- September 15, 2015

10 Free Destinations on Austin Museum Day

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Sunday, September 20, 2015 is the 18th annual Austin Museum Day, when not only is admission to more than 40 local institutions free, but so are the special activities planned for Austin families to enjoy!

We’ve selected ten fun options for your Austin Museum Day adventure. For additional details, please click on the links below. To see all participating locations on an interactive map, click here.

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center – 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Come and play in the Family Garden! Discover nature, art, hear a story, and go on a scavenger hunt at the center. Enjoy bubbles and games on the play lawn.

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, 4801 La Crosse Ave., Austin.

The Thinkery

The Thinkery

The Thinkery – 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Join the Thinkery for a day full of family fun and learning! The entire Thinkery will have hands-on learning and activities and content appropriate for visitors with children of all ages. Come visit the space where science smiles!

Thinkery, 1830 Simond Ave., Austin.

Pioneer Farms Austin

Pioneer Farms

Pioneer Farms – 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Step back in time to when Texas’ frontier spirit was really kicking. New exhibits and sites to explore for the whole family. Farm animals, historical demonstrations and much more in an historical adventure park.

Pioneer Farms, 10621 Pioneer Farms Dr, Austin

LBJ Library

LBJ Library

LBJ Presidential Library and Museum – 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

Explore the Ladies and Gentlemen…The Beatles! exhibit and enjoy performances by musicians from McCallum High School, the National Grammy Signature School, from 1-3 p.m.

LBJ Presidential Library, 2313 Red River Street, Austin.

Bullock Museum

Bullock Museum

Bullock Museum – 12-5 p.m.

Enjoy FREE exhibition admission all day during Austin Museum Day. Families can explore The Story of Texas through three floors of exhibitions that showcase artifacts from around the state. Whether your family is brand new in town or you’ve lived here for years, you are bound to discover something new about Texas (and Austin!) at the Bullock Museum. From 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. you can:

  • Take home a souvenir photo strip, brought to you by Live Oak Photo Booth.
  • Pick up a copy of the Greater Austin Newcomer Guide, published by Texas Monthly, and enter to win a special Texas Monthly prize pack.
  • Meet and greet characters from the Texas past as living history interpreters roam the Museum.
  • Leave your recommendations about how to experience Central Texas on a community art board.
  • Enter to win a Bullock Museum family membership, good for an entire year of family fun!
  • Get hands-on with Texas history through interactive family activities and art-making stations.

Bullock Texas State History Museum, 1800 N Congress Ave, Austin.

Screen Shot 2015-09-14 at 2.20.25 PMPortraiture in the Park at the Elisabet Ney Museum – 12-5 p.m.

What does “Portraiture” mean? How many ways can you make a portrait? What stories do you tell? Think OUTSIDE the box! Find out through music, demos, exceptional art acticities, caricatures, and more! Food trucks, photo booths, sculpting of all kinds, digital imaging, caricatures, screen printing, Typewriter Rodeo, and… karaoke! All FREE!

Elisabet Ney Museum, 304 East 44th St., Austin.

Blanton Museum of Art

Cildo Meireles’s Missão/Missões (How to Build Cathedrals) at the Blanton

Blanton Museum of Art – 1-4 p.m.

Be challenged as you experience an Art Quest at the Blanton. Enjoy navigating through the museum’s galleries, in new and unexpected ways. Look. Question. Create. Admission and all activities are FREE.

Blanton Museum of Art, The University of Texas at Austin, 200 E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Austin.

Downtown Public Art Crawl – 1-2 p.m.

The crawl starts and ends at the Brush Square Museums and showcases the City’s Art in Public Places collection. Meet on the front lawn at 1 p.m. for an hour-long guided walking tour. Participants will play public art bingo and be sure to stop for selfies at #thataustinwall! Art in Public Places staff will be on site at Brush Square from noon to 3 p.m. to hand out special 30th Anniversary buttons and stickers. If you miss the guided tour, you can grab a free map and take a self-guided stroll.

Brush Square Museums, 409 & 411 E 5th St, Austin.

Texas Memorial Museum

Texas Memorial Museum

Identification Day at Texas Memorial Museum – 1-5 p.m.

Texas Memorial Museum will be open with FREE admission on this special Sunday to host Identification Day. University scientists and experts from Central Texas will be on hand to identify natural objects such as fossils, bones, rocks and prehistoric archeological materials. Don’t miss this one-time only event.

Texas Memorial Museum, 2400 Trinity St, Austin.

Oakwood Cemetery

Oakwood Cemetery

Save Austin’s Cemeteries – 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Meet historic Austin residents and hear their fascinating stories at Oakwood Cemetery which dates to 1839. Save Austin’s Cemeteries volunteers will conduct tours at 9 a.m., 10 a.m., and 11 a.m. and answer questions. Come and learn how Oakwood preserves the living history of our community.

Oakwood Cemetery, 1601 Navasota Street, Austin.

To see all of the museums participating in Austin Museum Day, click here.