UT Austin campus tour: the Tower, the Forty Acres and the Drag

The University of Texas at Austin opened in 1883 on forty acres of land just north of the Texas State Capitol. The campus is now many times that size, but students still call it the Forty Acres, and the original plot is still its heart. It is a big, confident place of pale limestone, red-tiled roofs and old live oaks, with one of the liveliest cities in the United States on its doorstep. This guide covers the main sights in walking order and the practical side of a visit.

The shape of the campus

Everything is arranged around the Tower, which stands on a low hill at the centre. From it, broad pedestrian malls run in each direction:

South Mall: a sloping lawn lined with oaks, leading to Littlefield Fountain and a view of the Capitol.
West Mall: a short walk past the Texas Union to Guadalupe Street, known as the Drag.
East Mall: downhill towards the stadium, with the LBJ Presidential Library beyond.
Speedway: a long north–south pedestrian street just east of the Tower, linking the engineering buildings in the north with the main library, the gym and the big residence halls in the south.

The core takes about an hour and a half to walk at an easy pace.

The Tower

The Main Building and its Tower were completed in 1937 to a design by the architect Paul Cret, who also drew up the plan that gives the central campus its consistent look. The Tower rises more than three hundred feet, around ninety-four metres, and can be seen from much of Austin. Its bells mark the quarter hours.

The Tower is also the university's scoreboard. On ordinary nights it is lit in white, but after big sporting victories and at major academic occasions it glows burnt orange, the university's colour.

The South Mall and Littlefield Fountain

Stand on the steps below the Tower and look south. The lawn of the South Mall falls away between two rows of buildings and live oaks to Littlefield Fountain, a memorial to the First World War completed in 1933, with bronze horses rearing out of the water. Beyond it, in line with the Tower, is the dome of the State Capitol. It is the best view on campus.

Just west of the Tower, look for Battle Hall, an elegant library building of 1911 by Cass Gilbert whose style set the pattern for much of what followed.

The stadium

Down the hill to the east, Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium opened in 1924 and has been enlarged many times since. It is now one of the largest stadiums in the country, and on autumn Saturdays the whole city seems to wear burnt orange. The teams are the Longhorns, and their mascot, Bevo, is a live longhorn steer who attends home games. The hand sign you will see everywhere, index and little fingers raised like horns, means "Hook 'em".

The LBJ Library and the campus museums

UT has more museums than most universities, and several are worth an hour:

LBJ Presidential Library: the archive and museum of President Lyndon B. Johnson, in a monumental stone building on the east side of campus, dedicated in 1971.
Blanton Museum of Art: the university's art museum, at the southern edge of campus near the Capitol.
Harry Ransom Center: a humanities research library with exhibition galleries, where a Gutenberg Bible and the earliest surviving photograph are on display.

Opening arrangements differ, so check each one's own website.

Where students live, eat and meet

Many first-year students live in Jester Center, an enormous residence complex at the south end of Speedway with its own dining halls. It opened in 1969 and remains one of the largest residence halls in the country. After the first year, many students move into West Campus, the dense neighbourhood of flats on the far side of Guadalupe Street.

The Texas Union, on the West Mall, is the traditional student centre, with places to eat, lounges and a theatre. Gregory Gym, on Speedway, is the main recreation centre, and the main library is just south of it.

The Drag and the rest of Austin

Guadalupe Street, along the western edge of campus, has been the student high street for generations. Locals call it the Drag. It is a slightly scruffy strip of bookshops, clothes shops, cafés and quick places to eat.

Austin itself is a major draw. It is the state capital, and the Capitol building is about a twenty-minute walk south of the fountain. The city calls itself the live music capital of the world, with venues spread across downtown and beyond, and Lady Bird Lake, with its long waterside trail, runs along the southern edge of downtown.

Arranging a visit

Like most universities, UT Austin typically offers campus tours and admission presentations for prospective students, and the malls and lawns are open to walk on your own. Schedules vary through the year, so check the university's official visitor page for what is currently available.

Getting there and around

By air: Austin's airport is south-east of the city centre; allow about half an hour by road outside rush hour.
By bus: city buses run frequently along Guadalupe Street between the campus and downtown.
By car: a major interstate passes the eastern edge of campus. Use the signposted visitor garages; street parking is scarce.
On foot: the campus is walkable but large and sloping. In the warmer months, carry water and use the shade.

Areas families usually choose

Downtown: the widest choice, close to the Capitol and restaurants, a short bus or car ride from campus.
The university area: a small number of hotels on the southern and western edges of campus, the most convenient for an early start.
South Congress: across the lake, with smaller hotels and a lively street of shops and restaurants.

Tips for a smoother day

Start at Littlefield Fountain, walk up the South Mall to the Tower, go down the East Mall to the stadium and the LBJ Library, and return along Speedway to the Drag.
Summers are very hot; spring and autumn are the most comfortable seasons, and mornings are best at any time of year.
Comparing large public universities? See our guides to UC Berkeley, Michigan and UCLA.
Check the university's visitor page again shortly before you travel, as arrangements change.

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Cover photo: Larry D. Moore, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons