Museums, Houston

The Elisabet Ney Museum is the historic 1892 Austin studio of European-born sculptor and activist Elisabet Ney (1833-1907). It features her own work—large scale classical style portraits of 19th-century European intellectuals, statesmen, and royalty, as well as Texas notables—and exhibitions of contemporary art, both on the grounds and inside the building. Part of the 2.5 acre site features a historic prairie recreation. Admission is free and events are held year-round. https://www.austintexas.org/listings/elisabet-ney-museum/1523/

This museum is the one-time home the “Messenger of the Alamo,” Susanna Dickinson, a survivor of the 1836 Battle of the Alamo who carried the news of its fall to General Sam Houston. Her eyewitness account of the battle remains a benchmark for historians. Inside, the museum houses rare Dickinson family artefacts and a library area where you can peruse the history of early Texan life and other historic frontier women. Her home was opened as a museum on March 2, 2010, Texas Independence Day. https://www.austintexas.org/listings/susanna-dickinson-museum/5900/

The Austin Fire Museum is located in Austin’s Central Fire Station No. 1 in the heart of downtown Austin, Texas. The firehouse is Austin’s busiest station, which includes Quint 1, Engine 1, Engine 13, Austin EMS Medic 6, and the AFD Shift Commander. The station was built in 1938 and is a piece of history in and of itself. The station and museum are next door to the O’Henry Museum and Susanna Dickinson Museum and is just one block south of the famous Sixth Street District. https://www.austintexas.org/listings/austin-fire-museum/9033/

Founded in 1963, the Blanton Museum of Art is one of the foremost university art museums in the country and holds the largest public collection in Central Texas. https://www.austintexas.org/listings/blanton-museum-of-art/1580/

Museum presents traditional and contemporary Mexican and Latin American art and culture. https://www.austintexas.org/listings/mexic-arte-museum/1620/

Find out why the oldest museum in the Northwest, the Portland Art Museum, is internationally renowned for exciting art experiences. Located in the heart of downtown’s cultural district, the museum campus includes an outdoor sculpture court and historical interiors. Tour the world and travel through history in magnificent permanent collection galleries (featuring an extensive collection of Native American art), six stories of modern art and special exhibitions. Each Sunday features activities for families. https://portlandartmuseum.org/

One of the nation’s leading science museums, OMSI is 219,000 square feet of brain-powered fun. Five enormous halls bring science to life with hundreds of interactive exhibits and displays. You can experience an earthquake, take part in live lab demonstrations, see a movie in the Empirical Theater, explore the universe in a world-class planetarium and even tour a real submarine. Located on the east bank of the Willamette River. https://omsi.edu/

There's something for everyone at the Corpus Christi Museum of Science & History. Traverse the world of South Texas and marvel at treasures from a 1554 Spanish shipwreck and the 1686 French shipwreck "La Belle". http://www.visitcorpuschristitx.org/see-and-do/887/corpus-christi-museum-of-science--history

The Witte Museum, where nature, science and culture meet, hit an exhilarating milestone in March of 2017, when the new Witte opened its doors to visitors after more than 170,000 square feet of renovation and expansion. Massive new exhibitions on dinosaurs, People of the Pecos and Texas Wild highlight changes at the new Witte, located on the banks of the San Antonio River. http://visitsanantonio.com/Browse-Book/Attractions/Witte-Museum

Once home to both fur traders and fighter pilots, Fort Vancouver offers an authentic look at life in the Pacific Northwest through the past 200 years. Located just across the Columbia River from Portland in Vancouver, Wash., the region’s only national historic site is centered around a complete replica of Fort Vancouver, the fur-trading camp founded by the Hudson’s Bay Company in 1825. https://www.nps.gov/fova/index.htm

In the heart of the KIng William Historic District lies this intimate house turned museum. Focusing on Texas artists, it proudly holds over 400 works in its permanent collection. Works in all media - including paintings, drawings, prints and photographs - hang with ceramics and sculpture. Revolving contemporary exhibits highlight both local and regional artists, and represent the unique work of Texas talent. https://www.saalm.org/

Phillip Johnson, a Kennedy family friend, constructed this stark and simple memorial to the late president. Located in the Dallas County Historical Plaza, this site is visited by hundreds of thousands of people annually. https://www.visitdallas.com/things-to-do/venue/view/6843/John-F-Kennedy-Memorial.html?ttd=1

The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza is located in the former Texas School Book Depository where significant evidence of a sniper was found following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. The Museum presents the social and political landscape of the early 1960s, chronicles President Kennedy's assassination and its aftermath, and reflects upon his lasting impact on our country and world. https://www.jfk.org/

Built in 1899, Ball-Eddleman-McFarland House is Fort Worth's premier example of Queen Anne-style Victorian architecture. Turrets, gables, copper finials, a slate tile roof and a porch of red sandstone and marble highlight the late-Victorian exterior. The interior includes original ornate oak mantles, cornices, coffered ceilings, paneling and parquet floors. The house is available for individual and group tours. https://www.fortworth.com/listings/ball-eddleman-mcfarland-house/5368/

Experience the world-renowned architect Tadao Ando’s “Arbor for Art” in Fort Worth. The Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth maintains one of the foremost collections of international modern and contemporary art in the country. See the work of Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollock, and Mark Rothko. https://www.fortworth.com/listings/modern-art-museum-of-fort-worth/4178/

The Kimbell's permanent collection contains holdings ranging from the third millennium B.C. to the mid-20th century, and includes major works by Fra Angelico, Velazquez, Bernini, Rembrandt, Goya, Monet, Cezanne, Picasso, Mondrian and Matisse. https://www.fortworth.com/listings/kimbell-art-museum/2703/

Designed by renowned architect Philip Johnson (1906-2005), the Amon Carter Museum of American Art houses a preeminent collection of American art including painting, sculpture, and works on paper; it has been a Fort Worth institution since 1961. The collection spans early nineteenth-century expeditionary art to mid-twentieth century modernism and includes masterworks by artists such as Frederic Church, Stuart Davis, Arthur Dove, Thomas Eakins, Winslow Homer, Georgia O'Keeffe, and John Singer Sargent. The museum is one of the nation's major repositories of American photography and holds the archives of luminaries such as Nell Dorr, Laura Gilpin, Eliot Porter, and Karl Struss. https://www.fortworth.com/listings/amon-carter-museum-of-american-art/3652/

Dynamic permanent exhibits give a comprehensive view about our history from the Native Americans and European Exploration to contemporary times. https://www.visitbatonrouge.com/listing/west-baton-rouge-museum/273/

A 1792 French Creole plantation house authentically restored with outbuildings and gardens covering 15 acres. This landmark is a unique southern Louisiana landmark because of its age, quality of restoration, and outstanding collections. Magnolia Mound's mission is to illustrate and interpret the lifestyle of the French Creoles through educational programs, workshops, lectures, festivals, and other special events. The property includes a historic museum house, an open-hearth kitchen, overseer's house, quarter house, crop garden pigeonnier and carriage house. https://www.visitbatonrouge.com/listing/magnolia-mound-plantation-a-brec-facility/244/

While you are in the Capital City, visit the USS KIDD, which is located in the heart of scenic downtown Baton Rouge. If you're looking for a unique, family-friendly or historical place to visit, the USS KIDD is a perfect attraction for all visitors. WWII Fletcher-class destroyer restored to her 1945 appearance with over 50 inner spaces to see. Veterans Museum displays include a P-40 aircraft, ship models, full-scale replica of gun deck of Old Ironsides, the Louisiana Memorial Plaza a memorial to all Louisiana service members lost in combat, and a Corsair A-7E jet as a memorial to Vietnam Veterans. Allow approximately 1½ hours for touring. https://www.visitbatonrouge.com/things-to-do/attractions/uss-kidd/

Featuring exhibitions of internationally renowned artists, a permanent art collection, innovative programming in the state-of-the-art Pennington planetarium, and interactive children's galleries, LASM seeks to enhance the understanding and appreciation of art and science for general audiences and students. https://www.visitbatonrouge.com/listing/louisiana-art-and-science-museum-and-irene-w-pennington-planetarium/235/

Built in 1963 when Jimmy Davis was Governor of Louisiana, the Mansion is located on Capitol Lake near the State Capitol. Because so many antebellum mansions were being destroyed by fire and neglect, Gov. and Mrs. Davis instructed the architects to design a mansion in the Greek Revival style, which was the dominant style in Louisiana after 1830. This period marks a distinct departure from earlier Louisiana architecture. The Mansion contains a total of 25,000 square feet of space in three floors and a basement. https://www.visitbatonrouge.com/listing/louisiana-governors-mansion/237/

Established to provide and sustain a publicly accessible center for the collection, preservation, and interpretation of the material culture, cultural landscapes and vernacular architecture of Louisiana and the Lower Mississippi River Valley. Visitors see how the settlers of Louisiana established an admirable society in spite of great odds, gain insight into the difficulties faced by their ancestors, and learn why Louisianans are a unique people with roots from many parts of the world. Tour 32 historic buildings within the Museum Complex, and the historic Windrush Gardens. https://www.visitbatonrouge.com/listing/lsu-rural-life-museum-%26-windrush-gardens/241/

One of the learning museum in the city of Laredo. http://www.kgns.tv/content/news/South-Texas-Imaginarium-Hosting-H-E-B-Free-Family-Fun-Nights-413180583.html

The Republic of the Río Grande® Museum is housed in one of Laredo’s oldest structures located on San Agustín Plaza in downtown Laredo. The museum is a Mexican vernacular structure, constructed in 1830 with an 1860 addition. http://webbheritage.org/museums/republic-of-the-rio-grande-museum/

Offering a compelling blend of sweeping narrative and poignant personal detail, The National WWII Museum features immersive exhibits, multimedia experiences, and an expansive collection of artifacts and first-person oral histories, taking visitors inside the story of the war that changed the world. https://www.nationalww2museum.org/about-us

Located on the Mississippi River adjacent to the French Quarter Audubon Aquarium of the Americas immerses you in an underwater world. The colors of a Caribbean reef come alive in our walk-through tunnel, while our penguins and Southern sea otter enchant you with their antics. Touch a stingray, feed a parakeet, and marvel at our gigantic sharks and rays in the 400,000-gallon Gulf of Mexico Exhibit. Watch for sea turtles throughout the Aquarium as coordinator of the Louisiana Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle Rescue Program, prepared many of them for release to the wild. Also take an underwater adventure into a submerged Maya city! The 4,200 square-foot Great Maya Reef at Audubon Aquarium of the Americas is a walk into a submerged Maya city of the Yucatan peninsula. The adventure begins as visitors walk through the 30-foot-long tunnel into a submerged Maya city of mysterious ruins, surrounded by exotic sea creatures. This underwater world of the ancient, flooded metropolis is alive with lion fish, yellowtail snapper, moray eels, spiny lobsters and more all at home among stunning coral, sunken artifacts and forgotten treasure. https://audubonnatureinstitute.org/aquarium

The Oklahoma City Museum of Art, located in the heart of the downtown Arts District, has a permanent collection consisting of European and American art. The Special Exhibition Gallery offers visitors national and international exhibitions. The Noble Theater screens independent, foreign and classic films. The Museum Café offers French-fusion cuisine amid the metropolitan ambiance of downtown. http://www.okcmoa.com/

The Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum stands as a symbol of strength in the wake of unspeakable violence. Share our dream of a world without violence and terrorism. https://www.visitokc.com/listings/oklahoma-city-national-memorial-%26-museum/804/

Visiting the Elsing Museum is a unique experience for exploring fascinating specimens that provide a glimpse into the past and information about the foundations of this world we inhabit. The Elsing Museum comprises an extensively rare collection of some of the world's most amazing gems, minerals, natural art, Indian artifacts, oriental artifacts, and much more. http://www.visittulsa.com/listings/Elsing-Museum/579/

The NRHC, located on the Texas Tech University campus, is a 27.5-acre museum and historical park with 50 ranching structures and objects dating back to the early 19th century. In addition to the historical park, the NRHC has 38 life-size bronze outdoor art pieces and a 44,000 square foot museum building with six galleries featuring permanent, as well as temporary exhibits of art, photography and artefacts that capture historical and contemporary Western life. A dynamic institution that tells ranching’s story, the NRHC also provides a range of educational programs for children, youth and adults focusing on pioneer history, western culture, natural resource management and other current and historical ranching subjects. https://www.visitlubbock.org/nrhc/

Had it not been for Stax Records founder meeting Memphis music icon Rufus Thomas soon after he started his fledgling Satellite Records in 1957, Stax Records might never have become the soul and R&B powerhouse that it came to be. http://www.memphistravel.com/soulsville-stax-museum-back-better-ever

The Pink Palace Family of Museums refreshingly doesn’t focus on any one medium or aspect of Memphis culture. It gives visitors an in-depth and unique look at just about everything there is to know about the Mid-South, from cultural and natural history to region-shaping industries and rare oddities. http://www.memphistravel.com/pink-palace-museum-theater-planetarium