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ATXplained

KUT & KUTX Studios

What about Austin has you curious?

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Episodes

180 episodes

  1. How did the women’s restroom at Austin’s Donn’s Depot become so ‘iconic’? 7:32
  2. Ella is new to Austin. She needs your recommendations for things to do. 5:24
  3. Why is it taking so long to finish the renovations at the Barton Springs bathhouse? 11:51
  4. Did Becky appear on this long lost Austin TV show? 12:16
  5. Austin has 14 sister cities. What’s a sister city, anyway? 11:27
  6. What’s the story behind the huge Adirondack chair in front of this Austin church? 6:34
  7. BONUS: A live riff on our Master Pancake story at ATXplained Live in October 2025 24:38
  8. How did Austin’s ‘Master Pancake’ get started? 11:04
  9. What happened to all the fireflies in Austin? 9:16
  10. Is this Fourth of July tradition in Northwest Austin the work of some kind of cult? 13:20
  11. What happens to all the dead animals the city collects from roads in Austin? 10:58
  12. Was Austin’s Barton Springs sacred to Indigenous people before Europeans showed up? 13:27
  13. Are there wild elk lurking in southwest Austin? 12:01
  14. What’s the story behind this freaky sculpture hanging in the Barton Creek Greenbelt? 12:28
  15. Who’s the guy who dances and silently raps at the corner of Barton Springs and South First? 10:59
  16. Who was that guy who used to read psychedelic poems before big concerts in Austin? 11:51
  17. Is the Texas Capitol radioactive? 10:15
  18. Who made those giant sandwiches outside of Thundercloud Subs? 11:49
  19. How did Texas become the only state with its own toast? (archive episode) 9:25
  20. Who were the ‘Cedar Choppers’ of West Austin? 12:58
  21. Did Travis County vote against secession before the Civil War? 7:12
  22. Three Black Texans were lynched 130 years ago. How can Austin preserve their memory? 12:11
  23. Tickets are on sale now for our Oct. 29 ATXplained Live 8:20
  24. Why do sidewalks in Austin sometimes just end? (archive episode) 11:32
  25. Who is the oldest World War II veteran in the Austin area? 12:28
  26. Why was Austin once called ‘Waterloo’? 9:19
  27. What’s the deal with Austin’s “Rain Dome”? 7:06
  28. What happened to Austin’s lesbian bars? 9:52
  29. Who was Austin’s first female lifeguard? 12:30
  30. Who is the 94 year-old Texan who calls every state lawmaker? 8:49
  31. What’s the history of segregation at Barton Springs Pool? 10:25
  32. Is it safe to live near an old East Austin ‘Tank Farm’?
  33. Why are there so many of the same kind of bars on Sixth Street?
  34. Why are there so many ‘Violet Crowns’ in Austin?
  35. Who has the oldest friendship in Austin?
  36. How long have movies and TV shows been filmed in Austin? 8:35
  37. Introducing 24 Hours in Austin 52:30
  38. Why are people dropping flour in weird patterns around Austin? 16:06
  39. Why hasn’t Bob Schneider ever had a Top 40 hit?
  40. How is Big Stacy Pool naturally heated?
  41. Were there ever alligators in Zilker Park?
  42. What’s the story behind this insert from a 1975 ZZ Top album?
  43. Why is there a display about Jasper Johns on the side of a Jason’s Deli in San Marcos?
  44. There used to be a pet cemetery in Pflugerville. What happened to the animals? 10:09
  45. Why do all the new skyscrapers in Austin look blue?
  46. Why do lifeguards at Austin’s pools blow their whistles like that? (archive episode) 7:22
  47. Why are there so many empty stores on The Drag near UT Austin? 9:41
  48. Can you raise backyard chickens in Austin even if your HOA says you can’t? 11:13
  49. Black houses are so hot right now in Austin. But are they hotter? (archive episode) 8:04
  50. Is Steiner Ranch really full of swingers? 15:36