I love music, sports and history - so the Museum of the Gulf Coast was a perfect place to spend…read moreseveral hours on a rainy day in Port Arthur. The museum is part of the overall Port Arthur downtown revitalization program, and is a key lynchpin. This modern facility has two stories, with the lower story dedicated primarily to the history of the Gulf Coast Region - while the second story is broken down into specific sections of interest like music, art and sports. The collections are impressive and the staff amazingly friendly and helpful. Overall, this place is well worth your time.

Surprising place for such a small town. My biggest complaint is the building is not large enough to…read morehandle all its interesting artifacts and exhibits. (They rotate so you can come back and find new exhibits) Ive been there 4-5 times. Port Arthur is the birthplace of Texaco and Gulf Oil and the museum covers the history and science. Southeast Texas and West Louisiana are also the birthplace of swamp pop and there is a surprising amount of informative exhibits. I cant begin to name the artists, blues, cajun, creole, rock & roll....of course that includes Janis. Then there is the coastal and marsh exhibits including how and why there is much oil and gas. There are loads of ancient indian and fossil artifacts. With all the above, plus the exhibits on sports (3 NFL coaches) actors and celebrities from the area, you can spend all day. This review barely scratched the surface.

We decided to do a day trip to Orange to visit the Shangri-La Botanical Gardens (see my other…read morereview) and thought we'd stop at this old home for our elderly guest. You cannot go straight to the house for a tour, you must meet at the Stark museum across the street, purchase a ticket, and then be accompanied by a tour guide to the house. The museum is free if you'd like to visit that while you are there. Once you walk over to the house you cannot bring a camera in with you. A knowledgeable and very long winded tour guide will bring you around the average sized home for about an hour describing every room in detail. It's a pretty home from the outside and I wish that was all I had seen. The long tour of the inside was boring. Our tour guide was obviously very proud of the home and the history of the house in relation to Orange, Texas, but it wasn't as interesting to out of town people. I don't think that I am being overly harsh. My 70 year old mother-in-law accompanied us; she is a huge fan of old homes and antiques. She found the tour to be too long and to focus on mundane items in the house. My suggestion... go to Orange for the day. Visit Shangri-La and stop in front of this home to see how pretty it is from the outside.

We like going here around Christmas when the house is decorated and there is a small ensemble…read moreplaying Christmas music.

I visited the museum today for the second time. It's really a great place. They had a special…read moreexhibition called Branding the American West. I thought it was very interesting, but I love paintings and sculptures that feature lonely landscapes and typical North American animals. This did not disappoint. The museum itself isn't so big that you're overwhelmed. In fact, an hour or two is sufficient to take in what's on display. The bookstore is also good, with lots of interesting books and a couple of comfortable chairs to sit in for a brief read through. Admission is free and parking is plentiful. So, there's every reason to enjoy this Texas gem!

My kids and I had a great time. And it was free! The art was all "old west" themed, including the…read moreexhibit of work by local students. Not sure if it changes or if it's a permanent exhibit. We probably spent two hours here.

My son went to the Harry Potter Camp here & had a great time! The staff seemed very friendly and…read morethe people that ran the Harry Potter camp were very nice. We look forward to visiting the museum again.

What a wonderful gem! The museum staff is fantastic and the space for events (weddings,…read moreparties,etc.) is great! The entrance fee is affordable. Do yourself a favor and go visit this place.

Mom and I are in town to visit family. While here, we wanted to visit the sites and sounds of what…read morethe area had to offer. First on the list was to visit a French house near the city's Chamber of Commerce. The staff member on duty was very informative on the history of the house and of the city. We had a great time visiting! Please visit this well maintained piece of history and step back in time.

Cool place to go for a learning experience. Especially if your not from the South. Check it out.read more

Starting point for the nature trail. Inside you will find restrooms, a small gift shop ,…read moremaps/brochures, exhibits & displays as well as helpful staff. It's a must stop if you are doing the trail or if you just need a quick bathroom break off the interstate. Will was working behind the desk during our stop and was extremely enthusiastic about the trail and culture of the area and was very helpful in providing info. I was very entertained by the interactive displays;) My favorite was the music station ....yes I was a big kid "playing" the instruments but I enjoyed every minute. It's an exhibit with different musical instruments with a choice of Zydeco or Cajun music . Once you choose which genre you want to hear, background music starts playing. It's up to you to bring the song to life by "playing" the different instruments: mandolin, washboard, accordion etc. Kids or adults, it's fun ;) Here you can also smell popular Cajun spices , peek inside a pelican's mouth, hear how common Cajun words and phrases are pronounced , take home a recipe and even try on clothes for a photo opp. Several exhibits also cover the wildlife and plants you will likely see on the trail. Everything is very well done! Definitely worth a stop.

Crucial museum! Maybe the most important museum in Texas because what happened here changed the…read moreworld. The first oil gusher brought us the age of oil! Much of what we touch is made with oil products. There is a recreated town from the 1900s with about seventeen historic buildings. Don't worry, each building has modern AC! In the judge's office, you can try on robes and bang a gavel. Only one other group when I visited on a Sunday afternoon. Outside the museum is the Lucas Gusher Simulator. Every few days throughout summer they recreate the gusher by blasting water into the air! Check the website or call for the schedule

Once upon a time, there were boom towns around Texas. Both Spindletop and Glady are one of them…read more This museum made me feel like living in the early 20th century. The admission was only $5. I visited on Thursday, May 27th at 10am. The museum was empty. It looked like a real ghost town. The buildings were well preserved. I saw ACs which were not supposed to be in the towns 120 years ago. It was okay. Texas is too hot. I was on the benches and googled the towns. This museum encouraged me to learn the history of Beaumont and oil industry in Texas!

There was so much to learn at this museum. You definitely need a lot of time if you like to read…read moredescriptions like we do. There is a lot of work that went into this museum. They take you from a period of time when there were no energy resources to how we use energy today. And that's only one aspect. There were interesting robots, (that's what they call them) that will speak to you and describe what you are looking at; etc an oil derrick. There are explanations of "oil travel", from the ground to the plants where oil is refined. It's a pretty neat place. If you have time and you're in Beaumont, it's definitely worth the stop.

If you want to find out how little you know about Energy and it's History the Texas Energy Museum…read moreis well worth a visit. I may go again the next time I'm in Beaumont.

Great House Tour! The McFaddin-Ward House Museum is something very special to the Beaumont area…read more The history is rich and the past owner were seemingly very philanthropic people. My husband and I went to the Bullock Museum in Austin Texas and it was there that we discovered, in the History of oil in Texas, a few amazing featured pieces from this beautiful historical house. We ended up in Village Creek State Park and found the people and the area so very warm and charming. We went to the house on a free Saturday tour during Dec. and the house was decorated for Christmas. We had such a warm welcome from the folks and children working there. The tour only consisted of the downstairs and carriage House (servants Quarters) but were very intrigued by its rich history, we longed to see more of it ...We had so many questions. On our way out a docent there took the time to answer some of our questions, for she was very friendly and gave us so many great ideas for our continuing road trip and invited us back to see the rest of the house. It was closed on Sun.-Mon. but we made reservations, which is a good idea as they only take small groups through the house, for Tues. and went back to tour the other 2 floors of the house. Boy, we were sure glad that we did!!! It is amazing and the top floor is spectacular! The house is full of many amazing art/furniture/wall coverings, rugs, etc. and it is exactly the way it was left, preserved beautifully! We especially enjoyed learning about all the characters that lived in the house in fact the main made lived there up until 1986, I believe it was. This place really gives you the feeling of stepping back in the time period it is a truly fantastic experience. If you are in the area it is a must do!

Historic Beaumont mansion from the Texas oil boom for two generations of the wealthy McFaddin…read morefamily now a museum, well manicured lawns, original family memorabilia and furnishings, expansive opulent interior, informative docent tours, plentiful selfie opportunities, Louis Lemon, cook for the McFaddins for 37 years provided wonderful meals. "Perfectly Splendid One Family's Repasts" cookbook is available for purchase to enjoy family favorites.