There’s something about East Austin that keeps people coming back. Maybe it is the color, the food, or the feeling that nearly every block has a story waiting to be noticed.

It is easy to drive past a mural without knowing whose face is looking back. You can order breakfast inside a century-old building without realizing what it once meant to the neighborhood. You can admire a colorful wall, eat an incredible meal, and still miss the history hiding in plain sight.

That is where Locals Know ATX comes in.

This summer, the Austin tour company is introducing two new walking experiences designed to help guests see East Austin through a local lens. One explores the neighborhood through its murals, music, landmarks, and gathering places. The other pairs public art with favorite eateries, serving thoughtfully selected food and drinks alongside the stories that make each stop worth remembering.

“Every bite comes with a backstory.”

Neither feels like a traditional history lesson. They feel more like spending an afternoon with the friend who knows everyone, remembers the neighborhood’s best stories, and always orders the right thing.

On the East Austin Art & History Tour, murals share stories of resilience, civil rights, musicians, educators, artists, and forward-thinkers who helped shape the East Side. Historic buildings reveal the many lives they have held. Even a familiar street begins to feel different once you understand how segregation, redlining, cultural traditions, and generations of community pride shaped East Austin into the cultural heart it is today.

The Art & Hidden Menu Gems Tour connects the neighborhood’s vibrant public art with carefully chosen food and drink stops. Every bite comes with a backstory. Along the way, guests meet the people and ideas behind the restaurants, learn how community favorites came to be, and discover why some of Austin’s most memorable meals remain hidden in plain sight.

The tours are equally suited to longtime Austinites, visitors, school groups, and anyone who wants to move beyond the surface. No previous knowledge is required—only shoes, an appetite, and a willingness to wonder.

Both tours share one simple philosophy: the best way to know a neighborhood is to experience it slowly. Eat where locals eat. Listen closely. Look a little longer at the art. Notice the details that are easy to miss from a car window.

“The best way to know a neighborhood is to experience it slowly.”

East Austin has a way of making people fall in love with it. These tours help explain why. In about two hours, guests can taste incredible food, uncover the meaning behind unforgettable art, and understand the connection between the people, places, and stories that give the neighborhood its soul.

By the time the walk ends, bellies and curiosities will be satisfied—and East Austin will never look quite the same again.

There’s something about East Austin that keeps people coming back. Maybe it is the color, the food, or the feeling that nearly every block has a story waiting to be noticed.

It is easy to drive past a mural without knowing whose face is looking back. You can order breakfast inside a century-old building without realizing what it once meant to the neighborhood. You can admire a colorful wall, eat an incredible meal, and still miss the history hiding in plain sight.

That is where Locals Know ATX comes in.

This summer, the Austin tour company is introducing two new walking experiences designed to help guests see East Austin through a local lens. One explores the neighborhood through its murals, music, landmarks, and gathering places. The other pairs public art with favorite eateries, serving thoughtfully selected food and drinks alongside the stories that make each stop worth remembering.

“Every bite comes with a backstory.”

Neither feels like a traditional history lesson. They feel more like spending an afternoon with the friend who knows everyone, remembers the neighborhood’s best stories, and always orders the right thing.

On the East Austin Art & History Tour, murals share stories of resilience, civil rights, musicians, educators, artists, and forward-thinkers who helped shape the East Side. Historic buildings reveal the many lives they have held. Even a familiar street begins to feel different once you understand how segregation, redlining, cultural traditions, and generations of community pride shaped East Austin into the cultural heart it is today.

The Art & Hidden Menu Gems Tour connects the neighborhood’s vibrant public art with carefully chosen food and drink stops. Every bite comes with a backstory. Along the way, guests meet the people and ideas behind the restaurants, learn how community favorites came to be, and discover why some of Austin’s most memorable meals remain hidden in plain sight.

The tours are equally suited to longtime Austinites, visitors, school groups, and anyone who wants to move beyond the surface. No previous knowledge is required—only shoes, an appetite, and a willingness to wonder.

Both tours share one simple philosophy: the best way to know a neighborhood is to experience it slowly. Eat where locals eat. Listen closely. Look a little longer at the art. Notice the details that are easy to miss from a car window.

“The best way to know a neighborhood is to experience it slowly.”

East Austin has a way of making people fall in love with it. These tours help explain why. In about two hours, guests can taste incredible food, uncover the meaning behind unforgettable art, and understand the connection between the people, places, and stories that give the neighborhood its soul.

By the time the walk ends, bellies and curiosities will be satisfied—and East Austin will never look quite the same again.