A New Food & Art Tour Brings Murals, Meals, & Meaning
Words Codi Chen | Edits Ashley Bowling | Photos Will Bowling
There is something about East Austin that stays with you. Maybe it’s a
face painted across a wall you have passed a hundred times without
asking who it is. Maybe it’s an old storefront on East 11th Street, a
restaurant along East 6th, or a stretch of East 5th that looks different
from the way longtime residents remember it.
Before the hotels, apartments, and new businesses arrived, these streets were lined with family-run shops, gathering places, schools, churches, music venues, and homes brimming with families and stories. East Austin has changed quickly, but its history has not disappeared. It still lives on the buildings, sidewalks, in the food, the music, and especially the art.
That is why the murals matter to this little slice of Austin that has become beloved to so many. They are not simply decoration or backdrops for photographs. They preserve the people, struggles, culture, and community that shaped this side of town. When you stand in front of one actually giving it time and thought, you might ask: Who is this person? Why was this mural painted on this building? Why this street? Who came before us, and why is their story important enough to place on a wall?
Locals Know ATX’s two new walking tours are built around those questions.
The East Austin Art & History Tour begins near the George Washington Carver Museum, the first African American neighborhood museum in Texas. Outside, John Fisher’s Voyage to Soulsville carries generations of Black history across one wall.
From there, East 11th Street unfolds like a living timeline. Hillside Farmacy occupies the former drugstore of Ulysses “Doc” Young, one of Austin’s first Black pharmacists. Nearby, Victory Grill remains one of the last surviving Chitlin’ Circuit venues.
These places matter because East Austin did not become a cultural center by accident. Austin’s 1928 city plan forced many Black residents east of what is now I-35, while redlining denied families access to loans
and investment. Still, the community built businesses, schools, churches, music venues, gardens, and gathering places that helped define Austin.
The Best of Austin’s Art & Hidden Menu Gems Tour pairs murals and neighborhood history with some of the city’s best bites and drinks. Guests learn not only what to order, but who created these places, what stood there before, and why each stop has earned its place as the best in town.
There is no better way to understand East Austin than by walking it, experiencing it firsthand while gaining insider knowledge. You see murals at full scale, taste food that locals know to be the best, stand before buildings that have lived many lives, and feel the community moving around you.
Buildings may disappear. Businesses may move. But a good story can travel through generations. These tours do more than show you where to eat or take photographs. They preserve the stories that give East Austin its identity and make sure you never walk past them without wondering again.
THIS TOUR IS IDEAL FOR:
• Those who want to learn more about their city.
• Those who want insider knowledge on some of the best menu items in town.
• Those who like to experience new things.
• Those who love to make unforgettable memories.
• Those who appreciate art and food.
• Those who love history.
• Those who want to do something unique to Austin.
• School groups & field trips.
MORE TOURS BY LOCALS KNOW ATX
Taco Tours: Fridays & Saturdays, 11:30am
BBQ Tours: Saturdays & Sundays, 10:45am
Art & History Tour: 1st Sunday of the month, 9:45am
Best of Austin’s Art & Food Tour: 3rd Friday of the month, 9:45am
Corporate & Private tours are bookable during the week and weekends.
