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.

If I could bottle the feeling of being a weird little kid who just wandered into something magical,…read moreMuseum of the Weird would be it. This place might honestly be my favorite spot I've ever visited. I love oddities, and they are surprisingly hard to find all together like this. Walking through here felt like running away to the circus in the best way. Every room has something that makes you stop and stare. Shrunken heads, two-headed specimens, medical oddities, freak show history, UFO lore, Movie props and replicas! and so much more. I appreciated that it felt more like a cabinet of curiosities than a haunted house vibe. The exhibits are thoughtfully laid out, and there's a genuine feeling of love for weird history here. It doesn't feel cheesy. You can take your time, read signs, and really soak it all in if you want, or just wander around wide eyed and delighted like me. If you're into oddities, curiosities, circus history, strange science, or just being a little weird inside, this place is an absolute must while you're downtown. I left smiling and already wanting to go back. Honestly, if this is your thing at all, you'll get it immediately. One small but important thing to note, especially for the rest of my disabled community: there is no bathroom on site. While they do let you leave and come back if needed, that still means stepping out and trying to find a restroom on a very busy downtown Austin street. It was honestly really stressful and upsetting for me. However...that didn't ruin the experience for me because I love it so much, but it's definitely something to be aware of and the only reason this lands at 4 stars instead of 5.

It is something to do when it's hot. The AC works except in the wax room. It smells awful!!!…read moreThey encourage you to take pics with King Kong which involves getting on knees and climbing up thru the hand. Well my dress had a dark brown wet stain on it as I stood up. Looked like poop -it wasn't but it sure looked like it. Bathroom out of order but they let me in and stain still there. So $25 for 2 to get in and I possibly ruined a brand new dress. Wasn't impressed at all by the place.

The artist at The Cathedral of Junk recommended this museum. I looked it up and didn't know exactly…read morewhat to expect. When my friend and I arrived at this home nestled on the east side, we were warmly greeted by Scott and Jen. They showed us around their garden and then brought us back to their museum which was located in the back of their property. This museum definitely keeps Austin weird. Jen and Scott eagerly told us stories behind their collections. There was a strand of Willie Nelson's hair, parts from the original Ferris wheel, a taxidermy flamingo head and so much more. Some tips: -You need to schedule a tour on their website. -The suggested donation is $10. They accept cash and Venmo -The museum area gets hot, so dress accordingly. They will be kind enough to offer you fans -parking is on the street by the house

Go here! Bring your friends and family! This small museum, housed in an East Austin family room, is…read morea great collection of oddities, mysteries, and jokes. The exhibits are interpreted by the residents with humor and flexibility to suit the tour-goer. The "Impermanent Collection" is enhanced by special themed exhibits, back yard gardens and art, and a bevy of family pets ( Siamese guppy!!). The museum is supported by your donation or purchase of memorabilia.

We loved our visit. I didn't know anything about the art before coming here but was very pleasantly…read moresurprised. I'm drawn to classically influenced, figurative sculpture, rather than highly abstract contemporary styles. Umlauf's work was precisely that -- it focused on the human form primarily and touched upon themes of religion, war, love, beauty. There were some pieces that took my breath away, particularly the refugee mother and baby pieces. The garden itself is small (you'll likely spend an hour here, at most) but very pleasant to stroll around. The trees were bare when we visited but I can see it being even lovelier in spring/summer. Very reasonable admission fee ($8 per adult). Children 0-4 are free. Super friendly staff. The woman working the front desk was very kind to us and made our family feel so welcome (we brought our two small children). Small parking area but it wasn't crowded when we came (despite it being a weekend afternoon). If you're visiting Austin and you like classical and figurative sculptural work, make sure you add this spot to your itinerary.

A friend of mine was stabbed to death by her ex-boyfriend and he then committed suicide. Today my…read morefriend's family had a celebration of life ceremony for her. This celebration of life ceremony was a deeply moving and beautifully planned tribute to her life well-lived. The ceremony took place in UMLAUF Sculpture Garden + Museum. The grounds are serene and peaceful with art sculptures sprinkled throughout the garden. UMLAUF is strategically hidden behind Zilker Park in Austin, TX. The garden was a perfect place for my friend's celebration of life. She would have loved the tree canopy, small ponds, and the bronze and stone works in the garden. My friends passing caused me to think about life, death and the dash in between the two. The commentary today came from her younger brother, two friends and her aunt. Their glowing remarks intertwined with snippets of humor helped to soften the moment. One of the comments from her brother is that you need to keep in touch with family and friends, tell them you love them and do not miss those very important moments. Those thoughts resonated with me. Sometimes in this microwaveable society, we do not make time to be intentional and spend uninterrupted time with family and friends. I committed today to be more intentional from this day forward. When my mom and sister passed, I was selected by our family to do the eulogy, which is one the hardest things you can possibly do in life. How can you capture one's life in 15-20 minutes? What topics are most salient to discuss? Inevitably, my mind drifted to gratitude. I am so grateful for my family who loves me unconditionally. I am grateful to all my friends and especially those friends who have been riding with me for 25+ years. "The purpose of life, after all, is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience." Eleanor Roosevelt

Pretty sure my mouth was open in excitement the first time we drove down SOCO! lol ..Does not…read moredisappoint. Just about everything your little heart desires is all here on this street . Very vibey , vintage shops , foodie finds , plenty of shopping , fun crowds and yes parking requires some effort but it's worth it . Grab a bite and get your steps in !

South Congress is one of the iconic streets of Austin, TX. It stretches just south of downtown…read moreAustin past Lady Bird Lake. This strip satisfies of everyone's wants...cool boutiques, inviting eateries, captivating street art, and plenty of live music. In addition, vintage clothing shoppers can be easily immersed at a number of vintage shops. There is nothing like the epicenter of the South Congress, The Continental Club. You can purchase from high end stores like Hermes and Chanel to athletic stores like Lululemon and Toms. From elevated restaurants like Aba and Vespio to a variety of food trucks that will satisfy almost any food itch. And if you are in need of some retail therapy, South Congress can satisfy a plethora of shopping tastes. In full transparency, parking can be challenging sometimes, especially during the weekends. For all the benefits that South Congress has to offer, parking is a minor challenge. What makes South Congress memorable, the random jewelry vendors, spray can artists completing paintings live as you look on, street musicians playing their favorite tunes, the random conversation you strike up with another South Congress visitor. South Congress...such a great place to frequent. You literally could spend hours jetting in and out stores, eating ice cream or another treat or listening to live music. It's a fun place to hang out.

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.

One of my favorite things about working on a college campus are the gems (art, music, dance,…read moretheatre) that are available to enjoy.who knows if the arts can withstand the tide that is currently decimating our history so I won't take it for granted and will experience as much of it as I can. The contemporary, modern and Latin collections in the Blanton, along with the art pieces at Rowling Hall are my favorites.

Unpopular opinion loading: as someone who has lived in New York, Chicago and San Francisco, I'm…read moreafraid that this museum leaves very much to be desired, both for the quantity, and quality of the artworks, or lack there of. Basically a single story of actual art, since the first floor is in overly large, check-in area, atrium, and staircase with a large piece of art hanging from the ceiling. The second floor is laid out around the perimeter of said atrium, leaving little space for actual art. I would be surprised if this museum could display more than 20 works at one given time. I've been three times and never seen anything impressive or particularly interesting, and the entire ground can be covered in about 20 minutes if you move at a relatively leisurely pace. One of the times was there Saturday events and it was pretty boring. It was basically a bunch of people congregated outside in the heat because they had declared it wasn't an event with an OK band playing and food. You had to pay for on top of paying for the event. It was the regular art exhibit and there was no where air conditioned to sit in the heat. Whyyyyyyy? The little house outside is cute but it's not worth a visit alone. It's a novelty that wears off within about five minutes. In a city that prides itself on being so artsy, why don't we have any good museums or film houses? Not even one.

Very unique! If you are going to Austin, make arrangements for a tour. This house has been…read morefeatured in a lot of different books and magazines.

Keep Austin Weird is one of those phrases that is synonymous with Austin (in addition to barbecue)…read more There is so much interesting art here in Austin that you should consider looking into when visiting Austin, with Casa Neverlandia being one of them. Casa Neverlandia is a three story, colorful home located behind Goodwill Baptist Church, that was created by James Talbot, or as he referred to himself as "Talbot" when we met him for a private tour of his home. Casa Neverlandia originally started out as a one story home built in the early 1900's. Mr. Talbot purchased this home and started to transform it into what you see now in my photos and what you find online. According to Mr. Talbot, he grew up in a military family, traveling all around the world and living in some unusual places that includes a treehouse in Honduras. He has a college degree in architecture and has always been fascinated with building things, as you can see with his home today. To him, he builds this home for himself to reflect upon his spiritual side but also include some unique things for his physical needs, as he lives rather a green lifestyle. My husband and I, along with our little girl dog (yes Mr. Talbot allowed for us to bring our little dog with us) met Mr. Talbot outside of his home on a Sunday afternoon. We were lucky to be the only couple, as another couple was supposed to come but was told the date just didn't work with their schedule. Please note that it cost $15 per person for this tour and you can contact Mr. Talbot via phone or email to schedule a tour. At the front entrance of his home are numerous of doorbells, xylophones and bells. I believe there is over 40 of these things but Mr. Talbot says he can never have enough. He describes the mosaic tiles outside of the home, the snake, the outdoor patio seating area with the clouds element and so forth. Then inside, we see his living room with a beautiful and inviting fireplace and pit to help radiate heat for the first floor, indoor seating area that is meant to be an air alter with cool colors of green and a unique bookcase. We see some current artwork that he has for sale (no obligation to buy) that includes gorgeous hand beaded work and other things and then make our way to the small music room. Next, the kitchen has a lot of function to it more so than just design. Then we make our way up stairs. On the 2nd floor is a room that has a Thai like theme with the bamboo wall panels and red lacquered beams. This room has high ceilings and utilizes natural lighting since there is no lights in this room. Mr. Talbot says this is the room for parties and entertainment for guests. Then up one more floor is Mr. Talbot's room, which was featured on numerous of TV shows, magazines and books. From his bedroom, that has a safari theme to it, you can see a glimpse of downtown Austin. We were then lead to his bathroom where he is currently working on a bath tub with some kind of ocean wave like theme. Being that he has a background in architecture, he is able to create the structure of things the way he wants it. From his bedroom, we walk across a narrow plank bridge to his tree house or a tower. Climb a very narrow ladder and we are on the top of that tower and see great views of Austin. We eventually take a few narrow ladders down to the bottom, now in his backyard. From here, he takes us into his studio (built in the early 90's) and shows us what he is currently working on, which looks like a large clam shell. He uses soda cans that he has collected around Austin to decorate the shell. He also shows us this ocean like mural that will go with this clam shell. Then we eventually make our way outside. He tells us that he saves the rain water in large barrels, as he considers himself camping in his own home. He dresses up or down according to the weather and has a very low electric bill each month and water bill. Mr. Talbots has told us on the tour that he doesn't consider himself to be done with Case Neverlandia, as he is always building and changing things. And said that Casa Neverlandia may be different the next time we come back to Austin for another tour. Our tour lasted about 75 minutes, but we did make small talk with Mr. Talbot throughout. It was well worth our time to come out here and check out Casa Neverlandia and hope you will consider it too, especially if you are looking for something off the beaten path. You can see some of Mr. Talbot's artworks around Austin and a few other things in other states. Casa Neverlandia truly was a highlight of our visit to Austin and am so glad we were able to get a tour. Again as mentioned, it cost $15 per person for a tour and you can call Mr. Talbot at (512) 442-7613 or email him at talbot@talbotworld.com to inquire for a tour.

Beautiful shop!! Decided to visit this lovely shop on a whim…read moreand it did not disappoint. So many incredible artist's works that are displayed! At our visit we were stoked to purchase some beautiful prints and jewelry, I would definitely recommend this place for purchasing local incredible art!!!

My husband and I recently visited Austin and participated in the Keep Austin Weird Scavenger Hunt…read more We are so happy that our scavenger hunt led us to Art for the People! What a fantastic hidden gem of Austin! We had questions for the staff to earn points in the scavenger hunt and the staff was more than welcoming and accommodating. We learned so much and purchased and take two unique pieces of art home with us. We highly recommend checking this place out! They had art as well as jewelry and some body oils. Super cute shop with something for everyone.

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.