Texas Memorial Museum

Austin


We all know how kids feel about dinosaurs, and this natural history museum is the perfect place for them to indulge their fascination. Look up to see the swooping skeleton of the Texas Pterosaur – one of the most famous dino finds ever. This impressively humongous Cretaceous-era flying reptile has a wingspan of 40ft and was recovered at Big Bend in 1971. There are other exhibits, too, focusing on anthropology, natural history, geology and biodiversity.

Upstairs, you can glimpse a Texas horned lizard in a jar, a preserved prairie rattlesnake and a taxidermied American bison and other critters, but most of the exhibits are like something you'd find in the dusty attic of an eccentric great aunt.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Austin attractions

2. University of Texas at Austin

0.42 MILES

Whatever you do, don't call it 'Texas University' – them's fightin' words, usually used derisively by Texas A&M students to take their rivals down a notch…

3. Blanton Museum of Art

0.53 MILES

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. With…

5. Hi, How Are You Mural

0.61 MILES

Created by songwriter and artist Daniel Johnston, this iconic bug-eyed frog greets passersby near the University of Texas. Also known as Jeremiah the…

7. Texas State Capitol

0.97 MILES

Completed in 1888 using sunset-red granite, Texas’ state capitol is the largest in the US, backing up the familiar claim that everything’s bigger…

8. George Washington Carver Museum

1.28 MILES

On 19 June 1865, slaves in Texas were freed pursuant to the Emancipation Proclamation – 2½ years after it was signed by President Lincoln. This day is now…