history during this walking tour
A guide does a great job of storytelling while incorporating the city’s history
See the historic sights of the city at Guytown, once the red light district
A short duration time makes it easy to fit into any busy schedule

What's Included

Tour Guide

Gratuities

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Halcyon
218 W 4th St, Austin, TX 78701, USA
Downtown Austin outside Halcyon Coffeehouse @ 4th Street & Lavaca.

End point

Koppel Building, 320 Congress Ave., Austin, TX 78701, USA
We finish two blocks from where we start, right outside the Koppell Building @ East 4th Street and Congress Ave.

What To Expect

Oilcan Harry's

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

O. Henry Home & Museum

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Joseph and Susanna Dickinson Hannig Museum

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

6th Street

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

The Driskill

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Wheelchair accessible
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation

Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
Places to sit at each stop are not provided.
This walking tour covers 1.1 miles.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 25 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

5.0

72 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

We perform checks on reviews

Showing 1-10 of 72 reviews

Great Introduction to Austin - Start Your Stay With THIS Tour

Heidi_G, Apr 2024

Emily was amazing!! Very knowledgeable about the history of Austin and a fantastic story teller! I would highly recommend!

Great and interesting tour!

ThomasB_A, Apr 2024

Emily was a great tour guide a story teller. Loved hearing about the history of Austin and nightlights of downtown buildings.

Informative

Rick_B, Apr 2024

The Guide we had Emily was great . However the description of what we were going to get and what we received was different .The description states as example the walk includes the O Henry Home& Museum in reality just a landmark ,the tour was to include Oil Can Harry’s admission ticket free (never mentioned on walk) Joseph and Susanna Dickinson Museum only a narrative and landmark , The Driscol Admission free this was a narrative and walk through. The point the tour though informative was not transparent to description and not worth the price charged. Please be more transparent when selling a program , this was disappointing.

Great walking tour

Hannah_M, Apr 2024

Emily was great. We learned a lot about the history of Austin and got a great tour of the area. Very pleased with the tour.

Good to hear about the founding of Austin!

David_M, Apr 2024

Great history and walk. Good to hear about the early days and put Austin into perspective Good to hear about the early settlers and put history into perspective

Fun walking tour

Curtis_V, Apr 2024

Emily was very knowledgeable and made it a fun experience. We learned a little bit about Austin history, and walked around the core of the downtown. We would highly recommend Emily!

Walk and talk story time

Nancy_M, Apr 2024

We loved this tour. Emily is a great story teller and she makes history come alive. She answers all our questions and we learned a lot about Austin!

Fantastic history tour of Austin

Peter_P, Apr 2024

Emily was a fantastic host and guide, with great stories she told so well! We think the stops along the route were good and appropriate.

Entertaining and educational

Agnes_M, Apr 2024

Emily was very knowledgeable. The histories were interesting and entertaining. The tour started on time. This tour is 2 hours, on viator it said 1.5 hrs, which didn't bother us one bit, as we had time, but if you have plans afterwards, take it into consideration.

Interesting, factual stories

Chris_H, Mar 2024

The tour was well done. Our tour guide, Emily, knew a lot and had clearly done her homework. She told lots of interesting stories in an engaging way. It might be better if the stories were a little shorter and we visited 1-2 more places, to engage with audiences who prefer that. I say that because our tour had three teenagers, and I couldn’t tell if they were that interested. But she did a great job connecting the buildings to the stories of Austin history.

Response from Host, Apr 2024

Thank you for your feedback on your experience! We strive to provide the best possible service to our clients!

Austin historical walking tour

joel_z, Mar 2024

Enjoyed learning about O Henry's life at the stop at his Austin home. I would suggest using a microphone and radios as the noise level gets pretty loud during the tour. Emily overcame it and did an excellent job but it would improve the overall experience in my opinion.

Response from Host, Apr 2024

We appreciate you taking the time to share your experience. Feedback like yours is valued by us and it gives us helpful information to continue improving our customers experience with us! Thank you!

Story of Austin

Joyce_B, Mar 2024

Our guide, Emily was a wonderful storyteller & obviously very knowledgeable about the local history of Austin Texas. I’m so glad we booked this little tour & would highly recommend it to all.

Response from Host, Apr 2024

Thank you for sharing your feedback on the experience you had with us! Your kind words encourage us to continue doing our best to make sure every guest's experiences is a memorable one!

Great experience

Cindy_M, Mar 2024

The tour guide was VERY knowledgeable...her name was Emily. The tour was paced well, and Emily had a variety of of information.

Response from Host, Apr 2024

Thank you, we sincerely appreciate your feedback!

The guide shared so much...

DEB_W, Mar 2024

The guide shared so much information. She was very knowledgeable about the city. It was a good pace. She shared a lot of places to visit in the downtown area and where to find things. She answered questions and just had conversations with the group as we walked.

Response from Host, Apr 2024

Thank you for your kind words, it makes our day knowing we provided a 5 star experience for you!

Highly recommended!

Seth_S, Feb 2024

Emily was a great guide. Knowledgeable and made the tour fun. It was an easy walk as well, exactly what we expected.

Response from Host, Apr 2024

We are always happy to hear customers like you enjoyed your time with us! Thank you!

Great Austin history tour!

elizabeth_l, Feb 2024

Emily was a fantastic, knowledgeable and engaging tour guide! We learned so much and definitely recommend this to anyone visiting Austin

Response from Host, Apr 2024

We are so grateful that you took the time to share your experience and feedback with us! Thank you!

Learning about the Wild Wild West

Amber_C, Feb 2024

Great tour with Emily! First timers to Austin, so glad we started our visit with this tour. Love hearing the historical stories & building/structure references. Emily was very knowledgeable and made the history line easy to follow! Definitely recommend this tour!

Response from Host, Feb 2024

A walking tour is the perfect way to orient yourself in a new place. I'm so glad you enjoyed the tour!

Well-worth it! Definitely recommend this tour!

Emily_V, Jan 2024

We had a great tour with Emily—who was fantastic! You never know what you’re going to get when you book a tour from another state, but this tour company and guide did a great job of communicating everything we needed to know. Well worth the time and money and we would definitely recommend this tour to anyone looking to learn Austin history. Fascinating! Thanks!

Response from Host, Feb 2024

Thank you!

Highly Recommend

mary_k, Dec 2023

Our guide was excellent. She shared extensive information on both the history and culture of Austin. The tour gave me a completely new understanding of Texas. The tour was fun, interesting and informative. Particularly enjoyed the small group setting. Would highly recommend.

Response from Host, Dec 2023

Thanks Mary! I appreciate you leaving such a nice review!

Fun and varied history of Austin

Haig_G, Nov 2023

Our tour guide Emily was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic. She had painted a picture of Austin that we would not have had otherwise. It was a pleasant walk and the combination of fun folk stories and factual history was a great mix.

Response from Host, Dec 2023

I'm so glad you had fun! I definitely think that folk stories, as long as they are presented as such, are an equally important part of our local story and history. Thanks for coming on a tour!