Austin and Houston Self-Guided Audio Driving Tour Bundle

5–6 hours Free cancellation Private tour

Austin and Houston Self-Guided Audio Driving Tour Bundle, photo 2 — Photos: the activity supplier, via Viator

About this activity

Experience the hippest cities in Texas with these self-guided driving tours of Austin and Houston. Dig into the long, embattled history of this fiercely independent state, witness the beauty of Houston’s bayou and Austin’s historic downtown, and much more. Featuring must-see landmarks like Austin’s Congress Ave Bridge (home to a huge urban bat colony) and the Johnson Space Center in Houston, there’s no better way to discover these two incredible cities.

Purchase one tour per car, not per person. Everyone listens together!

After booking, you can check your email before downloading the Tour Guide App by Action, entering your unique password, and accessing your tour. The preceding steps require good internet/Wi-Fi access. Simply follow the audio instructions and the route from there.

New, Lifetime access, no expiry. Use it anytime, on any trip, as many times as you want.

Not an entrance ticket to attractions. Please check opening hours before visiting.

Day Trips Half-day Tours Bus Tours Private and Luxury Private Sightseeing Tours Audio Guides City Tours Car Tours

At a glance

Duration: 5–6 hours
Confirmation: Instant confirmation
Ticket: Mobile or paper ticket accepted
Group: Your group only
People per booking: 1–4
Audio guide: English
Operated by: Drive with Action

What is included

Included

Included: Just bring your car and phone; the app guides your tour.
Included: Support is available via chat, email, or phone if you need help.
Included: Planning tools, route maps, scenic stops, and area previews included.
Included: Private tour experience for your family, in your own car.
Included: Lifetime access: use the tour anytime and keep it for future trips.
Included: Works offline with GPS route guidance and automatic audio stories.
Included: One purchase covers everyone in your car, not per person.
Included: Flexible tour: start, stop, and pause anytime during your trip.
Included: Access your tour in our separate audio tour app after booking.
Included: Hidden gems and local stories included along the route.

Not included

Not included: No live guide. Entrance fees, parking, food, and car rental are separate.

Itinerary

Buffalo Bayou Park

5 min

Next, we'll arrive at the Buffalo Bayou Park, where we'll get a chance to see the enormous cisterns the once quenched the thirst of the entire city! We'll also learn how the city transformed and found new uses for these cisterns once they weren't needed for drinking water any longer.

NOTE: The tour is over 40 miles long, with more than 40+ audio stories, and takes about 2-3 hours to complete.

New, Lifetime access, no expiry. Use it anytime, on any trip, as many times as you want.
Sam Houston Park

5 min

Our drive takes us past Sam Houston Park next, where a row of preserved historic homes display how Houstonians from all walks of life lived, from freed slaves building new lives for themselves to affluent merchants.
Stop 3

5 min

We'll park at City Hall and hear about the challenges of building it during the Great Depression. We'll also get a good look at the statues of Houston's founders which stand before the hall, and learn about how those statues had to wait over 80 years to be built!
Stop 4

10 min

We'll keep driving until we see Pennzoil Place, a pair of huge black towers looming over Houston. Here, we'll pick up some facts about the imposing buildings and the innovative architect behind them.
Stop 5

10 min

Our route takes us next through Houston's Historic District, chock full of gorgeous old buildings. We'll also hear about the multiple fires which swept across the old City Hall, and the celebrities like Johnny Carson who have partied in this very district!
JPMorgan Chase Tower

10 min

The next sight we'll see is the Chase Tower, the tallest building in all of Texas. Here, we'll uncover some secrets of its construction, like how the original design was hazardous to air traffic and it sports a helipad that's never been used!
Christ Church Cathedral

10 min

Next, we'll park at the Christ Church Cathedral, Houston’s very first religious congregation which dates back to 1859. We'll also hear about the generous stranger who's responsible for a steer's head being part of the church seal.
Daikin Park

10 min

Our route then passes Minute Maid Park, the famous baseball stadium designed to imitate the Golden Age of baseball.
Stop 9

10 min

Next, we'll see Emancipation Park, a lovely recreational space with a rich history. We'll hear about emancipation, Juneteenth in Texas, and how this park became an epicenter for the Black community in Houston. Then, we'll get the real facts on some of Houston's most notorious urban legends.
Houston Museum District

10 min

As we drive, we'll enter Houston's Museum District, home to fascinating museums covering everything from Black history to natural science to fine arts and beyond. If you want a really deep dive into the city of Houston, this is the place to be.
Hermann Park

5 min

Next, we'll pass Hermann Park, home to plenty of attractions for the little ones, including an entire zoo featuring cheetahs, chimps, and more!
Rice University

10 min

Our route brings us through the Rice University campus next, where we'll get some insight into the founder and hear about a baffling--and very ambitious--senior prank conducted by an alum known only as "The Mastermind."
James Turrell's Twilight Epiphany Skyscape

Passing by

As we continue through the Rice campus, we'll see the strange, pyramid-shaped building known as Skyspace. Here, we'll get a quick rundown of what this odd building is for, and how you can experience its beautiful sky viewings for yourself.
Stop 14

10 min

We'll keep driving past MacGregor Park and listen to the story of how he revolutionized Houston's transit system by replacing the donkeys it relied on for far too long.
Stop 15

10 min

At the end of the boulevard, look to the right. You should be able to spot the bronze statue of Dr. King. For a full picture of his life and achievements, check out the African American Culture Museum in Midtown.
Stop 16

10 min

As we drive, we'll end up on the Old Spanish Trail. Once upon a time, it spanned the entirety of the country! This trail stretched over 2,750 miles from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific. Next, we'll look down get the inside scoop on the importance of oil and gas in Texas's development, and look up at the stars to hear about NASA, the infamous Apollo 13 mission, and world-famous astronomer Carl Sagan.
Stop 17

10 min

The San Jacinto Monument is a 567.31-foot-high column located on the Houston Ship Channel in unincorporated Harris County, Texas, near the city of Houston. The monument is topped with a 220-ton star that commemorates the site of the Battle of San Jacinto, the decisive battle of the Texas Revolution.
Discovery Green

5 min

Discovery Green is an 11.78-acre public urban park in Downtown Houston, Texas, bounded by La Branch Street to the west, McKinney Street to the north, Avenida de las Americas to the east, and Lamar Street to the south.
Houston Graffiti Building

10 min

Grouping of industrial structures featuring rotating displays of colorful street art & murals.
Holocaust Museum Houston

Passing by

The Holocaust Museum Houston is located in Houston's Museum District, in the U.S. state of Texas. The Holocaust memorial museum is the fourth largest in the U.S., and opened in 1996. A major commitment of the Holocaust Museum Houston is education.
The Houston Museum of Natural Science

Passing by

The Houston Museum of Natural Science is a natural history museum located on the northern border of Hermann Park.
Museum of Fine Arts, Houston

Passing by

The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, located in the Houston Museum District, Houston, is one of the largest museums in the United States. The permanent collection of the museum spans more than 6,000 years of history with approximately 70,000 works from six continents.
Children's Museum Houston

Passing by

Bustling family museum with a wealth of hands-on activities such as a Bubble Lab & a Tot Spot.
James Turrell's Twilight Epiphany Skyscape

Passing by

Built in 2012, the pyramidal structure accommodates 120 people between two levels. Twilight Epiphany is acoustically engineered to host musical performances and to act as a laboratory for Shepherd School of Music students. Constructed of grass, concrete, stone and composite steel, the structure is equipped with an LED light sequence that projects onto the ceiling and through an aperture in the 72-foot square knife-edge roof during sunrise and at sunset. Turrell's composition of light complements the natural light present at twilight, and transforms the Skyspace into a locale for experiencing beauty and reflecting on the surrounding campus and the natural world.
The Health Museum

Passing by

The John P. McGovern Museum of Health and Medical Science, or The Health Museum in short, is a museum in the Museum District of Houston, Texas. The museum is a member institution of the Texas Medical Center.
Bull Creek District Park

10 min

One of the things that made Austin a prime candidate to become the capital of Texas was its place along the Colorado River. This allowed lush greenery to bloom in an otherwise harsh and challenging environment, and the park up ahead showcases exactly that.

Note: The tour is over 19+ miles long, with more than 20+ audio stories, and takes about 3-4 hours to complete.

New, Lifetime access, no expiry. Use it anytime, on any trip, as many times as you want.
Pennybacker Bridge

10 min

Coming up in a minute is the Pennybacker Bridge Overlook, offering excellent views of the Colorado River and what locals simply refer to as the “360 Bridge.”
Wild Basin Preserve

10 min

This is Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve, home to over 200 acres of preserved wilderness and three miles of hiking trails. The preserve requires a small fee on weekends and holidays, but is free and totally open during weekdays.
Zilker Botanical Garden

10 min

Just ahead is the Zilker Botanical Garden, featuring 28 acres of local and exotic flora. Here you can see native succulents, prehistoric plants, and even a Japanese garden!
Barton Springs Pool

10 min

This three-acre, spring-fed pool is a favorite swimming spot among locals, but it’s also much more than that! Here, you’ll also find a miniature train for kids and a community theater that puts on free shows for the public.
Stop 31

10 min

See the big Paramount sign? That marks the historic Paramount Theatre, and it’s over 100 years old!

This Austin landmark got its start in 1915, when architect John Eberson designed what was originally called The Majestic.
Stop 32

10 min

Here’s what happened: In 1842, Austin was technically the capital of Texas. But it was a frontier town, seemingly at risk of being seized by Mexico at any moment.

Meeting point and pickup

Everyone meets at the meeting point.

Meeting point

Begin from Lamar St @ La Branch St, Houston, TX 77010, USA. After booking the tour, search your emails and texts for "audio tour". Your tour is VALID FOREVER, so follow these instructions NOW to finish setting up the tour while you have Wi-Fi/data. Do NOT wait until you are onsite.

End point

Begin from Lamar St @ La Branch St, Houston, TX 77010, USA. After booking the tour, search your emails and texts for "audio tour". Your tour is VALID FOREVER, so follow these instructions NOW to finish setting up the tour while you have Wi-Fi/data. Do NOT wait until you are onsite.

Using your ticket

IGNORE THE QR CODE ABOVE

The QR code CANNOT be presented for a ticket onsite.

The QR simply contains your tour access instructions. Please follow these instructions BEFORE you’re onsite because they require WiFi/signal.

1. Download my Action Tour Guide app:

actiontourguide.com/app

2. Sign in/ register with your email (this is will automatically generate a one-time verification sent to your email. That code is NOT your tour password).

3. Go to “My Tours” and select “Enter Password”. Find your password in the instructions email sent by “Action Tour Guide” to you by email and text.

4. Download your tour NOW. Do not wait until you are onsite.

BEFORE YOU START

This is a self-guided audio tour. No guide will meet you.

Entrance tickets, attraction tickets, parking, and transportation are not included.

Your tour has lifetime access with no expiry. Use it on any date—no need to change your booking date.

For walking tours, we recommend headphones.

See how it works: actiontourguide.com/tutorial

NEED HELP?

Setup: actiontourguide.com/redeem

FAQs: actiontourguide.com/faq

Call: 1-508-506-1844

Email: [email protected]

Please note that an entrance pass is required to visit Redwood National and State Parks. State fees may apply for certain day-use areas, and these are not included with this tour.

Cancellation

Free cancellation

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

If you cancel	You get back
At least one day before	100%
Less than a day before	0%

Good to know

Public transportation options are available nearby
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Easy to use: GPS-triggered audio plays automatically along the route for a hands-free experience.
Private tour: Explore in your own vehicle without crowded buses or large tour groups.
At your own pace: Start anytime and pause for hikes, picnics, photos, or scenic stops.
Works offline: Once downloaded, the tour works using GPS without Wi-Fi or cellular service.
Good value: One purchase covers everyone in your vehicle, not each person separately.
More ways to save: Choose a single tour, a nearby bundle, or access to 200+ tours.
Download in advance: Download the Tour Guide app by Action and tour while connected to Wi-Fi or a strong cellular signal.
Follow the route: Begin at the suggested starting point or join anywhere along the route shown in the app.
Lifetime access: Preview the tour before your trip and revisit the stories, photos, and details afterward.
Supported devices: iPhone with iOS 15+, Android with version 9+, or a GPS-enabled iPad/tablet with cellular capability.
The app’s audio will play through your car’s Apple CarPlay and Android Auto display, while the app’s map will display on your phone. You can connect your phone to the car via Bluetooth to listen to the commentary through the car stereo.