Austin: A Capital Idea!

by Paris Permenter & John Bigley

When Mirabeau B. Lamar, the president-elect of the Texas Republic, set out to hunt buffalo in the fall of 1838, he returned home with a much greater catch than a prize buffalo: a home for the new capital city. Lamar fell in love with a tiny settlement surrounded by rolling hills and fed by cool springs. Within the coming year, the government arrived and construction on the capitol building was begun. Austin was on its way to becoming a city.

Since those early days, there's been no looking back. Today, Austin is a city on the move. Hollywood has discovered this big city with a small-town atmosphere and it's not uncommon these days to see film crews blocking off an oak-lined street. High-tech industries have also migrated to this area, making this Texas's answer to Silicon Valley.

But, for all the changes that have occurred in this capital city, Austin is still very much a town whose roots are buried in the past--a past the city is proud to preserve and show off to its visitors.

A visit to Austin should begin downtown, where the Colorado River slices through the heart of the city. Once an unpredictable waterway, the Colorado has now been tamed into a series of lakes, including two within the Austin city limits. The 22-mile-long Lake Austin begins at the foot of the Hill Country and flows through the western part of the city.

Lake Austin flows into Town Lake, a narrow stretch of water that meanders for five miles though the center of downtown Austin. Several hotels overlook the beautifully planted greenbelts that line the lake shores. In the late afternoon hours, locals grab their sneakers and head to Zilker Park or Town Lake's shores for a jog or a leisurely walk. When the sun sets on summer days, attention turns to the lake's Congress Avenue bridge, the location of the country's largest urban colony of Mexican free-tailed bats. The bats make their exodus after sunset to feed on insects in the Hill Country.

Many of Austin's historical buildings are found downtown, and the granddaddy of them all is the State Capitol. Tours introduce you to this pink granite building that holds the distinction of being the tallest state capitol in the US.

After a tour of the Capitol, step across the street to the Governor's Mansion for a free tour Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to noon. Your tour will take you past the grand staircase (where a former governor was once forced to drive nails through the banister to prevent his children from sliding down it), through the formal parlor, into the library and the state dining room where formal state dinners are held, and finally into the conservatory, a cheery room with lemon yellow walls and a huge glass cabinet holding memorabilia donated by former governors.

Just blocks from the Governor's Mansion lies the Driskill Hotel, Austin's most historic hotel. Since 1886 this property has been host to dignitaries, heads of state, legislators, and vacationers from around the globe.

The Capitol, the Governor's Mansion, and the Driskill are all historical Austin landmarks, but they're just babes when compared to the French Legation, Austin's oldest existing home. Located in east Austin at 802 San Marcos, this is the only foreign legation in the country ever built outside of Washington, D.C. (Wonder why it was built in Austin? Don't forget: Texas was once a separate country--complete with its own foreign ambassadors!)

Austin's most famous museum is the Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library, located on the University of Texas campus. Special exhibits portray the Vietnam conflict, the Civil Rights movement, and the advances for education which took place during these years. Visitors can also view extravagant gifts received from other countries, a limousine used by the President, and family memorabilia.

After a day of touring, Austin presents plenty of other entertainment options. The heart of Austin's nightlife is Sixth Street, an historic seven-block area which compares itself to New Orleans' Bourbon Street. Here you'll find many nightclubs and restaurants, as well as eclectic shops open during the day. And if you're get hungry in the capital city, have no fear--Austin is home to more restaurants and bars per capita than any other city in the nation.

And if all that dining means the need for a little activity, fun comes in many forms. In the warm months, Austin really lives up to its nickname of "The River City" as everyone takes to Lake Austin and nearby Lake Travis to enjoy swimming, scuba diving, skiing, and boating. Golfers find plenty of challenge in this area as well.

Whether you view Austin from a rolling golf course or with a peek through the window at the historic State Capitol, it's easy to see just what drew Mirabeau B. Lamar to this area over 150 years ago. Whether the buffalo hunt was successful or not, Lamar's prize catch is one we can all still enjoy today--the beauty of the capital city.

For more information about Austin, check out www.Austin360.com