8 stops on the route
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Photo: WhisperToMe, Public domain (source) 01
Austin City Hall
2nd and Lavaca
Limestone, copper and a cantilevered 'armadillo tail.' Austin's most unusual civic building.
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Photo: Utexas06 at English Wikipedia, Public domain (source) 05
Texas State Capitol
Head of Congress Avenue
The big one. Pink granite, a dome taller than the U.S. Capitol's, and the best photo in town from the middle of Congress Avenue.
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Good to know
- Starts
- Austin City Hall. We can pick you up at your hotel instead.
- Finishes
- Rainey Street
- Distance
- 6 to 7 miles, plus time at each stop.
- Guests
- Up to three per cab. Bigger groups ride together in more cabs.
- Price
- From $220 per cab. See all tour fares, or build a custom tour.
Rider guide
The route, timing and talking points for the rider giving this tour. Guests are welcome to read along. About 85 minutes at stops, plus riding time.
- Daylight is best for photos. About 45 minutes of riding plus stops.
- Route: Start at City Hall, roll through 2nd Street, north up Congress, the Driskill, the Capitol view at 11th, north on Guadalupe to the UT Tower and Moody Center, then back south and east to finish on Rainey.
- Agree the fare before the ride. Austin requires it, and the fare has to be posted in the cab.
- Up to three guests per cab, everyone over six in a seat.
- Don't ride on the Capitol grounds or UT campus roads (state property) or on hike-and-bike trails. Narrate from the street.
- The Pfluger Bridge and the sidewalks beside the Lady Bird Lake bridges are fine to ride.
- Weekend nights, 6th Street is barricaded: don't enter without APD permission. Stage at Brazos or Red River.
- Don't supply alcohol. Guests can drink in the cab, no glass.
- Ride the route yourself before leading it, and check anything marked 'check' in the talking points.
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1
Austin City Hall
about 10 minWhere to stop: Easy pull-up on 2nd Street or Lavaca. Good meeting point to start the architecture tour.
- Designed by Antoine Predock, opened in 2004.
- Rough Texas limestone at the base, copper above; the overhang is nicknamed the armadillo tail.
- It sits where the old Guy Town red-light district used to be.
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2
2nd Street and Republic Square
about 10 minWhere to stop: Rolling narration. No need to stop unless guests want a photo.
- Republic Square is one of the original public squares in the 1839 city plan.
- The live oaks are older than most of the buildings around them.
- Saturday mornings the farmers market sets up here.
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3
Congress Avenue and the Capitol view
about 10 minWhere to stop: Ride north up Congress in the bike lane; stop at 6th or 11th for the view.
- Congress was planned in 1839 as the grand avenue leading to the Capitol.
- State law protects dozens of Capitol view corridors, so towers can't block the dome from key spots.
- Point out the old storefronts between the new towers.
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4
The Driskill Hotel
about 10 minWhere to stop: Pull to the Brazos Street curb. On weekend nights 6th is barricaded; stay on Brazos.
- Built by cattle baron Col. Jesse Driskill in 1886, Austin's oldest operating hotel.
- Look up: busts of Driskill and his sons and carved longhorn heads on the facade.
- Governors have held inaugural balls here for well over a century.
- Lyndon Johnson took Lady Bird on their first date here, in 1934.
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5
Texas State Capitol
about 10 minWhere to stop: Narrate from Congress Avenue or 11th Street. Capitol grounds are state property: pedicabs don't drive on them.
- Finished in 1888 from sunset-red granite quarried near Marble Falls.
- At 302.64 feet it's taller than the U.S. Capitol. Texans will tell you that.
- Paid for by trading about 3 million acres of Panhandle land, which became the XIT Ranch.
- The Goddess of Liberty on top is a 1986 aluminum replica; the original is inside the Bullock Museum.
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6
UT Tower
about 10 minWhere to stop: Campus roads are state property: narrate from Guadalupe or 21st Street, don't ride onto campus.
- Designed by Paul Cret, finished in 1937.
- Lit burnt orange for victories; a number 1 shows for national championships.
- The Drag (Guadalupe Street) has been the campus main street for generations.
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7
Moody Center
about 10 minWhere to stop: View from public streets. On event nights APD controls the area: don't block the drop-off lanes.
- Opened in April 2022 with a John Mayer show; about 15,000 seats.
- Matthew McConaughey holds the official title of Minister of Culture.
- Built where the old Erwin Center parking was; Red River Street was rerouted for it.
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8
Rainey Street
about 15 minWhere to stop: Weekend nights Rainey closes to cars, with drop-off at the ends; pedicabs are a natural fit. Use the Cesar Chavez end.
- The houses date from the 1880s to the 1930s; the district has been on the National Register since 1985.
- The first bar, Lustre Pearl, opened in 2009. Now nearly every house is a bar or patio.
- Great contrast shot: little porches in front, 50-story towers behind.
Ride the Architecture and historic downtown tour.
Pick a date and we'll confirm your rider and the price before you ride.
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