Six Square, Austin’s Black Cultural District, is one of the best places to spend a day if you're looking for good food, good art, and a lesson in our city’s history.
The district, which was once classified as the “Negro district” in Austin’s 1928 master plan, is made up of six square miles extending from Interstate 35 to Airport Road and Seventh Street to Manor Road.
Here are some of our favorite spots to visit in the district:
Kenny Dorham’s Backyard
Kenny Dorham’s Backyard, 1106 E. 11th St., is one of those places that’ll make you feel lucky to live in Austin. It’s a music venue, gathering space, and is full of art. Stop by on a Monday for the venue’s Blue Monday Blues Jams!
Victory East
Victory East, 1104 E. 11th St., is a southern restaurant located in what was formerly known as Victory Grill. The grill was a music venue on the Chitlin’ Circuit when Austin was still legally segregated. Artists like B. B. King and Bobby Bland performed at the venue, which was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1998.
Downs Mabson Field
Downs Mabson Field, 2816 E. 12th St., is where the Austin Black Senators baseball team, which was part of the Negro Leagues, played in the 1920s and 1930s. In the 1940s and 1950s, football players at the city’s only high school for Black students, L.C. Anderson High School, played at the field.
Today, it’s used by the Huston-Tillotson University baseball team.
George Washington Carver Museum, Cultural and Genealogy Center
The George Washington Carver Museum, Cultural and Genealogy Center, 1165 Angelina St., is well worth a visit. Spend an afternoon getting to know Austin’s and Texas’ Black history. The museum is free to attend. Make sure you keep up with the museum’s calendar — something cool is always happening!
Hoover’s Cooking
We’d never write you a neighborhood guide without recommending somewhere to eat! Hoover’s Cooking, 2002 Manor Road, serves delicious southern, Texas food like chicken fried steak, fried catfish, skillet corn bread, biscuits, and more.
Sam's BBQ
If you haven’t eaten at Sam’s BBQ, there’s still a 99% chance you’ve at least seen the restaurant’s mural that says: “You don’t need no teeth to eat my beef.” The barbecue joint, 2000 E. 12th St., has been around since 1957 and serves tender brisket, your classic sides like potato salad and mac and cheese, and pretty great ribs!
