What to See and Do When You're Visiting the University of Texas Campus

The Main Building of the University of Texas at Austin (Via Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons)

No matter how large Austin grows, it has always been a college town at heart. Multiple universities dot the I-35 corridor, but at the center of it all is the University of Texas at Austin. Colloquially called the Forty Acres due to the original size of its campus, the school now covers 431 acres in the heart of Central Austin.

The University holds many attractions, from museums and architecture to delicious food and drink. With the iconic UT Tower at its center, the campus is easy to navigate. Whether you’re on campus to catch a game, see a show, or move a new Longhorn into their dorm room, UT has something for every visitor to Austin.

Museums

Inside Ellsworth Kelly's "Austin" at the Blanton Museum of Art (Photo by John Anderson)

The Blanton Museum of Art is the largest art museum in Central Texas, hosting more than 21,000 works in its collection. Located on the southern edge of campus, about 10 minutes walking from the UT Tower, the Blanton offers an insightful look into art, old and new. A recent renovation brought distinctive flower sculptures to the museum’s front plaza. Other unmistakably Blanton pieces include Ellsworth Kelly’s Austin, a building-sized installation, and a blue mural in the main atrium that looks like a wave crashing its way up the wall. Tickets are $15 for adults, with discounts for college students, seniors, and children.

Explore President Lyndon B. Johnson’s life and legacy at his presidential library in the northeastern corner of campus, about 20 minutes away from The Tower. Johnson was born and raised about two hours west of Austin and went to college at what is now Texas State University in nearby San Marcos. A career politician, Johnson brought electricity to rural Texas as a U.S. representative, became a leader in the U.S. Senate, and eventually brought forth a Great Society as president. After their time in the White House, he and his wife, Lady Bird, held an influential position in Austin – he and Lady Bird owned two radio stations and a television station in the city until the former president’s death. Today, Lady Bird Lake and the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center bear her name. Tickets are $8 for adults, with discounts for seniors, retired military, youths, college students, and K-12 teachers.

After a recent renovation and name change, the Texas Science & Natural History Museum (formerly Texas Memorial Museum) has entered the 21st century. Located just north of Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, home of the Longhorns’ football team, this museum tells the story of Texas going back millennia. Explore the museum’s halls filled with towering dinosaur skeletons and taxidermy animals, highlighting Texas’ diverse fauna, past and present. Tickets are $10 for adults, with discounts for seniors, college students, and children.

The university is host to numerous additional galleries and research facilities that are open to the public – including the world-renowned Harry Ransom Center research library and museum, where you can see a a 500-year-old Gutenberg Bible, the Art Galleries at Black Studies, the Visual Arts Center, and the Briscoe Center for American History – and it’s worth spending some time on UT’s website to see what else is on offer.

Architecture & Public Art

The University of Texas has a rich architectural history and diversity that all building buffs can admire. First founded in 1883, the University hired French-born architect Paul Philippe Cret in 1931 to design The Tower (also known as the Main Building) and lay out the campus’s master plan. Over the years, new styles, from Beaux Arts to Brutalism, have sprung up on campus.

The Tower is the University’s icon and center. Visible from most of the campus and much of the rest of the city, it was completed in 1937 and originally served as the University’s main library. The Tower was also the site of one of the nation’s deadliest mass shootings in 1966, when engineering student Charles Whitman climbed the 27-story Tower and sniped pedestrians below, killing 16 and injuring another 30. A memorial to the victims stands behind The Tower near a tranquil turtle pond, where one can see students taking in the sun or the trickle of the pond’s small waterfall.

Today, The Tower is home to administrative offices and the Life Sciences Library, one of the most picturesque on campus. Walk along the east and west sides of the building, look up, and see seals of the universities that have significantly contributed to academia and higher education, including Oxford, Harvard, and the University of Michigan.

For a sample of UT’s Brutalist architecture, check out the nearby Perry-Castañeda Library along Speedway, the campus’s main thoroughfare. For a more modern flair, see the Norman Hackerman Building, which has a massive sculpture of metal canoes out front and hosts research labs and lecture halls for the College of Natural Sciences.

The Norman Hackerman Building and "Monochrome for Austin" by artist Nancy Rubins sit along Speedway on UT's campus (Photo by Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons)

Located on the eastern edge of campus in the shadow of The Tower is the Littlefield Home, built in 1894 for George Washington Littlefield, a Confederate officer, and his wife, Alice, and one of the last remaining Victorian mansions that used to be popular in the campus area. The Littlefields were benefactors of the University until their deaths, funding the construction of Littlefield Fountain and the original Main Building. Alice bequeathed the house to the University when she died in 1935. Since then, the home has served many purposes, historically housing the Music Department and Navy ROTC. Today, the home serves as a special events venue for University-affiliated organizations.

Public art is an often admired part of UT’s campus, and the University’s Landmarks program curates and presents accessible public art. James Turrell’s The Color Inside explores light as a medium itself. Located in the William C. Powers Student Activity Center, Turrell’s work offers a quiet retreat for students and visitors to admire the sky and the marvelous colors it creates.

Sculptures of prominent historical figures are sprinkled around campus, including Cesar Chavez, Barbara Jordan, and Martin Luther King Jr. In the spring of 1962, Martin Luther King Jr. visited the University of Texas to give a speech to the student body. King planned to stay in the Driskill Hotel downtown – which was more than happy to accommodate him – but organizers at UT were worried that he might be harassed by Jim Crow supporters there. The organizers fully furnished a room for King in the Texas Union with a daybed, chair, and art work. The next day, King delivered a speech to 1,200 people, encouraging them to keep working towards racial integration at UT.

Food

Pancakes at Kerbey Lane Cafe (Photo by John Anderson)

The area around the University is no exception to Austin’s prolific food culture. Enjoy some classic diner fare and savory queso at Austin institution Kerbey Lane Cafe, which is conveniently located on Guadalupe (or "the Drag") across the street from campus. Just down the road, China Family UT brings delicious, made-to-order Chinese food for a great price. There is also a small collection of food trucks right outside China Family.

Food trucks play a significant part in UT’s student culture. Any walk in West Campus, across Guadalupe Street from the University, will feature at least one food truck with unique cuisine to enjoy. The most extensive collection of food trucks is located at the corner of Rio Grande and 26th streets, about 15 minutes from The Tower. At this makeshift neighborhood square, the food trucks offer Brazilian food, burgers, tacos, and delicious Asian food.

The Texas Union is a prime hangout spot for students when class is in session. It’s home to many restaurants for a quick bite, the Union Underground bowling alley with cheap games for students and non-students, and the Cactus Cafe, a performance venue that showcases local and international artists.

If you’re looking for somewhere fancy to finish your day on the Forty Acres, check out Clay Pit or Hopfields, both located along Guadalupe a little ways from the University. Clay Pit offers contemporary Indian cuisine in a historic building about 15 minutes south of The Tower. Hopfields has an extensive menu of French fusion in a small restaurant about 20 minutes north of The Tower.

As the state’s flagship university, there’s always something happening on campus, from sporting events to concerts and musicals. To see what’s happening on the Forty Acres while you’re visiting, check out the Chronicle’s event calendar and the University’s event calendar, as well as Texas Athletics’ and Texas Performing Arts’ websites.