Unique Museums You Can Plan on Visiting in the State of Texas
I've always been fascinated with museums growing up; I loved going to the Art Museum, History Museum & the Insights Museum when I was a kid. So I was curious about some of the most interesting museums you can visit in Texas & I found a couple that are definitely worth checking out:
El Paso Border Patrol Museum
If you've ever been on the Northeast, you've seen the El Paso Border Patrol Museum off of TransMountain. The private museum does a great job showing what the US Border Patrol looked like from the old West all the way to the present. Also, it is the ONLY Border Patrol museum in the entire United States. So that's something El Paso has that the rest of the state DOESN'T.
Dr. Pepper Museum (Waco)
Who doesn't love Dr. Pepper? Obviously Texans do. We love it SO MUCH, Waco built an entire museum dedicated to good ol' DP. It makes sense though: Dr. Pepper was created back in 1885 & has been one of the most popular sodas in the country.
and speaking of things Texans love...
Whataburger Museum (Corpus Cristi)
Whataburger is a STAPLE of Texas; especially if you ask El Pasoans. I talked about the Whataburger Museum of Art, but there is a replica of the ORIGINAL Whataburger restaurant that you can visit in Corpus Cristi; a throwback to their very first TX restaurant that opened up back in 1950. While it's not an official working restaurant, it IS a trip to see how everything has changed, in terms of pricing back then. The first restaurant IS still open but, it looks MUCH different than the original one.
National Video Game Museum (Frisco):
Ahhhh yes... the inner nerd of me is excited about this one. If you're a gamer, this one is for you: The National Video Game Museum in Frisco is the first video game museum in the United States with over 20,000 different pieces spanning over 25 years of video game history. Tons of arcade machines, statues of some of the most iconic video game characters, classic gaming consoles... it's a nerd's paradise.
The Munster Mansion (Waxakachie):
If you loved The Munsters tv show, you'll be happy to know that there is a museum, just outside of Dallas-Ft Worth, dedicated to the old mansion featured in the show. Built by Sandra & Charlie McKee, the Munster Mansion was built using clips of the show & all the furniture items are exact matches of those used in the show.
The Sixth Floor Museum (Dallas):
Speaking of Dallas, history buffs (& some conspiracy theorists) would love this location: The Sixth Floor Museum in Dallas. Anyone who's familiar with JFK, knows about the Texas School Book Depository building. This museum is located INSIDE the building & chronicles the events of that fateful day as well as looking at the life of John F Kennedy.
Space Center (Houston):
I think at one point we've all had dreams of being an astronaut, flying in outer space & hanging out with aliens... For those who always look out to the stars & wonder what's out there, there is the Space Center in Houston, which gives anyone a great look into NASA's history & their accomplishments. Also who doesn't love seeing giant rockets up close?
Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum (Canyon):
Who doesn't love dinosaurs? You'll find plenty of them & tons of ancient creatures at the Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum in Canyon, TX. The museum also looks into Texas's history spanning in the Industrial Age. At the time of this writing, it is officially the LARGEST history museum in the state of Texas, covering over 26,000 square miles.
ArtCar Museum (Houston):
People love painting & decorating their cars in El Paso; you'll see plenty at any car show. In Houston, there's a museum all dedicated to automotive art. Nicknamed the Garage Mahal, The Art Car Museum opened in 1998 all with the purpose of showing off how creative people can be when tricking out one's ride.
Museum of the Weird (Austin):
We've all heard stories of weird things happening in Austin. They definitely stick to their motto of "keeping Austin weird" by dedicating a museum to nothing BUT the weird & odd.
Now if you'll excuse me, I got to start planning for my next road trip...