East Austin Black History Walk Tour
Description
This historic walking tour takes guests through the beginnings of Austin's Black community through the present. Guests will learn about The City of Austin's 1928 Master Plan and creation of the "Negro District", which is was centered around East 11th Street. We will visit important sites and institutions throughout our one-mile journey. Guests will also be able to engage in dialogue about the changing nature of East Austin and the city's Black community. A large part of this experience is to support local Black owned businesses in the neighborhood.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Our guide will meet you by the benches at the front of the building to discuss the history and start the tour. Guests will learn about the history of African Americans in East Austin and the creation of the "Negro District" in 1928 by the City of Austin. We will discuss the historical formation of the neighborhood and the movement of African Americans from throughout the Austin area to East Austin. They will see the African American Heritage Cultural Center's mural dedicated to influential African Americans in Austin. Guests will also engage with the Dedrick-Hamilton House, which was constructed by formerly enslaved persons by the 1890s. It was continuously lived in by family members until the late 20th Century.
After passing by the Rhapsody Mural guests will learn about the Historic Victory Grill's emergence during the Jim Crow period. They will also learn about the Chittlin Circuit and Austin's African American music history.
Guests will visit the historic African American church which was founded in 1865 at the end of the Civil War. Guide will discuss how the church was founded by freedman.Guests will learn about the role of religious institutions in the African American community. Austin's oldest institution of higher learning, an HBCU Huston-Tillotson, was founded in this church's basement. Guests will also see the "Lynching in Travis County" marker that's on Wesley's lawn. This important marker allows for guests and guide to engage in a conversation about lynching in Austin and ways that African Americans resisted such violence through community and institution building.
Tour concludes at the George Washington Carver Center. Here guests will learn about the Austin's Black community's petition to have the segregated branch of the public library physically moved to the 'Negro District.' The guide will explain reasoning as to why African Americans renamed segregated institutions after prominent members of the Black community. Guests will also engage with the Voyage to Soulsville mural painted by John Fisher. This mural is important to Austin's Black community as it was finished in 1986. John Fisher is an Austin native and was trained by legendary artist, Dr. John T. Biggers at Texas Southern University. The tour guide will interpret the mural make direct connections to other aspects discussed on the tour.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(9)
The tour was really fun and informative.
The walking tour as opposed to to a bus tour gave you a more intimate experience of the black communities in Austin. There were so many beautiful and historical murals. We got lucky that one of the artist was retouching his mural and gave us an in depth view of the historical meanings in the mural. I would recommend this tour for everyone since the black Life in Austin, Texas, his minimum as compared to larger cities.
We thoroughly enjoyed our East Austin Black History with our guide Julia. We learned so much and enjoyed the walking tour, stories and music. Julia was so knowledgeable about the history of the area and so pleasant to be with. Highly recommend. We went to Austin just for this & would do it again.
Donovan did an amazing job! He was punctual, professional and very polite. He was very knowledgeable about the history of Texas and African American journey through the years. He answered our questions and listened very intently. We highly recommend this tour!
I had the privilege of taking a Black Austin tour with Julia as part of a small team retreat for work. She was knowledgeable, passionate, and very easy to spend time with. Julia did such a great job of leading an engaging tour that will stick with me for sure. In fact, after the work retreat, a friend came to join me for the weekend. As we walked around East Austin, I loved being able to share some history of the neighborhoods and point out interesting buildings and landmarks. Highly recommend!
We were the only 2 people on the tour that day, so we had a private tour. Donovan was our guide that day and he was very personable and knowledgeable. I liked that he made it interactive by asking us questions about people and events. I mentioned to him that a lot of what he said was not taught in school (and both my wife and I went to school in Texas), so I with more kids would be taught what we learned that day so that they could have a more complete view of history in Austin and the U.S.
On 12 Jan 2026, by taking the East Austin Black Walking Tours I learned so much about Austin Black history, its leaders, and they’re tremendous impact in shaping and supporting positive change for people of color in Austin, TX. This is a must tour if you want to increase your knowledge of American history and how we are where we are today. Julia, the tour guide was excellent!
Julia was very informative. She did this in a very warm down to earth manner. My questions were nicely responded to. I learned quite a bit and greatly enjoyed Julia's presentation.
Our tour guide was amazing! She was very nice and friendly, and the way she explained the history of Texas was super easy to follow.
