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  • By Request Only

Art Studio & Architecture Tours in Austin

Quick Details

  • Duration: 2.5 hours
  • Departs from: Austin Visitor Center
  • Extras: Receive discounts through our Pink Tag Partners Program
Person All Ages
$61.19

See the creme-de-la- creme of Austin Art & Architecture!

The AO Tours Austin Art and Architecture Tour (2.5 hours) shows you the creme-de-la-creme of Austin. You cruise around town past both modern and historic buildings, while getting to stop at some of the most interesting and iconic public art pieces. This tour is a sure way to see the artsy and sophisticated side of Austin!

Who is this tour good for?

This tour is wonderful for those wanting to understand Austin from a design perspective, not just hear about the party scene on Sixth Street. Being able to explore the city with the eye of an architect and artist, guests learn about why Austin has such a diverse and vibrant city design.

What you will see

Starting off in the heart of downtown Austin, we get to see a mix of some of the oldest and newest architecture Austin has to offer. From probably the most iconic building in Austin through the ages, the Texas State Capitol, to a more modern star in the Austin skyline, the Frost Bank tower, downtown is jam-packed with fascinating and beautiful architecture. There are several works of public art that we’ll see as well, including the tallest mural in Austin. Sticking around downtown, we’ll head to the newest and most modern section: the Seaholm District. Here you’ll see such unique buildings at the Austin Central Library, the Jenga-like tower of the Independent, and the former City of Austin power plant that the district is named after, along with wonderful works of public art. The east side has its own take on the Austin experience. There are murals all over the place, and some of the most rapid expansion and modern development has been happening on this side of town. Just to the north of downtown is one of the largest university art museums in the country, the Blanton Museum. Sitting on the University of Texas at Austin campus, the Blanton offers both classical work and modern installations, including the late Ellsworth Kelly’s final piece entitled simply Austin. Finally, west of town takes us to the more affluent side of Austin where the mansions of old and new residents gleams through the live oak-covered hill country.

 

Stops on this tour*

  • Austin Central Library
  • Elisabet Ney Museum
  • Neill–Cochran House
  • At least two works of public art

*Subject to change due to events or closures

Lookin up to the sky with a colorful mural on a wall with building and clear blue sky
View of the Elisabet Ney Museum. Old light stone wall in the foreground with pink flowers and grass growing. Castle like historic building in the background. Cloudy overcast sky.
Man taking a photo from the open panoramic tour bus of a rainbow colored sculpture of a cowboy on his horse
Large white wall on the outside of a building with large red letters painted on the side that say,
Neill-Cochran House Museum. A large brick building with a statue in front of a house
Neill-Cochran House Museum. A large brick historic house with a sign in the front yard. White iron fence, green grass lawn, heritage trees in the background.
Saint Mary Catholic Cathedral. A large stone building with stained glass.
Historic building faces along East Sixth Street in Austin, Tx. One cream or white stone building and one brick red color building featuring a white star in the center of the top.
View of the butterfly bridge in Austin, TX from the Austin Central Library's roof top garden. Tall glass buildings, trees, overcast cloudy sky.
Austin Central Public Library roof top garden. Various plants throughout. Pergola above for shade. Stones and other objects to break the space up.
Congress and 1st bridges going over a Ladybird Lake in Austin, TX. Cloudy overcast sky, green trees, cars and a bus on the street. The corner of a tall glass building. Tall buildings in the distance.
View from top floor of the Austin Central Public Library looking down through the central atrium. Red chairs, white tables, wood stairs, glass windows, multicolor abstract art hanging in the space.
Butterfly bridge in Austin, Tx. View through white metal bridge arches of a tall glass building.
a person standing in front of a building
The historic Littlefield Building with Flatiron Building in the background
View of tall glass skyscrapers in Austin, Tx. Reflection of the Front Bank Tower on a brown glass building.
AO Tours Austin Hard Top Bus in front of a building
A woman pointing at a mural on the side of a building.
Austin painted mural on side of a building. Taller buildings in the background. People waiting to cross the street at the corner.
a statue of a woman lighting a cannon on a city street
a close up of a busy city street. Historic hotel building. Person waiting to cross the street and people crossing the street.
A tall glass building in a Austin, Tx. Trees growing up in front. Blue sky with white clouds.