If you're in the Texas hill country or passing by on I-10 and want a phenomenal experience then…read morehead over to Bandera, Texas. There is a museum there which could easily be in NYC, Chicago, DC or LA. It's that good. Life size dinosaurs meet you as you enter the grounds. No one or two but many. School children from all over visit here on field trips. The creatures are huge!! When you first enter you will see a small front desk and gift shop! However waiting for your just beyond are a series of rooms which will surprise you. Pictures, sculptures, furniture, silver, antique Talavera and ivory carvings. There are several dioramas filled with wildlife from different places around the globe. They are not cheesy! Kids and adults are very impressed with these scenes. They are designed to teach and inspire. And they do! The pictures that I post don't really express just how impressive this treasure is. Another note: if you visit the museum take a few minutes to drive through the little western town of Bandera, Texas. Its authentic west Texas. Not fancy, not Disney, but just the real deal! Bandera is on the Old Spanish Trail.

10/17/2026: An Absolute Hidden Gem -- Exceptional Museum…read morewith Something for Everyone! I was genuinely so impressed with this museum, especially for a smaller town--it completely exceeded my expectations! From the lovely surrounding scenery to the thoughtful layout, it is clear a tremendous amount of care went into making this place special. The museum is wonderfully organized into two parts: a self-guided section where you can wander and take everything in at your own pace, and an art section that is guided by staff. Our tour guide through the art portion was exceptionally nice, engaging, and incredibly informative, bringing the pieces to life and adding so much depth to the experience. It is extremely well done from start to finish, and I highly recommend it. Whether you are looking for a fantastic spot for a family outing with kids or planning a school field trip, this museum is an absolute must-visit. We loved it!

I wanted to take this opportunity to compliment your fine historical museum on one of your…read moreindividuals. His name is Connor Ricard. My wife had contacted him back in November concerning some military memorabilia from the Pacific conflict in World War II that we inherited from her aunt. We finally had time several weeks ago to actually deliver them to Connor. He was very caring and extremely knowledgable. He is definitely an asset to the museum. He made our trip from Kyle worth the journey. Dennis and Margaret Sanger

If you love history, this is a fantastic museum thoroughly covering the WWII's Pacific theater. The…read morechronological organization of the museum begins with the key building blocks for the war in the Pacific theater during WWII. The exhibits include interesting memorabilia, contrasting perspectives, and military equipment. Multimedia displays help bring to life the stories and events, especially for younger ones and visual learners. Be sure to visit the separate building focusing on the life of Admiral Nimitz, an excellent tribute to a very unique man. Time budget: minimum 3 hours Value: At first blush $26/person seemed unreasonable. But overall the value is good considering the quality of the exhibits. Overall cleanliness: excellent Bathroom cleanliness: excellent

I've lived in Kerrville for over 16 years but have never visited the Mansion. Hearing of the…read morespecial Christmas tours this week, a friend and I decided to go. This special tour benefited the Hill Country Youth Orchestra; having played in the San Antonio Youth Orchestra, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to make a small donation and take a tour to boot. As expected, the Mansion was decorated for the season; the garlands wrapped around the banisters were particularly beautiful. We started on the second floor, which resembles a large ballroom, with a short video presentation on the history of the place and its occupants throughout the years. A short presentation by a docent followed whereupon we were free to look around to our hearts content. Then it was down to the first floor where the two highlights were a beautiful parquet floor and a chandelier which was an original fixture of the building. There were hand-blown bulbs of colored glass which, unfortunately, could not be lit lest they burst. Then it was into the kitchen for cookies and wassail; those who wished could step out into the garden with its beautiful hand-crafted fountain. Of particular interest was a glass-pane door flanked by two large pineapple statues, the symbol in the South of hospitality. If you're in Kerrville, try to avail yourself of a tour of the wonderful home, especially if you have children with you. They can see first hand what life was like more than a century ago and come away with memories of this beautiful place.

Nice little tour of the property with a lot of rich history. The restoration work is really…read morebeautiful. Nice thing to do as you walk around town. They are only open for tours on Tue/Thurs so plan accordingly. Worth it!

During our trip to San Antonio in July, we wanted to visit a second museum in addition to the San…read moreAntonio Museum of Art. After doing some online research, I came across the Witte Museum. Since it featured dinosaur exhibits and a special Pterosaur exhibition, it seemed like the perfect complement to the artwork on display at the downtown art museum. When we arrived, we found the museum conveniently located just minutes from downtown. We parked in the covered garage adjacent to the museum and made the short walk to the entrance and ticket counter. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that the museum offers military discounts for veterans, which was a nice bonus. As soon as we entered, we were greeted by several dinosaur displays in the main gallery, which immediately caught our attention. I had never seen a Pterosaur skeletal display before, and the sheer scale of the exhibit was incredibly impressive. Of course, there was also everyone's favorite, the mighty T-Rex, prominently on display. In addition to the prehistoric exhibits, the museum featured displays highlighting native Texas wildlife as well as a live conservation area showcasing living animals. One feature I particularly enjoyed was the second-floor overlook above the T-Rex exhibit. It provided a unique perspective and was an excellent location for photographs. We also opted to visit the special Pterosaur exhibit, which required an additional admission fee. The highlight was a giant life-size Pterosaur replica suspended from the ceiling. It created a dramatic centerpiece and made for some outstanding photo opportunities. The exhibit also included several interactive displays that were popular with younger visitors. We spent about an hour exploring the museum, which was the perfect amount of time before heading across the street to P. Terry's for lunch. Overall, I would rank the Witte Museum as my second-favorite dinosaur museum, behind the Dinosaur Museum in Rapid City, South Dakota, which features 98 prehistoric reptile and dinosaur displays along with an enormous T-Rex that visitors can view up close. Even so, the Witte Museum was highly impressive and proved to be a very rewarding stop during our five-day vacation in San Antonio. If you're planning a visit to San Antonio, I would definitely recommend adding the Witte Museum to your list of attractions. Whether you're interested in dinosaurs, natural history, Texas wildlife, or traveling with children, the museum offers something for everyone.

We came out to celebrate your 100th birthday, and let me just say... YOU DELIVERED! What an…read moreamazing experience for the whole family! My children loved being able to walk around and explore all the different venues. They had so much fun taking pictures with the Spurs and the H-E-B character, getting their faces painted, enjoying free ice cream, and participating in all the different crafts. The bubble scientist and making the necklace with HEB was also a huge hit! We also took time to walk through the museum and explore the different artifacts, which made the visit even more special. There was so much to see and do, and my girls enjoyed every last minute of it!Thank you for putting together such a fun, family-friendly celebration. You made your 100th birthday one to remember, and we are so happy we got to be part of it!

The park protects the birthplace, home, ranch, and grave of Lyndon B. Johnson, 36th president of…read morethe United States. During Johnson's administration, the LBJ Ranch was known as the Texas White House because the President spent approximately 20% of his time in office there. Johnson donated the ranch in his will to the public to form the park, with the provision that it "remain a working ranch." You can see his birthplace home, school house, the cemetary where he and his family are buried, the show stables, his prized Hereford cows, and even his downsized "Airforce one-Half" Across the street at the state park you can see the home and building of the Johnson's neighbors, the Sauer--Beckmanns in the living history farm area. There is also a bison herd and longhorns on the property.

I enjoyed visiting Lyndon B. Johnson State Park & Historic Site, although part of the experience…read morewas limited because the Texas White House was closed for renovations during my visit. It was disappointing not to be able to tour one of the site's main attractions, but there was still plenty to see and enjoy. One of the highlights was driving through the grounds and surrounding area. The route was scenic and offered a nice look at the Texas Hill Country. We also saw lots of cows along the way, which added to the charm and made the drive feel like a genuine Texas experience. Even without access to the Texas White House, I found the site worth visiting. The combination of history, open landscapes, and the relaxed driving tour made for an enjoyable stop. I would recommend it, though visitors should check ahead to see whether any areas are closed for renovation.

Excellent history museum that is self guided, I learned a lot about the German settlers and what…read moretheir life was like. It wasn't easy! Staff are excellent and explained how to get around. They have an old school house, home, blacksmith shop and more. See what life was like in the good old days when they had no air conditioning, no running water and no dentists or electricity. A must see for anyone interested in history. Included in admission is entrance to the Verein church down the road.

This was a cool museum to visit in Fredericksburg. It takes…read morevisitors through the way of life of early German settlers (pioneers). We did a self-guided tour and enjoyed exploring the schoolhouse, church, etc. Pictures and artifacts from pioneer times were interesting to see. Very informative and educational visit.

What a cool spot we stumbled upon!…read more Due to the pandemic many of the reenactments have been cancelled (at least as of late August 2020) but you can check their website for the next one. We didn't explore all of the grounds, but want to go back and see more. They are connected to the remnants of an old fort and allow you to explore those buildings as well. Since we didn't know this was here and showed up early on a weekday morning (around 9am), the outside pavilion and a self guided tour were the main things available. However, there were many sculptures, displays and opportunities for souvenirs in those areas. I would recommend calling or checking the website before your visit to maximize your time there. I did enjoy checking out the outdoor display and looking through their souvenirs. They had some hats, shirts, coins and a surprising variety of items to choose from. A lot of history was packed into a small space and the shade and breezeway allowed us to take our time with it. Worth checking out!

Mind Body Activation Oct 26-28, 2024…read more Qigong Breathing Healing Lymphatic Draining training Myospiral Release training I've trained with this company before that typically hosts it's workshops in hotels across the country. They decided to revamp workshops taking them out in nature to pavilions. Interesting choice! Unfortunately for us, Central Texas was still in a heat wave at the end of October. The first day was unbearable for us by the afternoon. Although the huge big fans on the ceiling helped, we could have really used those huge mister fans as well. Our Pavillion experience: I am going to start the grumpy old man... event manager I guess would be a good title for him, or land manager, or maintenance man. Typical German grumpy old man. And when I say old, he's probably closer to my age. None the less, grumpy. I can bring up the German part too, as my father grew up in Fredericksburg, a hundred years ago. My dad and his dad probably knew each other, you know small towns. The Germans are known as "Square Heads". Stubborn, and don't like outsiders. So back to the story... by second day, I had to go find him. We were out of hand soap, paper towels, and toilet paper. WTH?! They were out of soap?... really? You have a 3-day event booked and you don't make sure that all this is prepped up in advance?! By the third day, there was hand soap plus all the paper products just left on the counter for us to fend for ourselves. Ridiculous. Bathrooms were not maintained and cleaned. This dude was worthless. He just wanted to ride around on his cart and cut tree limbs... didn't want anything to do with us wo-wo hippy looking folks. Epic fail. 0 stars for the grumpy old man. The pavilion itself is beautiful with beautiful views. The traffic noise is distracting. The screens that go up and down are absolutely killer! They help keep the pavilion cool when down, or lift up for that breeze to flow through better. There seems to have been a kitchen as well. I would recommend the venue for events... just be sure to check on who's in charge of event maintenace making sure there is someone willing to make sure event is well ran.

What: landmark/art. Very cool to walk along and have this random, eclectic art to enjoy and…read moreappreciate. Location: 5 minute walk from The Pearl Brewery.

Recommend you check this part of the riverwalk out when in the Pearl District and Museum Reach…read more Keep walking a little further and enjoy Camden Bridge which you can also watch the bats come out at dusk certain times of the year. Parking in the Pearl surface lots are free on weekdays before 3pm and $4 after 3pm. We parked by La Gloria, walked down along the river for awhile then hit Pullman Market when we came back. There are lots of places to choose from though. Pullman Market has clean restrooms and a lots of patio seating to enjoy your selection. We enjoyed grabbing a ready made bacon breakfast taco for a quick bite before continuing on enjoying the area. More about the grotto: https://sanantoniohappens.com/the-grotto-san-antonio/ 'The Grotto along the Museum Reach is a modern public art piece created by Carlos Cortés, which is located in San Antonio's historic Immaculate Conception Cemetery. That said, The Grotto honors this rich artistic lineage. Cortés' work is deeply inspired by his great-uncle's techniques, preserving the faux bois style that blends naturalistic beauty with spiritual reflection. The site evokes a sense of contemplation that connects visitors to San Antonio's broader legacy of public art and cultural symbolism.'

Free (Donations welcomed)…read more This is a great place to check out on a Saturday morning while you're waiting for the shops to open. Nice little gift shop. Great way to support Texas History! Didn't take many photos because you need to experience this place first hand. Future home of the Camel Corps another amazing thing about Texas History.

Love visiting every time I'm in town. Would recommend going into the visitor center and seeing the…read moredifferent types of things they have for sale. One of a kind!

This is a wonderful museum! The paintings and exhibits are outstanding!…read more The staff is very educated and friendly . I would definitely recommend going to this museum!

This is a very nice museum in the Texas Hill Country. We had attempted to come here once before but…read moreit had been closed. We were happy that on this attempt we were able to go inside and see the gallery. The price is $7 a person unless you are a first responder or military. The docent did a good job of explaining the layout of the museuem and pointed out some interesting facts about the building itself as well. There are a few different sections of the library such as the painting galleries, the open floor in the beginning and the Texas history section where children can explore and interact with the exhibits. It's not a large museum but there were a lot of paintings and statues to look at. Definitely recommended. Parking is easy and there are also statues outside as well.