The Best Museums to Visit in Austin

Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum

TripSavvy / Austen Johnson

The three-story Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum tells the story of Texas from prehistory to the present. Through interactive displays, audio recordings, dioramas and short films, the museum explains how three main industries, cotton and oil, played key roles in the evolution of states. Other unique and fascinating exhibits cover the role of Texass in NASA and the space program, the lives of Presidents Lyndon B. Johnson and George W. Bush, and the discovery and recovery of the La Belle shipwreck off the Texas coast. The La Belle shipwreck exhibit tends to captivate visitors of all ages. Artifacts found in relatively shallow waters in the Gulf of Mexico tell the story of the doomed ship that sailed from France in 1684. The excavation process began in 1995, and basically involved building a temporary dam around the wreck so that items could be dug up from the muddy bottom.

For a more immersive experience, you can also enjoy an IMAX movie at the museum. Both historical films and important films are shown in the theater. The smaller Bullock Cinema presents multi-sensory films accompanied by special effects such as lightning and rain. If your family is interested in more recent history, the third floor covers the oil business, the cattle industry, Texas music, the Civil Rights Era, and NASA.

Harry Ransom Center

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Every exhibit at the Ransom is basically the tip of a massive iceberg. Museum holdings are so extensive that they can only display a small percentage of them at a time. For a fascinating insight into the museum’s collections, spend some time in the etched window display on the first floor. Two of the most high-profile treasures in museums are the Gutenberg Bible and the first photograph. Other highlights of the permanent collection include manuscripts and ephemera by authors such as Arthur Miller and Gabriel García Márquez. Regular exhibits feature costumes and sets from old movies like Gone with the Wind and Alice in Wonderland. Guided tours are available daily at noon.

LBJ Presidential Library

The official presidential library of Lyndon Baines Johnson, the museum offers a balanced view of this colorful Texan. Through exhibits, short films, and audio recordings, the museum tells the story of the fight to pass the Civil Rights Act, as well as Johnson’s failed efforts to end the Vietnam War. The Social Justice Gallery covers Johnson’s lesser-known efforts to combat poverty, as well as important legislation supporting Medicare, public broadcasting, and consumer protection. For maximum entertainment, be sure to set aside time to listen to tapes of your phone calls. They reveal Johnson’s emotional, witty and often profane conversations with employees and world leaders. In a famous tape, Johnson talks about exactly how he would like his pants to fit in relation to his hole.

Elizabeth Ney Museum

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The castle-like house is filled with sculptures by Elisabet Ney, who moved to Austin in 1892. She made sculptures of Sam Houston and Stephen F. Austin, as well as luminaries from her German homeland. The collection includes several life-size busts and statues. Other exhibits explain Neys’ process of building her sculptures. The building functioned as a home and studio (originally known as Formosa). The museum is small, but it offers a fascinating insight into the life of an aristocratic German woman who lives and works alongside some of our most famous early Texans.

Blanton Museum of Art

As one of the most prominent art museums in the greater Austin area, the Jack S. Blanton Museum of Art has a massive collection with more than 17,000 works, including American and Latin American modern and contemporary art, as well as 15th-century prints. and contemporaries. and drawings. Located on the southeast corner of the University of Texas campus, adjacent to the Bob Bullock Museum of Texas State History and within walking distance of the Texas State Capitol, the Blanton Building embodies the clean lines of modern art with its granite facade and limestone, white walls and sharp interior angles. Plan a multi-day visit, if possible. With 124,000 square feet of space, the museum cannot be adequately explored in one day. Along with established collections and traveling exhibits, the museum also hosts lectures, gallery talks, concerts, workshops, and the B Scene, a monthly event for singles.

contemporary austin

The Contemporary Austin is made up of two locations located several miles apart. You can pay for admission at one location and get access to both on the same day. The downtown location, the Jones Center, is a large, airy space with rotating exhibits. The Jones Center presents new works from some of the most innovative artists working today, in every medium imaginable. The other site, Laguna Gloria, is primarily an outdoor exhibition space. The exuberant wildlife throughout the Laguna Gloria grounds serves as a beautiful backdrop for large sculptures and other outdoor art.

Museo O. Henry

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The O. Henry Museum houses artifacts and exhibits that explore the life of writer William Sydney Porter. The building served as his home at one point and still contains some of the original furnishings. Porter adopted the pseudonym O. Henry as a way to start over after serving a five-year prison term for embezzlement. His most famous tales are Gifts of the Magi and The Cop and the Anthem.

Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center

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The Mexican American Cultural Center honors the contributions of Mexican Americans and Native Americans to American culture. Two galleries offer rotating exhibits featuring the work of contemporary Latino artists.

George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center

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In addition to exploring the work of scientist and artist George Washington Carver, the 36,000-square-foot museum delves into a variety of other topics, including African-American families, the work of African-American artists, and inventions and scientific advances made by other African-American innovators. Carver first recommended planting peanuts as a way to improve soil quality. He went on to develop peanut butter and various other uses for nutritious legumes. He was also one of the founding professors at the renowned Tuskegee University.

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