Location: Austin
Top Things to do in Austin
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The 10 Best Specialty Museums in Austin, Texas (TX)
Every year thousands of hipsters, groupies, and die-hard fans flock to Austin for the annual South by Southwest festival, which has catapulted the Texas city up the must-visit charts for many travelers. The sandstone Capitol building is symbolic of the Lone Star State’s "bigger is better" mentality, featuring a gorgeous whispering gallery rotunda and 22 acres of grounds. Cool off with a dip in Barton Springs, a huge natural limestone pool that’s fed by underground sources.
Restaurants in Austin
1. LBJ Presidential Library
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3,411 reviews
The Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum, also known as the LBJ Presidential Library, is the presidential library and museum of Lyndon Baines Johnson, the 36th President of the United States. It is one of fourteen presidential libraries administered by the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) and located on the campus of The University of Texas at Austin. We are open daily (except for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day) from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., with last admission at 4:40 p.m. Admission is $3-$10 per person, with free admission given to children 12 and under, active military, student groups, and UT Austin students, faculty, and staff with valid ID. Free parking is available in visitor lot #38. Learn more at lbjlibrary.org.
Reviewed By DeniseCohenGershon - Beverly Hills, United States
Second visit since April 2018 yesterday It seriously is such a wonderful tribute to President Johnson and President Kennedy Great gift store and wonderful informative staff working there and The perfect ending to a spectacular visit to Austin
2. The Stark Center for Physical Culture and Sports
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 4 reviews
3. South Austin Museum of Popular Culture
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 6 reviews
The South Austin Popular Culture Center (SouthPop) collects, conserves, and exhibits vintage posters and live music ephemera from the 1960s through today to educate future generations on the rich and unique culture that makes Austin the Live Music Capital of the World. We are a poster archive with a small gallery space of rotating exhibits, and host live music events featuring Austin bands old and new throughout the year. You can also catch us off-site during SXSW and other local music and history events!
Reviewed By ElvisAndrus - Arlington, United States
First off it is no longer in South Austin. It is behind Threadgills on North Lamar. It is also in the process of moving as of this review. But I love what they are doing. Really helping people remember. There was the director and a board member there who were full of stories and happy to point out the few things that were up on the walls. If you want to know about Austin music history since the 60s this is the place to go.
4. Austin Rock and Roll Car Museum
Overall Ratings
4.5 based on 3 reviews
The Museum (open the First and Third Saturday of each month) has temporarily closed for repairs effective 11/11/15. We thank our many visitors and apologize for any inconvenience the museum's closing may cause. The non-profit entity hopes to re-open soon in order to continue sharing its collection of cool cars and unique memorabilia with the public.
5. Austin Fire Museum
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 6 reviews
6. Texas Music Museum
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 8 reviews
7. Joseph and Susanna Dickinson Hannig Museum
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 20 reviews
Reviewed By 355donaldw - Frisco, United States
Even those that don’t like history classes love a great story, and the Joseph and Susanna Dickinson Museum documents a fascinating one! Susanna, one very tough woman, survived the Alamo with her child to be paid by Santa Anna as a messager to Sam Houston and joined Houston on the Runaway Scrape. If any of that story is not familiar to you, you’ll be engaged by this museum, located in downtown Austin right next to the O. Henry Museum. The museum is very well organized, very informative and engaging, and staffed with friendly, knowledgeable staff...and it’s free! A historical gem in downtown Austin, one of many!
8. Texas Toy Museum
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 35 reviews
The Texas Toy Museum is a nonprofit museum organized to collect, preserve, display and educate the community on the historic significance and cultural impact of rare and vintage toys. We have thousands of toys and games on display as well as a classic arcade room. We also sell vintage toys and games in our gift shop, and host weekly educational classes from resin casting to toy restoration.
Reviewed By PhebeT_11 - Astoria, United States
I am an 80s toy and action figure collector, so it was especially great to see the collection at the Texas Toy Museum. Although it isn’t really curated in terms of signs and placards to read, you can ask about any item. Many of the toys are in cleverly designed dioramas (The G.I. Joe display is a masterpiece!), and it looks like additions are brought in daily. I was happy to see that there weren’t just “boy toys” but “girl toys” as well. The admission price also gives you free play of arcade and old console games, and the shop has some real treasures for sale at reasonable prices. It should be noted that the downtown location is new as of only Winter/Spring 2019, so older reviews are referring to the old location.
9. Wonderspaces Austin
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 22 reviews
Wonderspaces features extraordinary works of immersive, interactive, and conversation-provoking works of art from around the world.
Reviewed By 311karynb - Helotes, United States
My daughter and I really enjoyed visiting Wonderspaces in Austin. The displays were so unique and the interaction made it enjoyable to participate. The sights, sounds and colors were stimulating.
10. Mesmerize
Overall Ratings
4.0 based on 8 reviews
This is Mesmerize- An Exploration of Cosmic Curiosities. Is an interactive, gallery-style experience inside Austin's Native Hostel, follows the journey of Mesmer, an artist and amateur tinkerer who discovers a secret: we and our universe are not alone. Mesmer opens up a portal and is swallowed into the Multiverse and its infinite cosmic curiosities. The created environment features 15 unique art installations, with multiple paths and possibilities.
Reviewed By Q9229EGsofiab
I really enjoyed the wishing tree I felt like that was a neat touch tied into everything else the museum added. The hidden doors were also very fun to find and go through.
