Best Maps

Austin History Center

As William Faulkner said (sort of), the past is never behind us; it isn't even past. But don't take our word for it; go see for yourself at the Austin History Center, where you'll find the outlines of today's megamalls and sprawling suburbs in the blueprints of a simpler past. Sigh in wistful longing for the days when the city began and ended at Lamar. Close your eyes and recall a time when the Capitol was still made of charming (and flammable) wood. Shift your gaze to the horizon, where the insane asylum - still known as the State Lunatic Asylum until 1925 - belches smoke into the clear Texas sky. After an hour meandering down these quiet boulevards, you'll think nothing of plunking down 10 bucks for an old Austin map. We did.

Austin History Center
810 Guadalupe, 512/974-7480
library.austintexas.gov/ahc