Traveling back and forth for the four weekends of Kerrville left little time for leading tours in June, but I did manage to conduct a couple private strolls through the venerable Driskill Hotel in downtown Austin. These are an outgrowth of the Congress Avenue walking tours I perform for the ACVB. Soon enough, June came …
In the merry month of May, most of our mindfulness merges on migrating toward the Kerrville Folk Festival. I’ve been attending since 1979, and am fortunate to lend my several talents to the fest’s fun. For instance, I lead a nature walk around the 20-acre campground every Sunday. As a radio personality, I produced and …
One of the activities many guides enjoy is assuming the identity of historical personages. I’ve been lucky to do this twice in the last two months. In March, during our Austin Tour Guide Association’s annual gala, I became August Scholz, the German immigrant who founded Scholz Bier Garten in Austin in 1866. This guise was …
Spring is beginning to show itself on many a limb here in Austin and, thanks to with fine weather, these are excellent days to be on foot. The Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) has hosted free downtown walking tours for years, and they begin in March after taking a winter break. It’s a way to …
A wide range of visitors have come to Austin this cold season, and many of them now know more about Central Texas because they rode with the Texpert. Some of my clients came from Sweden, others from Philadelphia, Maryland, Dallas, the Midwest, and even Leander, Texas. Some were couples, others bus-loads. At least three of …
One Tuesday earlier this month was a gorgeous day to experience San Antonio’s cultural and historic treasures. My clients were a legal scholar and his wife from London. We enjoyed great conversations about Blackstone’s law commentaries whilst steering past longhorns grazing and llamas guarding on the scenic Hill Country route west and south. At our …
In a far-reaching adventure in late November, I led another small group of Russian professors half-way across the Lone Star State. On a Wednesday and Thursday, we went east and west and south and back for nearly 700 miles in all directions. Once more, they enjoyed the benefit of a translator, Natalia K., their associate …
The second weekend of October saw the 150th anniversary celebration of the German-Texan Heritage Society‘s headquarters. Perched high on a bluff overlooking Waller Creek, the rammed-earth structure was originally a free school, one of the first established in Austin. Added onto in the 1870s, the school included a residence for the teacher and his family. …
Last Thursday found me leading an all-day trek to points due west of Austin. My clients came from Cozumel to attend the Austin City Limits music festival and wanted to see the countryside and city before and after the fest. Also along was “Esméralda,” a young woman interested in becoming a tour guide. I piloted …
The unofficial slogan of the Capital City is “Keep Austin Weird.” Even though a couple other local tour companies tout this motto by selling shirts, caps, and stickers, nobody but the Texpert actually offers a journey to the odd side of town. My KAW trip visits several exemplars of only-here places. Consider these highlights for …