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 …
This past winter, I had the pleasure of appearing on KLRU‘s show Downtown, a weekly exploration of the district that’s “as Austin as it gets.” My segment dealt with the writer William Sidney Porter, who went on to further fame as O. Henry after he left Austin. His time in our fair city was one …
My two clients yesterday wore identically patterned dresses, but in different colors of lightweight material. Both from Green Bay, Wisconsin, they had already figured out how to stay cool in Texas in August. One had just moved to this metro area and was welcoming her visiting friend. An amateur photographer colleague of mine was also …
My friend and fellow geographer Kevin Anderson delivers noontime lectures on ecological topics every month for the CER. This past Monday was Discovering the Colorado: Environmental History of this Texas River. Kevin also leads occasional tours along Waller Creek, the informal eastern edge of the original Austin city, and never ceases to extol Life on …