Recently I was in Austin city of Texas for business and had Sunday to spend in exploring the city. and when I started reading about Austin, Texas Capitol stood out as a place which I would not want to miss and it exceeded my expectations in multiple ways. As you may know by now that Travellingcamera loves photographing architecture and Texas Capitol has a lot to offer on that front. In this Blogpost, I will share about how to reach Texas Capitol from different parts of Austin, what's the best way to explore it, main parts of Texas Capitol to explore, things to do around Texas Capitol, other places worth exploring at walkable distance from Texas Capitol. And there is nothing to talk about entry ticket fees as it's free.
Let's talk about how to reach Texas Capitol :
Texas Capitol is very close to Downtown or in fact, it's part of Austin Downtown only. So this part of the city is very well connected through buses as well, which is usually rare in United states. Light rail station is also there in downtown. Certainly you can take taxi or drive to Texas Capitol.
I was staying in Domain area of Austin and there is a direct bus which starts from Domain you get down at Capitol station. I used bus number 803 and then walked for about 5-7 minutes to reach Texas Capitol.
If you are considering bus to commute in Austin, it's very cheap. You can get day pass for $2.5. One side ticket price if $1.25, so it's no brainer even if you want to go one place and come back :). I will write more about how I used Buses in Austin to explore more of the places and that's an amazing way to explore any place. Public transportation and walk, are 2 of my favourite ways to explore any place and usually they are pocket friendly as well.
There are beautiful lawns around Texas Capitol and as you enter this space, you suddenly start hearing bird sounds and now you are suddenly at a much peaceful space. While walking around, I clicked photographs of some birds of Texas and these cute squirrels, who were in action all the time. May be I will share bird photographs separately, but I couldn't resist sharing above photograph as I loved the light effect on the tail :) .
Texas Capitol building is very symmetrical, so whether you enter from Downtown side or opposite side, you get similar views of the building. and there are entry gates on both sides. The Texas State Capitol is the capitol and seat of government of the American state of Texas. Located in downtown Austin, Texas.
Texas Capitol is rectangular in shape and on 2 sides, you don't see the dome if you are close to the building. Above photograph shows that view. This building is made up of stones and looks stunning with great work in exteriors as well as interiors.
The Texas Capitol building has offices and chambers of the Texas Legislature and of the Governor of Texas. Texas Capitol building is designed in 1881 and is constructed from 1882 to 1888. After many years, $75 million underground extension was completed in 1993.
Not all sections of the Texas Building are open for visitors, but some of them can be seen from floors above them. Above photograph shows the library inside Texas Capitol. Visitors are not allowed to go inside but can see this library from floors above it.
Each part of the Texas Capitol is designed very well. Just look at these staircases. Each piece of this looks like a piece of art. I spent good amount of time walking around and inside Texas Capitol.
Texas Capitol building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970 and recognised as a National Historic Landmark in 1986.
Above photograph shows 'The Texas House of Representatives', which is the lower house of the bicameral Texas Legislature. It consists of 150 members who are elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. As of the 2010 United States census, each member represents about 167,637 people. There are no term limits. The House meets at the State Capitol in Austin.
The Texas Capitol building is surrounded by 22 acres of green landscapes scattered with statues and monuments. These included a "Great Walk" of black and white diamond-patterned pavement shaded by trees. The four oldest monuments are the Heroes of the Alamo Monument, Volunteer Firemen Monument , Confederate Soldiers Monument and Terry's Texas Rangers Monument, and these flank the tree-lined Great Walk.
There are many other monuments around Texas Capitol, surrounded by trees. They look beautiful and designed well. Each of them has details written around them. Those boards talk about the monument, when it was built, why and other relevant details.
Above photograph is clicked on first floor of Texas Capitol. This gives you a perspective about how Texas Capitol looks from inside and this is central part of the building, just under the huge dome on the top.
The central part of the Texas Capitol has portraits of all the past presidents of the Republic of Texas and governors of the State of Texas.
If you see up, that's what you see inside Texas Capital. I al talking about above photograph here. The south foyer features a large portrait of David Crockett, a painting depicting the surrender of General Santa Anna at the Battle of San Jacinto and sculptures of Sam Houston and Stephen F. Austin made by Elisabet Ney.
Above photograph shows one of the doors on back side of the Texas Capitol. Each part of the architecture is very well designed and attractive. Just observe the stone work, designs on the door, glass used inside the frames. Each part is very well thought and goes well together.
Here is another photograph showing elegant windows of Texas Capitol in Austin.
The Texas State Capitol is approximately 300 feet tall, making it the sixth-tallest state capitol and taller than the United States Capitol in Washington. The trees all around Texas Capitol make it look more beautiful. Other note-worthy thing is that Texas Capitol building is visible from most of the parts of the downtown because of it's height and its dome makes sure that you don't miss it when it's in your sight.
Texas Capitol is a brilliant place to explore in Austin and different people can have different motivations to visit & explore it. Some may like it's architecture, some may be interested in history, some may appreciate it for it's importance in Texas Politics, some may like different art-works inside and outside the Capitol building.
Hope this blogpost has shared enough to inspire you to plan your visit to Texas Capitol. Please feel free to drop your questions/suggestions in comments section below.
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