History Lover's Guides

Leave the brochures behind and tour Austin neighborhoods with an ambassador of the city’s less familiar history, from the dirt on 6th Street to the music of hidden wildlife.

Witness the rise of a metropolis from the tiny frontier outpost of Waterloo into a world leader in culture and technology. Discover the lost treasure of Shoal Creek in Pease Park or just a sense of inner peace amid the koi ponds and waterfalls of the Zilker Botanical Gardens.  Like the bats of Congress Avenue, navigate Austin neighborhoods by sound, taking cues from the Stevie Ray Vaughn’s beloved guitar and Angelina Eberly’s city-saving cannon. Award-winning tour guide Jason Weems charts a course through Austin’s heritage, treading the back streets stalked by a serial killer and the stately halls of the Texas State History Museum.

This tour of New Mexico’s largest city goes beyond the traditional guidebook to offer a historical journal through an area rich with diverse cultures and their fascinating past.

The journey through time starts with the settlement of Native Americans in pueblos along the Rio Grande and then initiatives by Spain to settle and convert the region. Visit Old Town Plaza, where trade from the El Camino Real and Santa Fe Trails flourished. Look around lesser-known sites, including railroad depot facilities, major military landmarks and nostalgic Route 66. Join author and local history lover Roger Zimmerman as he carefully curates an expedition through each era of Albuquerque’s history and its most beloved sites.

A guide through the history of the Playground of the Southwest. Established in 1839, Galveston was the largest city in Texas for much of the state’s early history. The island city has hosted the likes of Cabeza de Vaca, Jean Lafitte, Sam Houston, Jack Johnson, King Vidor, and Sam Maceo. A strategic target during the Civil War and military stronghold during both World Wars, Galveston endured through countless calamities, including the most damaging hurricane to hit the United States. From historic mansions to long-hidden outposts of the vice district, author Tristan Smith surveys the best places to catch a glimpse of the Oleander City’s past, whether that comes in the form of museum treasure or Seawall panorama.