Sandra Bullock used to spend a lot of time in ATX. We haven’t seen her around town in years (although rumor has it she still owns her home in the Lake Austin area), but she remains connected to Austin. She is one of the owners of Walton’s Fancy and Staplelocated on West 6th. Three of her ex-boyfriends live in the area: Jesse James, Matthew McConaughey and Bob Schneider. And of course she filmed two very popular films here. We have already highlighted the filming locations Hope floats (see this post here). Now let’s talk about it Miss Congeniality.
The Alamo and River Walk scenes were obviously shot in San Antonio, but the majority of the film was shot in Austin – even some of the scenes that were supposed to take place in New York.
If for some very strange reason you are reading this and still have no idea what kind of movie it is Miss Congeniality That’s what it’s about, here’s a summary:
When a terrorist threatens to bomb the Miss USA pageant, the FBI rushes to find an agent who can act as an undercover candidate. Unfortunately, Gracie is the only female FBI agent who can “play the part” despite her complete lack of refinement and femininity. She is proud of being “just one of the boys” and is horrified by the idea of becoming a girly girl.
Sounds like a real winner, doesn’t it? I mean, reading that description makes me kind of embarrassed that I like the movie. Let’s just say I’m watching it for its use of Texas landmarks. Yes that’s it!
These are them Miss Congeniality Austin filming locations:
The Laika Nana restaurant, where the stabbing occurs at the beginning of the film, is located where TENOAK once operated (and Cuba Libre before that).
Location: 409 Colorado Street (the building no longer exists)
The Starbucks where Gracie races her patrol car and then breaks the line while flashing her ID is on the corner of 6th Street and Congress Ave. Across the street you can see the old Schlotzsky’s Deli downtown. Unfortunately this Starbucks closed in 2022.
Location: 600 Congress Ave.
When Gracie and Eric go to the restaurant at the St. Regis Hotel, they find themselves in New York. However, once inside, they are actually at the Driskill Grill in the Driskill Hotel.
Location: 604 Brazos St.
Speaking of hotels, the hotel where the pageant contestants stay is the Austin Southpark Hotel (formerly the Omni), which looks the same as of January 2022. Note the Dillo trolley in the still from the film.
Location: 4140 Governor’s Row
The Miss United States pageant will be held at the Bass Concert Hall on the UT campus, replacing the San Antonio Convention Center.
Location: 2350 Robert Dedman Dr.
We believe the club where the girls go neon painting is at Club Carnaval (we have confirmation that it was a Latin club on Riverside). And while we struggled with this issue, we finally figured out where the bar where Gracie orders a pint is (thanks to a loyal follower on Instagram). It’s the old Dog and Duck Pub that used to be on 17th Street.
