Scandal & Vice in ATX: Historical Downtown Walking Tour

This walking tour takes you on a journey through the shocking stories of scandal and vice that shaped our culture throughout the last 200 years. In the early days of Austin, the city was a wild and untamed place, a melting pot of rough-and-tough cowboys, politicians, ladies of the night, and desperate families hoping to make it on the western frontier. The streets were lined with saloons, gambling dens, and brothels, and the air was thick with the scent of whiskey and vice. On the outskirts of town, the cattlemen rode in, their pockets full of cash. They were untouchable, their power and wealth making them the kings of the frontier. They spent their money freely, and the saloons and brothels were more than happy to oblige. Austin’s politicians, the men who held the power and controlled the city's fate, bribed and bartered, making deals in the shadows and lining their pockets. And then there were the ladies of the night, weaving their way through the seedy underbelly of Austin's red light district. They were tough, resourceful women, surviving in a man's world by any means necessary. As the city grew, so did our scandal. While the legislative session is in, our city swarms with politicians wheeling and dealing, and we have the perpetual scandal to prove it.