Discover Austin: Hollywood Productions - Episode 104
Lights, camera, action! Places around Austin appear in many movies and I'm highlighting three of these films for this episode of Discover Austin.

Discover Austin explores the culture of Central Texas. We visit landmarks, events, restaurants, history, and much more.

Craig Smyser, 1835 Realty
512-650-7300
[email protected]

The Austin area has been in quite a few films and shows over the years. Whether it’s just one scene or a whole movie that was filmed here, it’s always fun to check out the production locations.

Matthew McConaughey, one of Austin’s most famous residents, had his box office debut in Dazed and Confused, the film with his signature line, "Alright, alright, alright." Filmed in Austin, the movie has a lot of locations we could have picked, but let’s check out Top Notch Hamburgers at 7525 Burnet Road. By the way, it pretty much looks the same today as it did when they filmed in 1992. Dazed and Confused was directed by Richard Linklater who lives in Austin.

Another local resident, director Robert Rodriguez, filmed many parts of his Spy Kids movie franchise in the area. Lake Travis appears a few times, including in this chase scene. The island into which the kids are about to crash is where a lot of party boats dock up throughout the summer. I’ve been there many times, but I can’t vouch for the existence of a hole under the water line. In Spy Kids 3, a key scene takes place on Congress Avenue with the Texas Capitol in the background. This is supposed to take place in Washington DC so I guess we just presume the audience members can’t tell the difference. If you look closely, you can even see the Texas flag flying on the building.

The popular AMC series Fear the Walking Dead filmed four seasons in Central Texas. At one point during the zombie apocalypse, Alicia and June cross paths with a bunch of zombies at the abandoned Whirlin’ Waves waterpark which is actually the Volente Water Park located along the shores of Lake Travis. Season 4 features characters moving into a deserted baseball stadium. Dell Diamond in Round Rock was the spot used for this huge set. The filming here was kept secret until someone with a drone saw what was going on inside the ballpark.

While we’re not quite ready for a giant Austin sign, more and more productions are filming in the area. Head on out to see some of the past filming locations and keep an eye out for current ones.#austin #austintexas #austintx