Decades ago, the public event space was full of life. Now it’s rundown, like an old relic.
January 4, 2023
Episodes
July 16, 2026
What happened to all the fireflies in Austin?
The summer air is supposed to filled with magical, twinkling insects. But you might have noticed — depending on where you live in Austin — that there don’t seem to be as many of them lately. KUT’s Chelsey Zhu went on a bug hunt.
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July 2, 2026
Is this Fourth of July tradition in Northwest Austin the work of some kind of cult?
Austin’s weirdest Independence Day parade has been going for decades. Now the husband of one participant wants answers: how did it begin and why do dozens of women (and a few men) do march like this every year? Watch this story at our May 21, 2026 ATXplained Live at Bass Concert Hall — including a […]
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June 4, 2026
What happens to all the dead animals the city collects from roads in Austin?
Thousands of animals are picked up from the road around Austin every year. But where do these animals go when they die?
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May 7, 2026
Was Austin’s Barton Springs sacred to Indigenous people before Europeans showed up?
The springs that feed Barton Springs were formed millions of years ago. So what have human relationships with Austin’s “Crown Jewel” been like in that time?
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April 23, 2026
Are there wild elk lurking in southwest Austin?
Darren Smith swore the dark, antlered figure he saw in the early morning hours was an elk. No one believed him. This story was originally part of KUT’s ATXplained Live on Oct. 29, 2025. Tickets for our next show on May 21 are available here.
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April 9, 2026
What’s the story behind this freaky sculpture hanging in the Barton Creek Greenbelt?
The story starts with a mysterious, long-nippled figure lurking among the tree tops, but it gets weirder from there.
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March 26, 2026
Who’s the guy who dances and silently raps at the corner of Barton Springs and South First?
We’re back with a new season of ATXplained. Lots of great stories coming your way this year. We’ll start with one from our last ATXplained Live. It’s about a guy who’s whole thing is to stand out.
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October 28, 2025
Who was that guy who used to read psychedelic poems before big concerts in Austin?
We go in search of a poet who was a fixture in Austin more than a decade ago — but suddenly dropped off the map.
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