Sights in South Central Texas
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Congress Ave Bridge
Every year up to 1.5 million Mexican free-tailed bats make their home upon a platform beneath the Congress Ave Bridge. It's become an Austin tradition to sit on the grassy banks and watch as the bats swarm out to feed on the local insect population. Capitol Cruises, behind the Hyatt Hotel, offers bat-watching cruises on Town Lake below the bridge.
Locals are proud of this, the largest urban bat colony in North America. The colony, which is made up entirely of female and young animals, is at its most active when swarming out for the nightly feed. Such is the bat-density that bat-radars have detected bat-columns up to 10,000 bat-feet (3,050m) high. In June, each female give…
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Blanton Museum of Art
A big university with a big endowment is bound to have a big art collection, and now, finally, it has a suitable building to show it off properly. Ranking among the best university art collections in the USA, the Blanton showcases a variety of styles. It doesn’t go very in-depth into any of them, but then again you’re bound to find something of interest. Especially striking is the installment of Missao/Missoes [How to Build Cathedrals] – which involves 600,000 pennies, 800 communion wafers and 2000 cattle bones.
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Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum
Wander along the hoof-marked ground of a cattle drive, look through a rough-hewn slave cabin or duck into a 1930s-era movie. High-tech interactive exhibits and fun theatrics characterize the superb (and superbly humongous) Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum. While you're downtown, you should wander by Austin's own piece of living history:
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University of Texas Museums & Galleries
The University of Texas, if not quite in the Ivy League, is a rich and prestigious school boasting several impressive museums and galleries. The Lyndon Baines Johnson, Archer Huntington and Texas Memorial museums are particularly worthwhile.
The LBJ Library, named for the 36th President, is a highlight of any visit to Austin. It much propaganda, but also offers a candid look at the social and political climate of the 1960s.
Also on campus, the Texas Memorial Museum packs a huge art deco building with displays of Texas' natural and social history. Exhibits focus on geology, paleontology, anthropology and natural history. Don't miss the impressive pterodactyl skeleton.
The …
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University of Texas
Whatever you do, don’t call it ‘Texas University’ – them are fightin’ words, usually used derisively by Texas Agriculture & Mining students and alum to take their rivals down a notch. Sorry, A&M, but the main campus of the University of Texas is kind of a big deal. Established in 1883, UT (and no, don’t call it ‘TU, ’ either) has the largest enrollment in the state – about 50,000 students hailing not just from around Texas, but from all over the USA and more than 100 foreign countries.
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Lyndon Baines Johnson (LBJ) Library & Museum
History buffs aren’t the only ones who can find something of interest at the LBJ Library & Museum. There are some fascinating mementos from the 36th US president, including his presidential limo, a moon rock, and gifts from heads of state (‘Why, thank you Chiang Kai-shek, for this lovely Chinese tomb sculpture!’).
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Texas State Capitol
The 1888, stunning, pink-granite Texas State Capitol is really 15ft taller than the US Capitol in Washington, DC.
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Buckhorn Saloon and Museum
The Buckhorn Hall of Horns, Fins & Feathers is one of the best kitsch spots around. The halls of mounted stuffed animals are as disgusting as any such collection, but this one features extra oddities such as a two-headed cow and a nine-legged goat.
Schlockier still are the maps of Texas formed with rattlesnake rattles, a wonderful collection of Lone Star Beer paraphernalia (like a guitar made from pull-tabs) and the pièce de résistance, the wax museum.
The wax museum was clearly assembled by buying figures from other museums and changing the costumes. In one diorama, Teddy Roosevelt consults with what's got to be Alan Ladd, and in another, it's Tom Selleck (Magnum PI) …
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Museo Alameda
This museum opened in downtown’s Market Square in 2007, but had yet to find its financial footing at time of research so, well, call before you go. But do go if you can. Despite San Antonio’s predominantly Hispanic population, this is the city’s first art museum to showcase Mexican art and culture, as well as the largest Hispanic museum in the US. It’s also the first official affiliate of the Smithsonian Museum outside of Washington, DC, which means the Museo gets to draw on the Smithsonian’s extensive collections for its rotating displays. Plus, the building is just crazy-cool: the surprisingly modern exterior (no adobe here) has hot-pink walls accented with metal panels…
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San Antonio Zoo & Aquarium
Established in 1914, the San Antonio Zoo & Aquarium is famous for its animal breeding conservation programs, which have given it one of the largest endangered-animal collections in the country. But parts of the zoo still need renovation and expansion, so don’t be surprised to find some of the exhibits looking cramped. There are more than 3500 animals here, representing some 750 species. Things to see include enormous free-flight tropical aviaries and a petting zoo and playground. A recent addition is the Conservation Research Center, which has a number of endangered species on show, including the wonderfully creepy Goliath bird-eating spider.
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Natural Bridge Caverns
About halfway between San Antonio and New Braunfels, this national landmark cave is one of the state’s largest underground formations. Its name comes from the 60ft natural limestone bridge that spans the entrance, but inside (where it’s always 70°F) are simply phenomenal formations, including the Watchtower, a 50ft pedestal that looks like a crystallized flower. You can only see the caverns as part of a guided tour, which includes the family-friendly Discovery Tour, the Hidden Passages Illuminations Tour, or the more challenging Adventure Tours. Attached is the Natural Caverns Wildlife Park, a small zoo with rare animals.
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Sunset Station
If you happen to be in the vicinity of the Alamodome, check out the former rail depot Sunset Station. Originally the Southern Pacific Railroad Depot and the city’s Amtrak station (which moved next door), and a stop along the Sunset Limited line between San Francisco and New Orleans, the station has been fully restored to its old glory, complete with stained-glass windows and a colorful, bold interior. Don’t overlook the vintage 1916 steam engine either. The station is usually hired out in the evening for private events, but it’s open to visitors during the day. Look on its website for a historical walking tour.
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San Antonio Missions National Historical Park
Spain's missionary presence can best be felt at the ruins of the four missions south of town. Together, Missions Concepción (1731), San José (1720), San Juan (1731) and Espada (1745-56) make up San Antonio Missions National Historical Park. Stop first at San José, which is the most beautiful, and host to the national park visitor center, where you can learn what life was like here from an informative film and a few exhibits. Free tours are offered at each mission. From the Alamo, take S St Marys St to Mission Rd. Bus 42 serves some of the Mission Trail from downtown (Navarro and Villita Sts).
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Texas State Cemetery
Revitalized in the 1990s, the state’s official cemetery, Texas State Cemetery, is the final resting place of key figures from Texan history. Interred here are luminaries including Stephen F Austin, Miriam ‘Ma’ Ferguson (the state’s first female governor), writer James Michener and Lone Star State flag designer Joanna Troutman, along with thousands of soldiers who died in the Civil War, plus more than 100 leaders of the Republic of Texas who were exhumed from other sites and reburied here. Self-guided-tour brochures are usually available from the visitor center. The cemetery is just north of E 7th St.
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Spanish Governor’s Palace
More history? Sure, why not. Built in the mid-18th century, the Spanish Governor’s Palace, west of city hall, was originally the quarters for the presidio capitan of the area’s Spanish colonial troops. In 1722 it became the seat of Texas’ colonial government. After Texan independence, the house was used in a variety of ways (including as a saloon), but it was bought and refurbished by the city in 1928. Today, it’s a museum filled with period furniture that provides a charming foreground against the backdrop of the palace’s adobe walls, brick ovens and fireplaces.
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Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Anyone with an interest in Texas’ flora and fauna should make the 20-minute drive to the wonderful gardens of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, southwest of downtown Austin. The center, founded in 1982 with the assistance of Texas’ beloved former first lady, has a display garden featuring every type of wildflower and plant that grows in Texas, separated by geographical region, with an emphasis on Hill Country flora. The best time to come is in the spring (especially National Wildflower Week in May), but there’s something in bloom all year.
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San Antonio Botanical Gardens
This expertly tended, 33-acre garden complex, northeast of downtown, showcases native Texas flora. There’s also a fragrance garden and a wonderful conservatory, with a bit of everything from equatorial rainforest to alpine flowers to a tropical lagoon. The strolling garden was designed and created by a 26th-generation gardener and one of Japan’s living national treasures from the island of Kyūshū. Call or go online for a calendar of special events, anything from concerts under the stars to bonsai workshops to summer classes for children.
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Institute of Texan Cultures
Thirty cultures, including Native American and Mexican, have made Texas what it is; explore them at the museum of the Institute of Texan Cultures. The Latin-American influence is fairly prominent in San Antonio, so this museum can be an eye-opener to visitors learning about Texas’ diverse background. The main exhibit, spread out over an enormous single-floor space, has sections devoted to more than two dozen ethnic and national groups of settlers in Texas, including Anglo-Americans, Germans, European Jews, Irish and African Americans.
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San Antonio Art League Museum
This tiny museum houses art from regional 20th-century American artists. In the 1920s, the San Antonio Art League was famous for annual exhibitions of paintings of Texas wildflowers. The museum’s early patron was Marion McNay, who also founded the excellent McNay Art Museum. Here, the permanent collections include textiles, paintings, sculpture, furniture and photography. If you’re in the neighborhood, it’s worth a short visit, especially since you’ll likely have the place all to yourself.
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Mexic-Arte Museum
This wonderful, eclectic downtown museum features works from Mexican and Mexican American artists in exhibitions that rotate every two months. The museum’s holdings include carved wooden masks, modern Latin American paintings, historic photographs and contemporary art. Don’t miss the back gallery where new and experimental talent is shown. The museum’s gift shop is another draw, with killer Mexican stuff that’s pricey if you’re heading south of the border but reasonable if you’re not.
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US Army Medical Department Museum
In the northeast section of the grounds at Fort Sam, the US Army Medical Department Museum has a display of army medical gear from the US and several other countries, including Germany, the former Soviet Union, Vietnam and China, and a cool collection of restored ambulances, helicopters and a hospital rail car. But what makes the AMEDD museum really worth the trip is the collection of Civil War surgical gear, notably the disturbing saws and portable amputation kits.
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Fort Sam Houston
Known ’round here as ‘Fort Sam, ’ and dating from the late 1800s, Fort Sam Houston is ready to enlist you for a little military history. Just northeast of downtown, it’s home to several historic buildings with designated museums that are open to the public. Fort Sam does have a couple of claims to fame: the Apache Chief Geronimo was held here for 40 days, and it was also the site from which the first military flight in US history took off in 1910.
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Zilker Botanical Garden
These lush gardens cover 31 acres on the south bank of the Colorado River, with displays including natural grottoes, a Japanese garden and a fragrant herb garden. You’ll also find some interesting historical artifacts sprinkled about the site – kind of like an outdoor architectural museum – including a 19th-century pioneer cabin, a cupola that once sat atop a local schoolhouse, and a footbridge moved from Congress Ave.
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Brackenridge Park
North of downtown near Trinity University, this 343-acre park is a great place to spend the day with your family. In addition to the San Antonio Zoo, you’ll find the Brackenridge Eagle miniature train, an old-fashioned carousel, a modest skyride and the Japanese Tea Gardens (which, as a side note, were spitefully renamed ‘Chinese Sunken Gardens’ for a time after WWII).
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Quadrangle
The oldest building at Fort Sam (and Geronimo’s short-term residence) is the Quadrangle, built in 1876. Today, the Quadrangle is open as a museum of the history of the fort, and it leads through to a sort of petting zoo – deer have been kept here for more than 100 years, and rabbits, ducks and chickens abound. The Quadrangle is west of New Braunfels Ave; hours can change depending on the army’s schedule.
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