How to Tour Austin
Introduction to How to Tour Austin
Austin, the capital of Texas is a vibrant city filled with music, arts, nightlife and increasingly, Californians (Much to the dismay of local Austinites seeing apartment blocks grow across their skyline). Nevertheless, the city of Austin is an amazing city to visit, from it's monumental Capitol Building, to the seediest of bars on 6th street, the friendly locals and live music venues help make this a must visit city if you are in, or visiting, the Texas state.
Austin's mixed history means there are plenty of areas in the Austin area that you should visit, unfortunately a guide book probably won't get you too far. You really need to research Austin before you visit, and get an interactive guided tour along the way. If you have an iPhone you are in luck, iPhone guided tours can give you flexible interactive tours to help show you this spread out city at the center of Texas liberalism.
How To Tour Austin
Austin is a great city to visit, and while you can easily wander the streets and see a large amount of what it has to offer, you really need some kind of guide to tour Austin without missing out on some of the greatest spots to visit.
Tour Guide
A Tour Guide is a great way to see the basic tourist spots in the city. You probably won't see any of Austins hidden secrets, but you will learn a lot about some of the Austin monuments. A Tour guide is a fun way to see the city, and it will help you get your bearings when you walk around later on.
Guide Book
Guide books will tell you all about the city of Austin, including some great spots to visit. However my problem with guidebooks is that you will often suffer from 'information overload'. There is often so much in guide books that you may feel overwhelmed. the worst part is that though each point of interest will be rated, there is no real sorting based on that, so it can be hard to find what best to visit when there are hundreds of options.
Audio Tour
An audio tour can often be downloaded fairly cheaply, unfortunately they run at their own speed, so you may find yourself drifting off at one spot, or having to hurry through something that really interests you. they also lack the interactivity of a real tour guide.
iPhone Guided Tour
An iPhone guided tour is a huge step up from a simple audio tour. It tracks your position on GPS, and can tell you where to go. They also often include detailed information on a spot you visit, and can ell you where to go if you get lost. Austin city tours are often written by locals, so unlike nearly any other kind of tour guide, you will be able to see why the locals love Austin so much!
