Dazed and Confused

An Iconic Coming of Age Comedy

Richard Linklater's love letter to the last day of school in 1976 Texas was filmed almost entirely across a few square miles of North and Central Austin — the same drive-ins, parking lots, and fields that locals still use today. Eight locations, all within 20 minutes of each other, are all still standing.

Details: Universal Pictures / Rated R / 102 minutes
Director: Richard Linklater
Cast: Jason London, Wiley Wiggins, Parker Posey, Ben Affleck, Matthew McConaughey, Milla Jovovich, Joey Lauren Adams, Adam Goldberg, Adam Rapp, Marissa Ribisi, Rory Cochrane, Adam Goldberg, Jeremy Fox, Esteban Powell, Christin Hinojosa, Sasha Jenson, Cole Hauser and Nicky Katt
Stream It: Dazed and Confused

About The Film

Richard Linklater made Slacker in 1990 with a camera, a cast of Austin regulars, and almost no money. Dazed and Confused was his follow-up — bigger budget, Universal backing, a cast of unknowns who would spend the next decade becoming some of the most recognized faces in American film. He cast locals alongside emerging talent, built the script from improvisation and his own high school journals, and shot the entire film within a few miles of where he grew up.

The film was a commercial disappointment on release in 1993 — Universal pulled its awards campaign after test audiences couldn't follow a story with no conventional plot. Quentin Tarantino named it one of his all-time favorites. A generation of teenagers discovered it on VHS and claimed it as their own. Today it sits in the Criterion Collection, and the filming locations have become pilgrimage sites for fans who want to stand where McConaughey delivered "alright, alright, alright" for the first time. All eight of those locations are in Austin. Most of them look nearly identical to 1992.

Filming Locations

Act 1 | The Cruise Begins

Top Notch Hamburgers

Mike (Goldberg), Cynthia (Ribisi), and Tony (Rapp) pull in for burgers as the evening kicks off, and Wooderson (McConaughey) rolls up alongside them in his '70 Chevelle for what became one of the most quoted entrances in film history. "Alright, alright, alright." The remote ordering posts, the awning, the neon marquee — all of it is essentially unchanged from the 1992 shoot.

Today: Top Notch Hamburgers has been operating continuously since 1971 and remains one of the most intact filming locations in the entire guide. The current owners (who took over from the founding Stanish family in 2010) have preserved the drive-in format, the remote ordering system, and the retro marquee sign. Every April 20, Top Notch hosts an outdoor screening of the film in its parking lot — if your visit coincides, plan ahead. Order the Longhorn Special and the hand-breaded onion rings. 

Address: 7525 Burnet Rd, Austin, TX 78757 · ~10 min from downtown

Act 1 | The Hazing

Beverly S. Sheffield Northwest District Park

After his junior baseball game, Mitch (Wiggins) is ambushed in the parking lot of Beverly S. Scheffield Northwest District Park by O'Bannion (Affleck) and Benny (Hauser) for the freshman hazing ritual. The chain-link fence and open lot behind the backstop are visible throughout the scene.

Today: The park is a free and open to the public City of Austin park. The baseball diamond and parking lot are largely unchanged. A good first or last stop if you're clustering the North Lamar-area locations — it's a 5-minute drive from Top Notch and directly adjacent to the Emporium block.

Address: 7000 Ardath St, Austin, TX 78757 · ~12 min from downtown

Act 2 | The Emporium

Emporium Pool Hall at Violet Crown Plaza

The Emporium is the pool hall and arcade where everyone congregates before the Moontower. Pink (London), Wooderson (McConaughey), Mitch (Wiggins), and Don (Jenson) hang out front in the scene where the group's social geometry becomes clear. The art deco facade of Violet Crown Plaza (one of Austin's first shopping centers) is visible throughout.

Today: The Emporium space is now Stiles Switch BBQ, one of Austin's most acclaimed barbecue restaurants (Texas Monthly Top 50 BBQ 2013, 2017, and 2025; Austin Monthly Best BBQ 2022 and 2024). The owners are fully embrace the film history, and the 1950s art deco bones of the Violet Crown Plaza are intact inside and out. Expect a line at peak hours, but it moves fast. Order the beef ribs if they're available. 

Address: 6600 N Lamar Blvd, Austin, TX 78752 · ~10 min from downtown

Act 2 | The Paint Drop

Rick's Auto Machine Shop

O’Bannion (Affleck) hears that Carl is being “busted,” across the street from the Emporium and rushes over. Before O’Bannion gets Carl (Powell), Hirshfelder rains down a can of white paint on O’Bannion from the rooftop above. Geographically, this location is directly across from the Violet Crown Shopping Center, making this a great spot to see multiple filming locations in one go.

Today: The building was once operating as an auto repair shop, but is recently vacant. There's nothing to do here except stand on the sidewalk and appreciate that the roofline Hirshfelder leaned over is unchanged. Worth the 2-minute detour if you're already at Stiles Switch; the two locations are essentially across the street from each other.

Address: 821 Brentwood St, Austin, TX 78757 · ~2 min from the Emporium

Act 2 | The Paddling

Wild Street and Ruth Avenue

Hirshfelder (Fox) gets cornered by O'Bannion (Affleck) and his paddle on this residential street, just around the corner from the Violet Crown Plaza. Carl (Powell) narrowly escapes. The street itself provides no cover and no escape route, which is exactly the point.

Today: Wild Street is a public residential street and remains largely unchanged. If you're walking the Violet Crown block, it's a short detour — more of a "for completists" stop than a destination in its own right.

Address: Wild Street at Ruth Ave, Austin, TX 78757 · ~2 min from the Emporium

Act 2 | Freshmen Hazing

Austin Public Library - Yarborough Branch

Darla (Posey), Simone (Adams) and the seniors haze the in-coming freshmen girls, including Sabrina (Hinojosa) in the parking lot of the local movie theater. 

Today: The building was an active Austin Public Library branch in 1992 and remains one today. The parking lot is publicly accessible during library hours. Fans of the scene will recognize the exterior immediately — the building's profile and the surrounding landscaping are essentially identical to the 1992 footage.

Address: 2200 Hancock Dr, Austin, TX, 78756 · ~8 min from downtown

Closing Scene | Just keep livin'

High School Football Field

In the film's final scene, Wooderson (McConaughey) and Pink (London) lie on the 50-yard line of the high school football field at dawn, talking about what comes next. It's the emotional center of the film. The open bleachers and field lights in the background are the same ones here.

Today: Toney Burger Athletic Center is an Austin ISD facility with a 15,000-seat stadium and turf field. Public access is available when no events or practices are scheduled. On Saturdays, stroll around the SFC Farmers Market while enjoying the nostalgia of the filming location.

Address: 3200 Jones Rd, Austin, TX 78745 · ~15 min from downtown

Act 3 | Moontower Party

The Moontower

After Pickford's (Andrews) kegger gets busted, Wooderson (McConaughey) leads the group to "the Moontower," a party in the woods under a glowing light tower. This is the film's biggest set piece: the whole cast, firelight, the Moontower prop rigged against the night sky. The wooded edges of the park provided the location; the Moontower itself was a prop and no longer exists on site. 

Today: Walter E. Long Metropolitan Park is Austin's largest public park at 3,695 acres, with Lake Walter E. Long (also called Decker Lake) at its center. Day-use fees apply. The park offers fishing, boating, hiking, and swimming. The actual party site in the wooded area is not marked or accessible as a film location — the draw here is the park itself, not a specific landmark. Good for a half-day if you want to end the location tour outdoors.

Address: 6620 Blue Bluff Rd, Austin, TX 78724 · ~20 min from downtown

Act 3 | The Beer Run

Ballard's Grocery Store

After cruisin' around and smashing a mailbox, Pickford (Andrews), Don (Jenson), Pink (London) and Mitch (Wiggins) stop at the Ballard’s Grocery Store for beer where they end up getting in an altercation with the very upset owner of the mailbox. 

Today: Still operating as a Shell convenience store and gas station (Dev's Shell). The building has been fully redeveloped and there's nothing visually connecting it to the 1992 shoot. Useful if you need fuel between the Yarborough Library and Toney Burger stops — that's about the extent of it as a film location. Skip it if you're pressed for time; include it if you're going for the full list.

Address: 4001 Medical Pkwy, Austin, TX 78756 · ~15 min from downtown

Iconic Filming Locations Map

Production & Legacy

How it was made and what it became

The Shoot
Linklater began casting in Austin in late 1991, deliberately mixing unknown local actors with emerging Los Angeles talent. The ensemble approach was radical for a studio film: no protagonist in the conventional sense, no three-act conflict, scenes that drift and overlap the way actual parties do. Universal backed the film on the strength of Slacker but grew nervous during production when they realized there was genuinely no plot. The film was shot in spring 1992 — early enough in the year that the Texas heat hadn't fully arrived, but close enough to summer that the air in every frame feels charged with it. The cast, many of whom were staying together in the same Austin apartments, were largely left to find their own social dynamic.

The Impact
Universal released Dazed and Confused in September 1993 without awards support and with minimal marketing. It grossed $8 million on a $6.9 million budget — technically profitable, commercially marginal. Within a few years it had become one of the most rented films in America. It was Ben Affleck's first major role, Matthew McConaughey's first film appearance, and the introduction of Parker Posey's screen persona to the world. The Criterion Collection released a definitive edition in 2006. The soundtrack — Aerosmith, KISS, Alice Cooper, Peter Frampton — sold independently of the film. Linklater went on to make eight more films in Austin, including Boyhood, shot over twelve years with the same cast. He has called Dazed the film that made Austin his permanent home base.

Plan Your Visit

Every location in this guide is within 20 minutes of central Austin — which makes Dazed and Confused the easiest full location tour in the guide. A natural sequence: start at Top Notch on Burnet Road for lunch (opens 11am), then walk or drive the five-minute stretch to the Violet Crown Plaza cluster — Stiles Switch BBQ (the Emporium), King Collision across the street, and the Wild Street paddling location around the corner. From there it's 8 minutes to the Yarborough Library parking lot. Toney Burger and Walter E. Long are south and east respectively, better as afternoon or early evening stops. Budget 5–6 hours for the full circuit including meals.

Central Austin
There's so much more to do and see in Central Austin. Plan additional detours like shopping local boutiques or vintage finds while reliving the movie.

Slacker
Linklater shot Slacker entirely on foot through Austin's central neighborhoods two years before Dazed — many of the same streets appear.