Where to find the 5 best and most Instagrammable murals in Austin Texas so you can enjoy public art and create your next viral TikTok or Reel.
I took a quick trip to Austin at the start of 2022 for my gorgeous friend’s wedding. Over a long weekend we celebrated the happy couple, ate our hearts out and made time to do a self tour of some of the best murals in Austin.
In this blog post I’m listing 5 of the best murals in Texas for you to take photos and videos of. I’m sharing the concept between each artwork, who painted them, exactly where and which walls to find them on, how to get the best photo of them and who to tag on Instagram. Don’t forget to tag me @gabriellawisdom or @postcardsfromhawaii if you use this guide too, I’d love to see and share what you create!
Aside from sharing this guide to some of the best street art in Austin, Texas, I also want to share a few incredible places to eat in the city. These restaurant recommendations come from both research and recommendations from locals and it would be a crime not to share them. Some of the best food I’ve ever eaten was on this trip to Austin.
Here’s my top recommendations for places to eat in Austin, Texas, whilst you’re visiting the murals:
- Birdbird Biscuit – The best morning-after breakfast you will ever eat.
- Terry Black’s BBQ – The best BBQ in the city as voted by every single person I met there.
- The Driskill Bar – Historic hotel bar.
- Ramen Tatsu-ya – Worth the very long queue.
- Veracruz – Mexican restaurant inside The Line hotel.
- Jo’s – It’s 4th on this list of best murals in Austin below.
I hope you have the best time finding these 5 best murals and public art installations in Austin, Texas.
Love from Austin mural
The Love from Austin is the best mural in Austin. Its simple and monochrome design makes it easier to stand out against it (if you’re planning to take photos with it). Plus it mentions Austin as your location so it creates the perfect content postcard of your trip to Austin, Texas.
If you only have time for one mural in Austin make it this one.
There’s plenty of space in front of it so you can get back far enough to capture the whole mural if you aren’t working with a particularly wide angled lens. Just be mindful that it’s at the entrance to the Prima Dora parking lot, so keep an eye out for cars passing through.
Located opposite Love from Austin, on the side wall of Birds Barbershop is the art installation, Austin Locks.
Where to find the Love from Austin mural
The Love from Austin mural can be found painted onto the right hand side of Prima Dora, a store selling work by local artists, quirky trinkets and colourful Austin souvenirs.
1912 S Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78704, United States
There is a small parking lot behind the store which can be accessed on the right side of the store, where the Love from Austin mural is.
Who painted the Love from Austin mural?
Charlie Copp painted the Love from Austin mural onto the Prima Dora store in Austin in 2016.
I can’t find the Instagram account for the artist but you can tag @primadora_austintexas in your photo, Reel or TikTok. They love to see what people post!
2. Historic Sixth Street Mural
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The Historic Sixth Street Mural in downtown Austin, Texas, is one of the key landmarks of 6th St which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.
6th St, or as it’s colloquially known, “Dirty Sixth”, is the hub of Austin’s nightlife. It’s also where the South by Southwest Music & Film Festival takes place.
6th St was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975 and is colloquially known as Dirty Sixth.
As the pavement/sidewalk is pretty narrow in front of the Historic Sixth Street Mural and it’s alongside an Interstate it’s not easy to take photos of. I suggest capturing it from along the pavement/sidewalk or your photographer could cross the street and photograph you between the traffic.
Where to find the Historic Sixth Street Mural
The Historic Sixth Street Mural can be found in downtown Austin on the corner of E 6th St and S I-35 Frontage Rd, next to the Hilton Garden Inn.
582 N Interstate 35 Frontage Rd, Austin, TX 78701, United States
Who painted the Historic Sixth Street Mural?
The Historic Sixth Street mural was designed and painted by Sanctuary Printshop in 2012.
It was painted in tribute to Austin being considered the live music capital of the world.
3. Greetings from Austin mural
The Greetings from Austin, Capitol of Texas mural is a large postcard that features select Austin landmarks within the giant letters spelling out “Austin”. The landmarks include Congress Avenue Bridge, Barton Springs, The University of Texas Tower, the flag of Texas and the Texas State Capitol.
The Greetings from Austin mural has since become a landmark itself, attracting people from all around the world.
The owner of Roadhouse Relics, Todd Sander, moved into his store on 1st St in 1997. When he learnt that the two men who were in the building opposite his were artists, he asked them to help him paint a 1940s vintage inspired postcard mural on the side of his store.
The Greetings from Austin mural might look familiar as there are many others just like it across multiple cities in the US, each depicting landmarks and points of interest of the city it’s in. The Greetings from Austin mural, however, was one of the first ones.
A queue forms at the Greetings from Austin mural by mid-morning so if you don’t want to wait around you should arrive early.
Where to find the Greetings from Austin mural
The Greetings from Austin, Capitol of Texas mural is painted upon the left hand side of Roadhouse Relics, a neon art gallery and museum.
1720 S 1st St, Austin, TX 78704, United States
Who painted the Greetings from Austin mural?
The Greetings from Austin mural was commissioned by the owner of Roadhouse Relics, Todd Sander, in 1997 and was painted by two artists, Rory Skagenn and Bill Brakhage, otherwise known as Skagen-Brakhage.
Tag @roadhouserelics when you post your photo, Reel or TikTok.
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4. I love you so much mural
This quick red scribble of emotion upon a small green wall in Austin, Texas has fast become one of the most famous spots in the whole city.
The story goes that the graffiti was a love letter to one of the owner of Jo’s, Liz Lambert, from her partner Amy Cook.
Jo’s coffee shop isn’t just where you’ll find the I love you so much mural, it’s also where you can pick up some of the best coffee in Austin. Try one of their seasonal drinks, breakfast tacos or their signature drink, Iced Turbo, which is a creamy iced coffee drink with chocolate and hazelnut.
The I love you so much mural gets a queue by the afternoon so try arriving here in the morning then treat yourself to a breakfast taco!
Where to find the I love you so much mural
I love you so much mural can be found painted onto the right hand side of Jo’s Coffee on South Congress Ave.
1300 S Congress Ave, Austin, TX 78704, United States
5. Tau Ceti mural
Scaling the full height of a 10 storey building in downtown, Tau Ceti is the tallest mural in Austin, Texas.
The mural was commissioned for $76,000 as part of a Capital Improvement Project to give a fresh look to the parking garage it resides on.
Creator, Josef Kristofoletti, created this 103ft spectrum of colour to represent unity and diversity in Austin. He painted the entire mural by hand from a suspended motorised swing stage.
As the Tau Ceti mural is extremely tall, the best way to get in as many gradients of colour into a photo or video is to shoot it from below. Luckily it’s in front of a sidewalk/pavement so there’s enough room to step back and do this.
Where to find the Tau Ceti mural
The Tau Ceti mural can be found in the northwest nook of a parking garage on the corner of E 2nd St and Brazos St.
E 2nd St &, Brazos St, Austin, TX 78701, United States
Who painted the Tau Ceti mural
Artist Josef Kristofoletti painted the Tau Ceti mural in Austin, Texas.
Tag @josefkristofoletti when you post your photo, Reel or TikTok.
This list of 5 best and most Instagrammable murals covers just a handful of a vast amount of public art in the city of Austin. If you’re on a short trip to the city these are the ones you won’t want to miss but others of interest are We Rise, Butter Half and Hi, How are you murals.
If you find this guide to five of the best and most Instagrammable murals in Austin, Texas useful then please let me know in the comments below and I’d love it if you shared any that aren’t on this list for others to find.
I hope you have the best time visiting these fun murals in Austin, Texas.
Do more on & for the planet, Gabriella
