Do It Go

There are many things to do, to see and to experience in the downtown area of Austin, Texas.  Restaurants and bars line the streets, and great food and incredible music can be found throughout the city every night of the week.  Art galleries and street artists are everyone, with festivals honoring this cultural and artistic city.  The city is steeped with rich history, as many cities in Texas are.

It is sometimes hard to choose when heading out to to sight see, as there are just so many options, however one such site is a definite must see sight, and that is the Governor’s Mansion that is located close to many of the best Austin hotels that are surrounded by landscaped gardens and are located close Capital building.  The mansion is not only historic, but the most historical residential building in the state.

The house was constructed in 1856, and west of the Mississippi River, it has the distinction of being the oldest continuously lived in residence.  Today is has been added to the list of United States National Landmarks.  The architectural design of the mansion is incredible, with expansive hallways, floor to ceiling mirrors and large veranda.  The rooms surrounding the central hallway, and across the facade there were columns that reached close to the thirty feet.

The first family to occupy the mansion was Elisha Marshall Pease, the fifth Governor of Texas, and his family.  Many different families have lived in the mansion over the years, each one adding a bit of their own styles.  By 1979 however, the mansion was in desperate need of renovation, for more than one hundred and twenty years it housed those families continuously.  The Governor of Texas at this time was able to secure one million dollars for a complete overhaul.

A non-profit organization called Friends of the Governor raised another three million to refurbish the interior design.  Now it is not only the government mansion, but houses some of the finest of antiques from the 19 Century.  Many visiting the mansion also come to see the collection of portrait paintings of the former Governors of the state.  This is a beautiful and an historic site that one should visit at least once while in the city of Austin.

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Tags: best Austin hotels, festivals, Governor of Texas

This entry was posted on Monday, October 19th, 2009 at 12:23 pm and is filed under Travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.