Gulf Coast & South Texas
This is a splendid museum that covers the natural, geological and cultural history of the region from 'Jurassic to Janis Joplin.' A large section is devoted to local celebrities like Janice, who remained a hometown girl until her death in 1970. Other area musicians covered include blues great Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown and Jiles Perry Richardson Jr, aka 'the Big Bopper.'
Don't miss the small hall devoted to the works of painter and graphic artist Robert Rauschenberg, another hometown legend.
19.2 MILES
The Stark Museum of Art has collections focused on artworks depicting native birds and wildlife (including works by John James Audubon), Native American…
15.11 MILES
This park of more than 4000 acres includes vast marshlands north of TX 87 and over 5 miles of beaches south of the road. The wetlands are popular with…
Spindletop & Gladys City Boomtown Museum
14.04 MILES
Several prospectors saw promise in the Spindletop salt dome, but it took nearly a decade before an exploratory well leased by Anthony Lucas blew a…
19.19 MILES
The carefully restored WH Stark House reveals the lifestyle of turn-of-the-century society families. The elegant 1894 Victorian home – one of the last and…
18.29 MILES
Visit this fabulous 1906 beaux-arts/colonial-revival mansion to see the excess made possible by the Spindletop oil boom. Members of the McFaddin family…
20.85 MILES
Feed the gators, photo-op with small reptiles and watch a live edutainment show put on by this local animal-rescue outfit. You may have seen the Gator…
Shangri La Botanical Gardens & Nature Center
19.16 MILES
Combination flower garden and open-air art gallery, the grounds of Shangri La are a fantastic place to spend a sunny afternoon. The 'Outpost Tour' boat…
17.51 MILES
This museum manages to pack a surprisingly diverse collection of rotating fine- and folk-art exhibits into its small display space, and the emphasis on…
0.89 MILES
Commissioned in 1900 as Port Arthur was becoming an oil boomtown, the Pompeiian Villa was constructed in a traditional Roman layout copied from an actual…
1.57 MILES
Built in 1906 by real-estate dealer/banker/mayor RH Woodworth, this historic home is currently open to the public only by appointment, except for special…
3. Sabine Pass Battleground State Historic Site
10.39 MILES
The site of the fort is now offshore, but detailed outdoor displays recall the battle. This 57-acre site offers great views of idle oil rigs and passing…
4. Spindletop & Gladys City Boomtown Museum
14.04 MILES
Several prospectors saw promise in the Spindletop salt dome, but it took nearly a decade before an exploratory well leased by Anthony Lucas blew a…
15.11 MILES
This park of more than 4000 acres includes vast marshlands north of TX 87 and over 5 miles of beaches south of the road. The wetlands are popular with…
17.4 MILES
Built in 1903 as the First Baptist Church, the building was purchased in 1923 by Captain WC Tyrrell and donated to the city for use as a library. Step…
17.41 MILES
Downstairs, animated movies and interactive exhibits explain the science of hydrocarbons, petrochemicals and oil extraction in a fairly entertaining…
8. Art Museum of Southeast Texas
17.51 MILES
This museum manages to pack a surprisingly diverse collection of rotating fine- and folk-art exhibits into its small display space, and the emphasis on…