The Driskill
There’s more than meets the eye when it comes to The Driskill Hotel. Take the US Ghost Adventures Tour of Haunted Austin to learn about its ghostly lore.
Hundreds of thousands of tourists flock to Austin to experience its famously weird art and music scene every year. Everyone wants to take in the local craft stores and delicious barbecue, as well as a concert of two.
If you stroll a little further into Austin’s older districts, past the gift shops selling all that fun “Keep Austin Weird” merch, you’ll stumble across a genuine artifact of the city’s bygone era: the historic Driskill Hotel. Just looking at its architecture will take you right back to the gilded age of the Southwest, when glamor and oil money reigned supreme.
In the 100+ years that it has stood at the corner of 6th St., The Driskill has hosted everything from inaugural balls to high-profile weddings and many mysteriously wealthy guests in between. Sure, its eye-catching architecture and expensive decor draw visitors in, but the rumors of its ghostly past are what make it an Austin destination not to miss.
History of The Driskill Hotel
The Driskill was built in 1886, making it now the oldest operating hotel in Austin, Texas.
The hotel’s stunning Romanesque-style architecture makes it one of the most widely recognized. Impressive pillars, lofty arches, gleaming white limestone, and marble detailing make The Driskill easy to spot from its corner location in Downtown Austin.
Inside The Driskill, the luxurious decor continues in stained glass lighting fixtures, period artwork, and, of course, more marble floors and pillars. So glamorous is the interior that it’s been a feature in several movies through the ages.
However, before making its way to the silver screen, The Driskill had a long history of catering to Texas’ wealthiest residents. Many of them were enjoying the booming cattle and oil industries of the era. Jesse Driskill, the successful cattleman and socialite who built The Driskill, envisioned it as “the finest hotel south of St. Louis.”
Since then, famous politicians, movie stars, musicians, and artists have put their names on the guest list in fulfillment of Jesse Driskill’s dream. It’s no mystery why The Driskill Hotel has captured the imagination of historians and tourists alike for generations.
However, what is a mystery is many of the haunted happenings reputed to have occurred behind closed doors.
Luxury Hotel or Haunted Inn?
Like any high-end hotel, The Driskill boasts excellent in-house cuisine and nightly entertainment for its guests. However, the real entertainment is a little more out of the ordinary.
For years, visitors have encountered haunted happenings in the hotel’s decadent halls.
The young girl who fell to her death from the grand staircase is a common sighting. So are the suicide brides, who reportedly both killed themselves on their honeymoons in the bathtub of the same room twenty years apart to the day.
Are these stories a symptom of overactive imaginations and a high-end bar serving up delicious classic cocktails? Who’s to say?
If you’re curious about The Driskill’s haunted past, you’ll have to check-in and check it out yourself.
Haunted Austin, TX
The Driskill isn’t just an eye-catching landmark in downtown Austin. It’s a connection to the city’s rich history and ghostly past, full of all sorts of stories of the adventures of the old west.
If you’re up for more thrilling stories of the old west, join US Ghost Adventures on a haunted tour of Austin.
About US Ghost Adventures
Since 2013, US Ghost Adventures has offered entertaining, historical, and authentic ghost tours of America’s most haunted cities. We deliver fun yet honest accounts of hauntings across the nation for curious people of all ages. Our ghost stories are based on historical research, but that doesn’t mean they won’t send a chill down your spine.
This video gives you a small taste of what you might experience on your ghost tour — subscribe to our YouTube Channel for more.
US Ghost Adventures also offers virtual tours, a self-guided mobile app, and an Alexa voice app.
