Texas Governor's Mansion

An Austin landmark and the official home of the Lone Star State governor and family, this Greek Revival-style structure offers a look into Texas’ past and present. Visitors take a free tour of the Texas Governor’s Mansion on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday with reservations made in advance. The tour showcases the first floor, and guests get an insider’s look at historical home furnishings, ornate building details, and pieces of Texas history.

To hear more history behind the building and the state’s capital, book a tour of Austin that makes the Texas Governor’s Mansion one of its highlights. Many guided walking, running, and Segway tours include a stop outside the mansion.

• To take one of the free tours (Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday from 2pm to 4pm), guests must make reservations at least one week in advance. No walk-up tours are available.

• As part of making a reservation, visitors receive a background security check.

• There are no restrooms available for public use, and visitors may not bring any bags inside.

The Texas Governor’s Mansion is located at 1010 Colorado Street in downtown Austin near the southwestern corner of the Texas State Capitol Building. It’s about 10 blocks west of I-35. If driving from outside of Austin, take I-35 to 11th street and head west to Colorado. Metered street parking is sometimes available around the Capitol, or you can park in the Texas Capitol Visitors Center Parking Garage (parking is free for the first two hours).

Your arrival at the Texas Governor’s Mansion is dictated by your appointed tour time, but you can view the exterior of the governor’s mansion at your leisure.

Your tour of the governor’s mansion is likely to include more than a few interesting tales. A few tidbits: Sam Houston burned a letter from Abraham Lincoln in a fireplace here after Lincoln offered Houston federal troops in an effort to keep Houston in office and Texas in the Union. More recently, the mansion was where then-governor George W. Bush watched the 2000 election that made him the 43rd president of the United States.

The Texas Governor’s Mansion is important because it is the residence of the state governor and, with its construction in 1856, the mansion is the fourth-oldest continuously occupied governor’s residence in the United States. This uninterrupted history led to its recognition as a US National Historic Landmark.

The Texas Governor’s Mansion is located in Austin. Austin is the state capital of Texas, and the governor’s mansion and Texas Capitol grounds are located adjacent to each other in the city’s downtown. Houston was temporarily the state capital in the late 1830s, before the role of governor was established.

The Texas Governor’s Mansion is worth visiting if you enjoy learning about the state’s history, have an interest in historical architecture, or like seeing rooms with period furnishings. The free tour is short, only around 20 minutes long, leaving you plenty of time for visiting other places in Austin.

No, you cannot visit the inside of the Texas Governor’s Mansion on your own; you must go on a guided tour. Tours of the mansion are free, but you must make a reservation at least 1 week in advance and undergo a background check. You cannot join a tour day-of.

The best time to visit the Texas Governor’s Mansion is whenever a tour spot is available. Since you can only visit the Texas Governor’s Mansion with a tour, you’re very limited to what time of the day you can visit. Tours of the mansion take place in the afternoon.

Yes, the family of the Texas governor lives in the Texas Governor’s Mansion. The building has served as the official residence for all governors since 1856. It is for this reason that only a few rooms are open for the tour and that visitors need to undergo background checks.