This is a unique museum for sure. If you have an interest in the development of green tech over time or have deep roots on the plains it is going to interest you. If you are just looking for something to do while in Lubbock, it will depend on whether or not it is for you. It is definitely deep on windmills and history. I found it interesting but will say it didn't hold my attention the way I expect it would for some who really are intrigued by how small changes across history really add up. They have a cool gift shop and sell prints by local photographers at the end which definitely have great gift potential! read more

See all

OVERALL A gem of history in Lubbock, Texas! RATING BREAKDOWN Experience: 4.5 | Service: 5 | Ambiance: 5 | Price: 5 PARKING They have a nice paved lot with ample parking. LOCATION/AMBIANCE The American Windmill Museum is located in the northeast part of Lubbock, TX with close access to Interstate 25 and Loop 289. As you approach the museum grounds, you'll see the fenced in area with a slew of outdoor windmills of all generations. The building in which you can schedule a group tour of 6 or more or self-tour is huge... however, it is broken into sections: two windmill areas, model train displays, miniature houses, millstone collection, gift shop, a counter weight display, and plus their event room has an amazing wrap-around mural. LITTLE YELPER'S CLUB My 8 & 9-year-olds loved the "Legacy of the Wind" seek and find. We received a few handouts soon after purchasing our tour tickets. Brochures and the like. One was a list of over 30 items to find on the mural in their special events room. Not only did this entertain them for 20 minutes, but it also was puzzle-like & expanded their vocabulary with words like "privies" & "man witching for water. SERVICE The lady at the ticket counter and the guy in gift shop were personable and helpful. MY FAVORITE PART... The windmills! NOT SO FAVORITE PART... Not knowing until recently about this place. TIPS + Closed Sunday & Monday. + Cash or card is accepted for the entry fee. + As of 12/29/2022, adult tickets were $7.50. Children 5 to 12 years-old were $5. Under 5 free, $6.00 for seniors 60+ and veterans, & $20.00 for a family of 4 (2 adults & 2 children). read more

American Windmill Museum - 12/25/2022 - Museums Near Me - Lubbock, Texas

See all

Wow! CHEAP! Make the effort, at least spend an hour in western american history! Folks have worked very hard on clean well done exhibits on wind mill history! Great train layout too! Don't blow it and just drive by!!!! read more

See all

I don't want to admit how long I've lived in Lubbock before finally visiting the American Windmill Museum. We went with some family that visited from out-of-state and they really enjoyed it. The price is reasonable and they hand you a stack of information on your way in the door. One of the pieces of paper is a seek-and-find list to be used throughout the museum. There are exhibits for everyone; windmills of every imaginable size, condition, age (of course), but also trains and miniatures- in several scales and out of Legos! There is even opportunity for education (about windmills, mill stones, local history, etc.) and a gift shop with fun trinkets and wind powered yard decor. Outside are dozens of windmills, including a modern wind turbine - an excellent chance to really understand how large those things are. We will be back to visit the gift shop for sure and probably wander the rest of the museum again too. read more

See all

This place will surprise you! It has a huge number of beautifully restored windmills. Dozens of styles and even windmills from other countries. This could be a great place to hold a fundraising event. read more

Everything was wonderful they have lots of windmills trains and plan to spend a few hours

While in Lubbock, Texas we visited the Windmill Museum. You need a couple of hours to see everything. Didn't realize there were so many models of windmills. read more

Since Lubbock is the 3rd windiest city in the country, it makes sense that there is a windmill museum here. they have windmills from all over the world, many in working condition, in addition to a modern windmill on property that provides the electricity for the museum. Two surprises in the museum was an extensive display of working model trains. They even have a custom spiral helix that takes the trains up 13 ft to a set of elevated tracks. If you are a model train lover, you can't miss this. There was also a collection of mill stones...yes windmills drive stones, so that makes sense. read more

See all

Where to even start with a review of this amazing place... I've been here several times now and it's really a shame that I still haven't left them some good mojo here on Yelp. My first visit was probably over 5 years ago before the extension, the mural, the model trains or the millstones installation were all added. It's seriously grown a lot in a relatively short amount of time. I have pictures from my first visit standing under the modern Vestas electric turbine outside, which is actually a smaller version of the powerhouse turbines dotting this side of Texas from here to Dallas. They use electricity generated by it to power a portion of the museum. Other than this one, they've easily got a hundred windmills both outside and inside the museum. Almost every one includes a placard with a year and a bit of history. The items in the museum span several centuries of wind power history. (Which, by the way, the actual name of the museum is the American Wind Power Center.) On my most recent visit I was thoroughly impressed with the millstone exhibit. I read every placard and history detail behind each one. A few were even as old as the 1700s. You exit through a gift shop where you can buy some toys, post cards, wind mill inspired decorations and trinkets just to name a few things. Donations can be made either directly or by way of purchasing a brick for their walkway. My dad has one out there somewhere. On every visit I make back out to Lubbock, the place always comes to mind and if time allows I always pay a visit. It's not too expensive for what you get to see and learn. Kids are certain to enjoy it here too. read more

This place was so cool. I lucked out into finding it. I was even allowed to bring my pups with me!! Interesting find for sure. The miniature buildings were adorable. The miniature trains running around added a cute touch. The amount of windmills is crazy. Definitely worth a visit in my book! read more

See all

Don't miss this museum in Lubbock, Texas! It's amazing: beautiful variety of windmills through time, model trains, miniatures of all kinds. Great gift shop as well. read more

I enjoy seeing things up close and in such detail that you wonder how they ever figured out how to make it work. Because of this 'How It's Made' mentality, I was surprisingly interested in the American Wind Power Center. I thought that a windmill was a windmill until I stopped by and saw the hundreds of different sizes, layouts, and configurations. The display outside of functioning windmills is impressive until you come inside and see the huge assortment of new and old. Not being a windmill scholar, I will not try to elaborate on the details but I will briefly point out my favorites: 1. We have all (hopefully) seen a bigass wind turbines at one time or another, but this the only place I know of that you get up close and personal with one. They have a functioning turbine that powers the museum and a disassembled turbine that allows you to see how big these things are... btw they are HUGE! 2. The exhibits have everything related to windmills, so keep your eyes open for a birds nest that is made entirely from barbed wire. It was found on a windmill in the 70s (I think) and eventually given to the museum for display. 3. The ornamentation and detail of the wooden windmills from the turn of the century is incredible. I cannot give exact directions to get to the museum, but I'll make it easy for you. Go east on 19th until you hit the canyon (yes, there is a bit of topography in Lubbock), then keep your eyes open for the wind turbine looming large over the city, aim for said wind turbine, park when you get to base of the turbine and enjoy the museum. It is a laid back experience and can take as long as you like. read more

American Windmill Museum - A low key, laid back museum that worth the visit - Museums Near Me - Lubbock, Texas

This is an amazing museum and learning center for anyone who respects the power of Mother Nature. The American Wind Power Center is situated in the heart of West Texas, Lubbock. For those who have never visited Lubbock, it looks very similar to photos you've seen of Mars, only there are amazing windmills used for providing electricity and irrigation. The American Wind Power Center provides a look into the history of the windmill, the technology used for generations and really underscores the fact that "eco-friendly" energy isn't a new concept. People on the plains of the US have been using it for years. This museum is perfect for the kids to learn about the past, and excellent for adults to become reacquainted with technology we've forgotten. Recommend taking plenty of photos and take a couple of hours out of your schedule to check this place out! Finally...something to do in Lubbock! read more

See all

Truly interesting. Wind power played such an important role in Texas. Free power to do so many different things. The collection is huge and so are some of the windmills. From the plain Jane you have seen driving down some lonely country road, to some that are absolutely massive. Outside are 2 of the modern wind towers, one standing and producing power, the other on the ground. To walk up beside it, you will see how truly massive these things are. Stop by, entry is cheap! read more

See all

For little train enthusiasts this is the perfect place. Nice miniature houses to look at as well. The windmills are all beautiful. Great place. Museum is done really well. Beautiful wedding hall room ... the painting on the walls in that room is amazing. We stumbled on it going to the gift shop. read more

If you like windmills, this is your place. Lots and lots of windmills, grindstones and huge model train display. A little pricey though. Felt comfortable during the pandemic since it is BIG and few people. read more

The American Wind Power Center is something that every visitor to Lubbock should experience at least once. I went here on a recent trip to Lubbock (November 2014) and had a mostly pleasant experience with it. Although the place is pretty dated in its displays, with some of the display screens apparently predating the moon landing, it is relatively well put-together. Perhaps the single coolest feature of the area are the grounds - including an ***unadvertised*** nature walk opposite the museum across the large visitor parking lot. Initially upon my visit I was pretty disappointed with the museum itself, but the grounds and the nature walk made up for this shortfall in my mind. While it's a little off the beaten path, situated across the highway from the Texas Tech side of town, it was a good experience. That being said, the place is (apparently) in a transitionary phase of some sort. There was quite a bit of construction equipment on the grounds and it appeared that maybe they were expanding. The management/staff is, to say the least, very hands-off and visitors will largely have to explore the museum for themselves and 'choose-their-own-adventure'. The windmills that they have are numerous and varied - from your typical aermotor to the much more impressive (and colorful) wooden variety. I would strongly encourage visitors to go through the museum and see the windmills that they have tucked away, but it is crucial to your visit to not neglect the grounds. read more

American Windmill Museum - The view from the back of the large viewing gallery in front of the garage door. - Museums Near Me - Lubbock, Texas

The American windmill museum is a real gem here. I had no idea such a museum existed and this one is really super. On the grounds which looks to me to be somewhere around 30 or 40 acres there are windmills everywhere old to new all over the place. One might think oh that's nice and move on and miss the whole shooting match. The building is huge there are two of them there are hundreds of different windmills on display, complete with stories of operation time periods and where they were used. It's quite eye-opening to see all the things that have happened in the history of the windmill. I was amused by the small windmills that were used in the 20s 30s 40s to run your radio when you're out in the middle of nowhere Prairieland so that you could hear what was on the radio cool. Now in addition to all these windmills there is something I've never seen before which is a collection of millstones. Yes the stones that were used to grind grain and coffee and chocolate and bunches of other things animal feed and who knows what all else but someone collected these all and save them and is gathering together and given them to this Museum so that it has another complete museum inside. Now add on to this huge huge model train layout and beautiful miniaturization around the train. Well that's enough to amuse any child. And to make sure nobody's loved out on the other side is a collection of Miniatures Witcher not dollhouses but just miniature houses that describe many things from the past it's Charming it's well done it's worth the stop it's a fabulous Museum I give it six stars but 5 is the limit here read more

See all

I've never seen anything like it!! Just pulling into the parking lot is worth the $5 admission. Wish I had more time to linger by each windmill and learn about all the variety. This is a gem of a place! read more

American Windmill Museum - Museums Near Me - Lubbock, Texas

See all

We did not go into the museum building. Our stop was a reconnoiter. The grounds are situated upon a hillock. Brilliant blue sky. Wind was fresh. Temperature below 90. Humidity nearly absent. Sitting on the wall, looking and listening. The mills and turbines churn, chuff, groan, scrape, whine, squeak in a rhythmic, wind powered symphony. A panoramic visual and auditory history lesson playing out before me. read more

American Windmill Museum - On the north side. - Museums Near Me - Lubbock, Texas

I am a descendant of Thomas Gascoigne who was living at Flowerdew Plantation up the James River from Jamestowne in 1619. He most likely had grain ground at the mill, but he did actually see it. I took my grandchildren to the 400th celebration of Jamestowne in 2007. We went out to the Flowerdew Plantation, but did not have time to drive to the windmill that day. I came home grieving over the fact that in Oct. 2007 the plantation went up for sale. I never got to see the windmill. However, a good friend in Lubbock was a descendant of the original owners of the Flowerdew Plantation Gov. George Yeardly and his wife whose maiden name was Flowerdew. She told me that Lubbock was going to buy the windmill and truck it to Lubbock's museum. Well, it may not be in Virginia sitting on the James River, but I only have to drive 140 miles from my house to see it in Lubbock. What Luck!!. Eleanor E. Odessa read more

Growing up in West Texas windmills are associated with one thing: water. But this museum shows the many other uses of harnessing the wind for mechanical/kinetic energy. There are 2 levels which allows you to get close to the upper "business" end of the windmills. I was pleasantly surprised at the depth and variety of their collection as well as the manner in which it is displayed. read more

This was my wife's idea to come to the windmill museum and I had the best time. So much fun stuff to learn, windmills for water and windmills for electric, antiques and modern windmills. They have a great model train set up and a really great miniature town and toy house display. This is a really fun place visit read more

Just got back from my "shooting gig" at the American Windmill Museum in Lubbock, Texas. If you are ever in Lubbock, this museum is a MUST SEE! This particular photo session means a lot to me since I grew up with my grandfather on his cattle ranch where his herd depended on a windmill for drinking water. read more

This is a really cool museum, but it is not particularly accessible for children. There are really amazing dollhouses and model trains, but they are up so high that children have a difficult time seeing them. We requested a step stool and were told that we could carry around a metal folding chair from another room in the museum. When I noted that the dollhouses were up high, the docent told me that they were "displayed for adults, not children." I really wish that more thought was given to younger visitors because they world enjoy the trains and dollhouses so much and it would make visits to this museum more pleasant for families. read more

We have driven past when in Lubbock years ago, but this time we got out and walked the grounds. We were pleasantly surprised when we go inside. Tons more windmills. The Mural in the banquet hall was awesome. Loved all the Christmas villages with the trains. Could have watched them for hours. Loved seeing how the windmills were shipped. Also had old farm stuff outside. I was also impressed when I was told that the giant windmill outside provided all the power for the museum. This was a great impulse stop!! Thanks Lubbock!! read more

It's daunting when you arrive. So I'm really going to have to care a lot about windmills. If you do, this is a pretty good museum with many varieties, brand names, ads included on the placards. Both indoor and outdoor examples. Way in the back, we found an exhibit in progress with some spiffy doll houses and a large train set. read more

If in Lubbock for at least a day, the American Windpower Museum is a must for experiencing a unique and extensive look at the largest collection of windmills in the U. S. This may sound boring, but the mural in the west patio area shows a comprehensive history of this essential tool from the mills in Europe through today's wind turbines. Opening soon is the addition on the east which will house a model railroad display that will "knock your socks off"!! The South Plains of Texas would not be the flourishing area it is today without these early tools for water production. Also check out the Bayer Museum of Agriculture to the north across Broadway St. to learn more about the largest economic power for this area. read more