Stop #2: Austin, Texas Mural…read more If you are a Texan, you walk proud Texas tall. This mural reminds me of the things Texas is proud of such the hill country, the many waterways, cowboys and cowgirls, beaches (Yes! Texas does have beaches), parks and nature sites and rodeos. The Alamo is prominently featured int he mural (located in San Antonio, TX and one of Texas' top tourist attractions).

First checked this mural out back in 2016 or so and it's been a favorite of mine to show to friends…read moreand family when they're in town. If you're like me and like to do your own tours, make a mural tour and add this to your list. Sometimes when we're in the neighborhood, we'll stop and take pics. I am a huge fan of public art and this adds to the charm of our city.

I think I saw this mural for the first time back in 2016 or 2017 and I have to say it was one of my…read moremost favorite pieces of art back then. Just another example of amazing public art in our great city. We discovered it back then on a self-guided, self-planned mural tour.

This public art mural overlooks East Riverside Blvd and the Colorado River. The mural is to the…read morewest of I-35 on the south side of Riverside. It depicts a skull with butterfly wings, and some mockingbirds and bluebonnets. As you know, mockingbirds are the Texas state bird, and bluebonnets are the Texas state flower. I appreciate the Texas pride in this mural. The wall this mural is painted on is retaining wall, with a residential area behind/above the mural. It's not easy to get to this mural, as it's up on a hill overlooking the roadway.

We had friends visiting from out of town and we toured them around Austin. The City is known for…read moreits bright and beautiful murals. First stop, Greeting from Austin Postcard Mural. It contains all the things Austin is known for Capitol of Texas, Lady Bird Lake and Congress Avenue Bridge (with 1M+ bats underneath), University of Texas Tower, symbols of Austin being the "Live Music Capitol of the World" and our Texas Flag. Folks visit this mural daily to take pictures. It likely commemorates their wonderful time in Austin, TX.

What a great piece of public art for a great city. The fact that one of the things Austin is known…read morefor is great art and murals is one of the things I love most about it. I first visited this glorious postcard years ago as part of a self-planned and self-guided mural tour with my boyfriend. The colors of the mural are eye-catching and it makes for a great souvenir photo for tourists and residents alike. This is absolutely a "must-see" for visitors.

Stop 4: The ATX sign is one of Austin's most prominent pieces of public art and a city landmark…read more The large, three dimensional sculpture spells "atx," a common abbreviation for Austin, and serves as a bold symbol of the city's creative identity such as our famous "Keeping Austin Weird" and a source of local pride. The ATX sign was designed and completed by Ion Art, a Austin based signage and public art company, in concert with Whole Foods Market. Installed in 2017, the letters are constructed primarily from steel and aluminum slats and painted in high gloss, brightly colored stripes, making this artwork both visually appealing and durable enough for public interaction (folks sitting on it and posing near the art piece while touching it).

We accidentally stumbled upon the ATX sign while doing a group run around downtown in preparation…read morefor the Austin Marathon. It's on 5th street right in front of the Whole Foods. Decent back drop of some of the skyscraper if you want to take a wide shot picture. It's a cool addition for tourists to get a nice city photo for social media.

Stop #5 The Austin TX mural tour has been so much fun. My friends are enjoying getting to know…read moreAustin, TX better. The "I Love You So Much" mural is one of Austin's most photographed and widely recognized pieces of street art. It is located on the side of Jo's Coffee at 1300 South Congress Avenue in the city's South Congress neighborhood. The mural features a simple message, "I love you so much", painted in red cursive letters on a light green wall. The mural has become a symbol of love we have for each other, connection to each other as well as the connection to the city, and Austin's love for all. The mural was created in 2010 by Amy Cook, a local Austin musician. According to the word on the streets, Cook spray painted the message as a heartfelt expression of love for her partner, Liz Lambert, who is affiliated with Jo's Coffee. Now this sign serves a love note to all that visit Austin.

It's weird I have never reviewed this mural. Going to this Jo's location is one of my favorite…read morethings to do. It is, in fact, my favorite Jo's location. The mural is just perfection. Simple, elegant, profound, and fun. I can't even begin to count how many times I have been to this mural in the last decade or so. This along with other murals on South Congress and in Austin is where I take visitors from other cities. Well, I take them to this one only if I Love Them So Much!

Stevie Ray and I grew up in and around Oak Cliff Texas. I took a photo of this Memorial years ago…read more Austin was still a small laid back city and the tallest building wasn't very tall. You couldn't see any of this new construction behind Stevie. I wonder what he would think of the Austin he loved so much today. I know what he'd say," cool". Laid back attitude prevailed with him. It seems surreal when I see this statue and get caught up in memories of the last time I saw him before he dropped out of High School. Kimball highschool,first week of class, 11 th grade history. Stevie had dropped out before, gone to Austin for awhile but,for some reason was inclined to go back to school. That's really surprising because he was making headway in music. I guess we'll never know why he came back . But it wasn't for long and I think we all agree,he made the right choice . What I do know, is that I was there his last day,hour...minute of school. This is exactly how it went down as I sat in the row of desk to his right and one seat up. The bell rang just as SRV strolled into class and took the seat behind and left of me. I looked back and nodded,he flashed that patented smirk. About then the teacher started making a few announcements and added Mr Vaughan,please take your hat off. Yes,he was wearing his trademark black hat even into class. You just knew he was of a different place and time. He had gained a certain aura by this time. He just sat there gazing down. Again the teacher," Mr Vaughan,will you please remove your hat as they aren't allowed in class"! Still nothing. At this point I was getting nervous for him. Finally from the front of class," Mr. Vaughan,either remove your hat or go to the office". I guess he liked the choice because he stood up and strolled out of the history classroom,out of the school and into the history books. RIP Stevie Ray

It's weird that no one has ever reviewed this iconic sculpture (myself included)…read more This beautiful piece of artwork is a fitting tribute to the incredible talent that Stevie Ray was. Located along Lady Bird Lake (Auditorium) right at the water and walking/bike path (Ann & Roy Butler trail). It makes a long trail walk better when coming up on a familiar face, no matter how many times we've passed it. My most recent visit was to take my dog for his first visit. What a great way to spend an early #sundayfunday A great area to take out-of-town visitors too.

We like to take evening walks from our apartment to downtown. One of my favorite things to pass on…read moreour walks is this Johnson mural in the warehouse district. To me, it embodies all that Austin is. Welcoming, caring, open-minded, artistic, and so much more. As with most of the public art and murals around the city, this is one of the pieces I like to show to friends and family visiting for the first time.

Peace Love Austin! This mural by Mike Johnston was…read morecommissioned by Google Fiber on the side of a Lavaca parking garage. It's a bunch of stuff that is supposed to tell the story of what it's like to be a cool skateboarding hipster in Austin. Cassette tapes, pinatas, donuts, guitars- this is such a cool hip town! The artist has done a few other pieces of art around Austin. There's another one nearby called Love Wins. The artist is supposed to have hidden the word "Truth" in each of his murals. See if you can find it! I always appreciate street art in any form, whether it be done as a charitable contribution to the community from an independent artist, or a professional artist who is sponsored by a multinational corporation. Either way, this mural makes the Warehouse District a bit more colorful and fun.

I do have to say it does have some amazing views. I could prob stay up there all day. I don't know…read moreif we lucked out in the day or what but we were the only ones there. There are 2, if not more routes to get to the view point but the trail to the right is definitely the easiest. If you're in the area it is definitely worth stopping for a photo op. There was signage down by the road about parking but wasn't really sure where it was talking about no parking since there wasn't anywhere else, unless it just meant don't block the path. It is nice that they have food and drinks at the base when get back, so if it's hot and you're thirsty it's perfect..

The Pennybacker Bridge, also known as 360 Bridge, is one of Austin's most notable landmarks and a…read morerequired stop for anyone visiting or living in Austin, TX. The bridge is located at Lake Austin along Loop 360 (the Capital of Texas Highway), the bridge combines a unique structure with sweeping Hill Country views. It is simple in structure yet spectacular when combined with the Lake Austin water views, which never gets old. Today we simply wanted to be one with nature. What a fanatstic starting point! No matter what you call the bridge, one thing that is certain is that you will likely admire the architecture of the rust-colored steel arch design. That weathered looks allows the bridge to easily blend in with the rolling hills and Lake Austin. It is an equally visually appealing structure whether you are driving across it or admiring it from afar. Parking is very limited along Capitol of Texas highway. What spectacular way to start your morning or end your evening!