City: Austin, TX

Category: Tours & Attractions

Telephone: (512) 305-8400

Address: 112 East Eleventh St.

Description: The Capitol Visitors Center must be added to any list of places to visit while in Austin, for both what it was and what it is today. Completed in 1857, this is the oldest remaining state office building in Texas and, both for its architectural and historic values, one of the most significant properties owned by the state. Designed by German-born architect Christopher Conrad Stremme for use as the Texas General Land Office, the building is an excellent example of Medieval-inspired architecture and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Today, the 2-story “castle” hosts a variety of exhibits relating to the State Capitol and to the history of the Old Land Office itself.We recommend stopping here before taking a tour of the Capitol. For one thing, the 20-minute film Lone Star Legacy: A History of the Capitol, narrated by Walter Cronkite, will serve as a great initiation to the capitol tour itself. And don’t miss the space next to the “small, dark spiral stairway” dedicated to the writer known as O. Henry. O. Henry worked as a draftsman in the Land Office from 1887 to 1891, and two of his stories are set there, “Georgia’s Ruling” and “Bexar Scrip No. 2692,” in which he refers to the spiral stairway.Upstairs in the wing dedicated to the history of the Land Office, visitors will find two surveyor’s transits. Peek through one to get a close-up view of the Goddess of Liberty who stands so regally on top of the Capitol Rotunda. (Her features are exaggerated to be seen from afar.) The gift shop here is great and so are the people who work as information assistants inside the front entrance. The center is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mon through Sat and noon to 5 p.m. on Sun.