Business Hours
OpenMonday
Open 24 hours
Tuesday
Open 24 hours
Wednesday
Open 24 hours
Thursday
Open 24 hours
Friday
Open 24 hours
Saturday
Open 24 hours
Sunday
Open 24 hours
Moonlight Tower - 12th/Rio Grande
About
1200-1208 Rio Grande St, Austin, TX 78701, USA Get directions
Austin's moonlight towers date to the 1890s, when the city installed a network of these 165-foot cast-iron structures to wash whole neighborhoods in artificial "moonlight" — and this one at 12th and Rio Grande is among the handful that still stand and operate today. You'll likely notice it before you reach it: a slender skeletal tower topped by a cluster of carbon-arc-style lamps, an oddly graceful piece of 19th-century infrastructure tucked into a residential corner.
Historic Landmark
More like this
Zilker Botanical Garden
Austin
Tucked into Zilker Park along Barton Springs Road, this collection of themed gardens winds across a hillside, with the serene Taniguchi Japanese Garden and its koi ponds usually the first stop visitors gravitate toward. Don't miss the Hartman Prehistoric Garden, planted with cycads and ferns around the site where dinosaur tracks were discovered on the grounds.
Botanical GardenHistoric Landmark
Texas Capitol
Austin
Visit Widget's Texas Capitol sits at the head of Congress Avenue, its dome rising a few feet higher than the U.S. Capitol in Washington and clad in distinctive "sunset red" granite quarried from nearby Marble Falls. Free guided tours walk you through the rotunda and legislative chambers, and the surrounding grounds and underground extension are worth the extra time if you have it.
Historic LandmarkLocal Government Office
Pennybacker Bridge Overlook
Austin
A short scramble up the rocky trail on the north side of Loop 360 brings you to a clifftop view of the burnt-orange steel arch of the Pennybacker Bridge spanning Lake Austin, with the surrounding Hill Country rolling off in every direction. Come toward sunset when the light warms the limestone and the water below, and expect company—it's a well-loved spot, so the small pullout parking fills quickly.
Scenic Spot
Get the inside scoop on Austin
Events, new openings, and seasonal guides — straight to your inbox, about once a month.