The Texas State Capitol: Facts and Visitor Guide

Stand anywhere on Congress Avenue downtown and look north. The pink dome at the top of the street is the Texas State Capitol, and it has anchored Austin since 1888. Most people drive past it a hundred times before they ever walk inside. That is a shame, because the building is free to tour, the grounds are open to the public, and it sits a short walk from some of the best food and views in the city. Here is what to know before you go.

When it was built and why it looks the way it does

The current Texas State Capitol opened in 1888. It replaced an earlier capitol that burned in 1881. The State Preservation Board, which manages the building today, dates the dedication to May 1888 after about six years of construction.

The story most Austinites know is the trade that paid for it. Texas did not have the cash to build a grand capitol, so the state traded land instead. Contractors received roughly three million acres of land in the Texas Panhandle in exchange for the work. That land became the famous XIT Ranch. So the building at the top of Congress Avenue was paid for in dirt, not dollars.

The look is Renaissance Revival, modeled loosely on the United States Capitol in Washington. The difference you notice first is the color. The walls are that warm pink that turns almost rose at sunset.

The sunset red granite and the famous height

The exterior is sunset red granite, quarried at Granite Mountain near Marble Falls, about an hour northwest of Austin in the Hill Country. The State Preservation Board notes the granite was donated, and a special railroad was built to haul the heavy stone into the city. Inside, the wainscoting and floors use Texas limestone and other native stone.

Here is the fact people love to repeat, and it is true. The Texas State Capitol is taller than the United States Capitol in Washington. The Texas building stands about 302 feet from the ground to the tip of the Goddess of Liberty statue on top of the dome. That makes it one of the tallest state capitols in the country, and yes, it clears the national Capitol by a few feet.

The Goddess of Liberty herself is worth a look. She holds a star up high. The figure on the dome today is a replacement cast in aluminum. The original was lifted off by helicopter and is now preserved indoors.

The grounds and the monuments

The Capitol sits on 22 acres of grounds, and the lawn is part of the experience. The State Preservation Board maintains the trees, walkways, and a long list of monuments scattered across the south and side lawns. You can walk the whole thing for free, any day, and it makes a calm break from the downtown traffic a block away.

A few things to look for as you walk the grounds:

• The Texas African American History Memorial, a large bronze on the south lawn that traces the state's history
• The Tejano Monument, honoring the Spanish and Mexican roots of Texas
• The Heroes of the Alamo and other military and veterans memorials
• The Texas Peace Officers Memorial near the south entrance
• Older monuments and historic cannons set among the live oaks and pecan trees

The Great Walk, the wide path running south from the main entrance, lines up straight with Congress Avenue. Stand at the top and you get one of the cleanest views in Austin, straight down the avenue toward the river.

Free tours, hours, and what is inside

Tours of the Texas State Capitol are free. The State Preservation Board runs guided tours that last about 30 minutes and cover the rotunda, the House and Senate chambers, and the building's history. You do not need a ticket for the standard tour, though it is smart to check the Board's schedule before you go since hours can shift around legislative sessions and holidays.

The building is generally open to the public on weekdays and weekends, with the interior open during posted business hours and the grounds open longer. Inside, do not miss the rotunda floor with the seals of the six nations that have governed Texas, and look straight up. The view into the dome from the center of the rotunda is the photo everyone takes.

There is also an underground extension built in the early 1990s, the Capitol Extension, that holds offices and a visitor area without breaking the historic skyline above. The Capitol Visitors Center sits in a separate historic building on the southeast corner of the grounds, and it is worth a stop for the exhibits.

Parking and getting there

The Capitol Complex Visitors Parking garage sits just northeast of the building, with the entrance near San Jacinto Boulevard and 15th Street. The first two hours are typically free for visitors, which is plenty of time for a tour and a walk of the grounds. Street parking downtown fills fast on weekdays, so the garage is usually the easier call.

If you would rather skip driving, the Capitol is an easy walk from much of downtown. It is a few blocks north of the Texas Capitol stop area served by CapMetro, and a flat 15 minute walk up Congress Avenue from the river. Biking in works too, with racks near the entrances.

The main address is 1100 Congress Avenue. The south entrance off the Great Walk is the classic way to arrive on foot, since it frames the building the way it was meant to be seen.

What to pair it with downtown

The Capitol sits at the north end of a walkable stretch of downtown, so it is easy to build a half day around it. Head a few blocks south on Congress and you reach the heart of downtown shops and restaurants. Keep going and you hit Lady Bird Lake and the Ann and Roy Butler Hike and Bike Trail, which loops the water with skyline views.

If you are visiting in the warmer months, time the end of your walk for sunset at the Ann W. Richards Congress Avenue Bridge. From late spring into fall, the largest urban bat colony in North America streams out from under the bridge at dusk, and the crowd gathers on the banks to watch.

Other easy add-ons nearby include the Bullock Texas State History Museum just north of the Capitol, the University of Texas campus a bit further north, and the bars and live music of the Rainey Street and Sixth Street districts to the east. The Capitol grounds make a quiet anchor before the rest of downtown gets loud.

Frequently Asked Questions