University of Texas Tower

For $ 6, you’ll ride an elevator and traverse several small staircases to reach the 29^th floor. From here you will be rewarded with a spectacular view of the skyline and the student guides will share several interesting stories.
Tours are available Saturday and Sunday only and tickets must be reserved in advance.

The iconic tower is a must-​see when visiting UT Austin. My daughter and son-​in-​law met in Austin and received their doctorates at UT. While they moved away for 5 years, they are happy to be back in Austin and my son-​in-​law works at UT. While I was visiting my Austin family, I spent one day touring the campus and nearby attractions. All my son-​in-​law had to tell me is «just meet me at the tower» and I knew exactly where to go when it was time to leave campus.

Service is pretty decent, variety of options, prices are average. I recommend this fine establishment for really formal gatherings, only the classiest people dine here so please respect the dress code and oh, their happy hour is out of this world.
lol, do people really look at reviews for a tower?!

For only $ 6, the UT tower tour provides a lovely 360 view of Austin, lots of time for photos, and a nice brief history.
The tour is offered at different times throughout the year, you need to check online for the schedule. They only take 25 people per tour, so you must reserve in advance. You need to show up at least 20 minutes before the tour to pick up and pay for your tickets at the hospitality desk located in the Texas Union building located on 24^th and Guadalupe street, and then follow the orange stickers on the pavement to the door of the Tower building. You aren’t able to take even small purses on the tour with you, only electronic devices, so you most likely will need to pay $ 1 for checking in your «bag». If you show up late, you may not get your tickets, as they forfeit reserved tickets to those on a wait list 10 minutes prior to each tour. Once in the tower, you will wait for your tour time to start. Once the tour starts, you will go through a quick security check, and then ride a tiny elevator 27 floors up, it’s surprisingly fast for an old elevator. You will then walk up 3 short flights of stairs to the observatory deck, if you have someone who can’t climb stairs they do have a auxiliary elevator available. The tour guides are students, and they talk very briefly in between two opportunities to head outside to enjoy the view. They are also available to answer any questions you might have at any time during the 50 minute tour.
The 307 ft. tall building was built in 1937. The tower has a carillon which is home to over 23 bells ranging in size (I can’t remember the total number of bells). The carillonneur just recently retired, but would several times a week play a concert for the students. They now have a Carillon guild made up of students and alumni who were taught how to play, who carry on this tradition. Also, I found it interesting that the tower used to be a library. The books were located on the different floors of the tower, on each floor students wearing roller skates would zoom around picking out books requested and sending them down to the main floor via the small elevators. Thus, the reason why the elevators are so fast, and narrow, they were created for the purpose of book delivery not people moving. Eventually, they created more efficient libraries and stopped using the tower for this purpose.
Overall an interesting look into Austin history, while enjoy a birds eye view of the city today.
NOTE: The elevators are old, so they don’t always behave themselves. We ended up going up a couple of floors, and down some before we got all the way back to the bottom at the end of the tour. The guide mentions it happens all the time, but they always get you to where you need to go safely, «eventually».

Leading up to my 3000^th review, I was contemplating what I should use to mark this milestone. I have been crossing hundreds at a time without much notice, but leading up to 3000, I wanted to make sure to dedicated it to something that meant something to me.
While in college, I looked up to the Tower every time there was something to celebrate, from a football win to graduation. The tower lit up with different designs. Within recent years not only have they been able to do designs using the lights inside, but they have new projections that shine onto the tower that makes it look like the bricks are rotating.
For all my time at UT I enjoyed going up to the library that is connected to this building. The couches are super comfy and you can be left alone.
The bad demons that are associated with the tower were before my time, and I have to know the history, but it does not have to be my memories of it.
All I can say is Hook ‘Em! and to getting another 3000 more reviews in the future.

I wish I could give a higher rating for this place, but closed for tours. So I could only see it from the outside. I unfortunately knew this place for its negative history with the shootings. I’m glad to see it for the real reason. A nice beautiful tower in the middle of campus symbolizing the University center and main focal point. Glad I had a chance to go in the building. Disappointed that no tours were available.

Although I attended UT, I had never gone up the tower until this weekend. This was a great little treat when family was in town, and our small group (of 5) decided last-​minute to go to the top of the tower.
It’s a little bit of a process to make the trek. You have to purchase tickets at the Texas Union (2 buildings away from the Main Building, where the Tower is) at $ 6 apiece. No bags are allowed at the top so there’s a locker charge of $ 1 (but the «locker» is basically a locked closet on the first floor of the Main Building, so it doesn’t matter how many bags your party has, they’ll all fit). It’s a thorough screening process, as you have to empty pockets, let campus security rifle through your carry-​on items, and go through a metal detector. Things that are okay: sunglasses, cameras, wallets, binoculars. After that, a tour guide takes you up to the tower top via a very swift elevator, there’s another short security briefing, and then you are given free reign to walk and look 360° from the top.
The view is very pretty, and for the price I think it’s worth it to stand in a little bit of Austin history. Do it on a clear day.

At UT-​Austin on Saturaday with wife and younger daughter for a Longhorn open house for high school seniors. We walked by the Tower on lunch break on the way to get some Tex-​Mex at Arturo’s. Holy smoke, we saw 14 food trucks and a band playing reggae music on the green space. Quick change of plan and decided to do lunch at the Tower instead. Texted the older daughter to meet us there for lunch. There was about two dozens tables, chairs, and tents on the lawn. People walking around giving out freebies. We learned something called Texas Tribune Festival was happening. No idea what it is. Our focus was on what food trucks were there. So, 4 stars not for the Tower itself, but for UT allowing the Tower green space to host a food court of food trucks on nice day.

Let me start by saying, I was never a fan of anything ut or ut related. I was pleasantly surprised by this low cost and low pressure tour.
It’s not the tallest building, it’s not the best view, but it offers a good and very unique view of campus and Austin as a whole.
Something neat about standing atop such an iconic piece of Austin history. This is something I’d recommend to any Austinites or people who attended UT.
There is a screen in process I think well we’re patted down and walked through one of those airport screening deals.

Cool tower. Great view of town. And there is a person who plays Lady GaGa, CeeLo and other pop and classic songs on the bells… and of course the normal UT type songs I’m sure.
I really have enjoyed the random fireworks shows that seem to happen with the UT Tower at their center. They seem to spontaneously occur after winning home games, Diwali, New Years… and many others through the year… in fact, I’m not really sure when, but it is much more frequent than I anticipate.
I mean, who doesn’t like beautiful exploding projectiles on random days? I know I do :)

Came here on Saturday. You need to reserve the ticket ahead of time, $ 6 to get in, spend about 10 mins to get through because you have to go through a scanner (like in the airport), then take elevators up. You will spend 35 mins up here, about 20 mins outside taking pictures and walk around (FYI — the top is all fenced up), and 10 mins listening to the guide talking about the history of the tower.
My favorite story form the guide is that in the 1800’s, the law demands that no building in Austin should be taller than the Capital building, so UT tower is four feet shorter than the Capital building, but what they didn’t tell the government that the tower is build on top of 6 feet slope, so it is two feet taller (Do the Hook’em sign = 2 Feet).
How was the view? It is ok, I have no emotional ties to Austin or the school, so the view was just ok to me.

When’s it gonna be orange with the #1 on it again? Man, I miss those days.

There are better views in Austin, but few that are actually open to the general public.
So it’s not open all the time and it can be difficult to get in, but it’s a trip well worth planning. It’s also a special treat, as it was closed for decades. As a historical lesson, there’s not much, though the macabre will notice the evidence still left behind from Charles Whitman’s shooting spree.
But that’s not why you’re there. Look over the beautiful UT campus and look out toward downtown. Look at the hills rising in the west, and watch the people shopping on Guadalupe. I think the last time I was there, I spent an hour, but I could have easily spent more.

For my 50^th review, I had to choose something that I held close to my heart. I am actually pretty surprised to be the first to review, but I guess it makes it all the more special.
The University of Texas Tower is an international symbol that serves as both a beacon of achievement and as an ebenezar (a rock that symbolizes a new beginning) for both students and alumni of the University of Texas at Austin.
The tower can be seen from almost all around the city, and stands 301 feet in the air – that’s over 6 feet taller than the Texas State Capitol! It is also lit on various days of the year for achievement, memorial, and more (
).
They offer tours for the tower ($ 6/​person) on fairly random days of each month, but the schedule is updated often here:
It really is a great tour, and it offers something «different» to do on the weekends. They’ll give a you brief overview of the tower’s history, the carillion (bells), and 1966 UT shooter. If you’re not up for the talk, no problem. You can feel free to skip it – they usually ask if you’re interested in hearing more about the tower before they give you the history lesson.
As a former UT alumnus, I enjoyed going up to the top of the tower and observing my college career from literally a bird’s eye view. WARNING – get ready for major nostalgia! You’ll be able to point out where you had your first class, where you first met that special someone, where you lived your freshmen year, where you spent hours upon hours studying for that test that you ended up bombing and much much more…
What I loved was that my «wheres» eventually turned into «remember whens» and «remember that times.» You see, a lot of memories start rushing back to you from 301 feet up in the sky. The peace and quiet at the top of the tower is definitely a breath of fresh air from the fast-​paced life that normally consumes us.
So when life is throwing you lemons or you need to take a mini get-​away, check out the tower on the weekend. It really is a great place to reflect on how far you’ve come from what many consider the best four years of their life.
Hook ‘em.