- Restaurants |
- Nightlife |
- Shopping |
- Movies |
- All
LBJ Library and Museum
Rating Details »
Neighborhood: University of Texas
2313 Red River St
Austin, TX 78705
(512) 916-5136
2313 Red River St
Austin, TX 78705
(512) 916-5136
11 reviews for LBJ Library and Museum
I've never had sex outside the library like Sarah G, but unlike Sarah G I have ventured inside and it was well worth it.. The special exhibits have always rocked, like the 60s exhibit last year and the space exhibit this year.
I love it that LBJ recorded everything he ever said, salty, crusty sayings peppered with phrases like "the suit felt like barbed wire on my nuts" and he was the consummate charmer when he was talking to Jackie on the phone, he could really crank up the sugar.
And LBJs handwriting is a gem. I saw one letter he sent to Lady Bird where he wrote notes all over the margins on the typewritten letter she had sent to him. In one letter when he was very young and in junior college he wrote his mom and asked a "special favor" that she send me 200 pairs of sneakers to give away to his class mates because they needed them.
One puzzle, why would they make the Oval Office replica 7/8s scale? This is Texas, aren't things supposed to be larger than life, not smaller? Don't miss Ladybirds little nook off the side of the Oval Office, it has an awesome view of the UT campus.
I really like that it's free and I can go there any old time I feel like it without having to shell out 7 bucks or something (unlike the Bob Bullock Texas History Museum down the road a short ways).
Sarah G. you really should check out the inside of the Library, it's worth it.
People thought this was:
- Useful (3)
- Funny (3)
- Cool (3)
A few things about the LBJ Library that happened on my one and only visit:
The anthropomorphic LBJ totally creeped me out.
LBJ's limo was TINY. My how times change.
The exhibit on LBJ's contribution to getting the U.S. to the moon was interesting, but not overly flashy, and in the modern age, I gotta admit I was unimpressed. Not that LBJ helped get us to the moon, that was pretty amazing, but that the story was poorly told.
The list of world leaders LBJ met with during his tenure held a surprising number of African Presidents. All African presidents are apparently referred to as "His Excellency, The President of Kenya," or "His Excellency, the President of Sudan." I commented on this to my lady love, saying, "You know, I think we should start referring to OUR President like this. It just sounds good, you know? His EXCELLENCY, President Obama." She merely nodded her head. "In fact," I continued, "I think everyone should start referring to ME that way, as His EXCELLENCY, Jefe."
She said, without hardly looking around, "I'm surprised it took you that long to get there." How well does she know me?
People thought this was:
- Funny (4)
Very impressive. The museum is interesting and a wealth of interesting information (although, unlike some presidential museums I came away with more of a sense of LBJ's _time_ than of LBJ, the man). The staff is good old Texas-friendly and is a joy. The facility is still in great shape, and the view when you turn the corner and look up on four floors (maybe five) of the stacks -- walls of red cartons (of papers) with large gold presidential seals facing you through windows -- is awe-inspiring. I'd recommend a visit to anyone, whether for fun or for research.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
- Cool (1)
It's all things LBJ. For the public, it is mostly a museum of the days from the death of JFK to the height of the Vietnam War. It also has the anthropomorphic LBJ an early robot version that looks like it was nicked from the Hall of Presidents at Disney World. It is not essential in your visit to Austin unless politics or this era appeals to you.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
- Cool (1)
Actually, if you're into presidential libraries/museums, you should come here! It's really not bad, though compared to the JFK or the Reagan one, this one kind of pales in comparison.
Places like this are really insightful with regards to really getting to know a personal side of things. Here, you get to see the Bible on which he was sworn (after JFK ws assasinated), handwritten notes, and family photos. you can't beat that - esp since he's a local boy :-)
...and it was free (whereas you have to pay for the other libraries)! LBJ never thought that the public should have to pay to get in. Mostly for this reason (with the other pluses) I give this place a solid 4-stars!
People thought this was:
- Useful (2)
- Cool (1)
We didn't know what we were getting ourselves into when we decided to visit the LBJ Library and Museum.
The entrance to the museum is currently under rennovation - so we were a little hesitant to go in when we first arrived, but we glad that we went in.
Admission is free. LBJ did not want anyone to be turned away from visiting the museum and library.
We started on the 10th floor - where the Oval Office replica and display dedicated to Lady Bird Johnson were located. As we meandered through the other floors, I had memories of when I was very young. LBJ was office - but I remember when JFK was shot and the Vietnam war. I remember the day that Martin Luther King. Jr. was shot - but since I was so young at the time, I didn't understand the impact of the event. Some of the displays, quotes and memorabilia of the major events that occured (JFK and MLK being shot, civil rights, the Vietnam War) were haunting. There were old televisions (not the HD TV's like we have today!) that were displaying old newscasts by Huntley and Brinkley - geez! What a throwback to the 60's! On the light side, the story of how LBJ and Lady Bird came to be: their courtship, family life and love and devotion for each other were admirable.
We were told by the docents that Senator Johnson was going to be speaking in the auditorium. I guess Mondays are really slow days for the museum - my b/f and I were the only two people in the audience (besides the security guard) that were present for the actor who played LBJ during his campaigning years prior to becoming a Senator. We got to converse with the actor (who kept to his LBJ persona) and even took pictures!
We spent more time at the museum that we thought we would have. I was very impressed as I didn't realize how influential and how many good things were accomplished LBJ and Lady Bird were while in office.
.
People thought this was:
- Useful (5)
- Cool (1)
How can you say no to such a large and dramatic piece of history in your own backyard? I imagine that a vast majority of people in Austin (especially those with no connection to UTexas and the surrounding campus) have never spent a moment in the LBJ Library and Museum, much less an entire day.
For shame.
Presidential Libraries as a rule don't really offer the pomp and circumstance of many museums and displays. This is hardcore history, the bumps and warts and all. Presidential libraries contain essentially every piece of written correspondence to go in or out of the Oval office, artifacts, gifts, notes, radio recordings, television broadcasts, etc. The moment you walk in to the LBJ library, your first response will likely be, "holy cow...look at all this stuff."
LBJ's time in the White House was hardly a boring era in our country. I encourage visiting for fun, visiting for education, visiting for understanding, visiting for no reason at all but to catch a glimpse of what takes place both in front of and behind the scenes of the most powerful desk in the history of the world.
People thought this was:
- Useful (2)
- Cool (5)
Here's something you don't find in every town -- a Presidential Library!
The LBJ is a good place to spend an afternoon and a great way to get some insight into the history of our country in the 1960's. My favorite items are the personal letters on display, one from Jackie Kennedy to the Johnson family and several letters from soldiers in Vietnam back home, and letters from citizens to the president about the war.
You'll also find the teleprompter print out that Johnson read from during his famous "I will not seek nor will I accept the nomination" TV speech.
If you like a little bit of history now and then, the LBJ is a unique place to find some.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
- Cool (4)
An invaluable resource for researchers, I'm sure. But as a tourist destination, it's dull.
My family likes museums a lot, and I am a historical journalism geek, but the LBJ Library just didn't do it for us. The woman who introduced the introduction video kept forgetting what she was saying or where she was or something, and she SNAPPED at this one girl for yawning during her rambling speech. I was so glad she didn't stay for the actual video, 'cause I'd gotten about two hours of sleep the night before and was asleep within the first four minutes. My mom said it was "nice," which means it was as boring as I assumed in my half-napping state. Twenty-three minutes of video = enough nap to walk around the rest of the place.
I don't like museums that expect you to stand and read one historical document after another. The LBJ is not nearly the worst offender in this respect, but it does expect a lot of undivided attention to papers, which would suck if you weren't there on an almost empty weekday afternoon like we were.
The collections you can look at, such as gifts to the president, a replica Oval Office and artwork, are cool -- except the creepy lifelike, moving Lyndon Baines Johnson in cowboy gear who tells jokes when you trip a motion sensor by sitting in a little room. That was just plain creepy.
As a free attraction that usually has changing exhibits (none were open at the time of my visit), it's not so bad. But I wouldn't suggest that out-of-towners visit just for the hell of it.
If I ever write a book on LBJ, you can bet I'd be back. I believe six floors are dedicated to presidential documents.
People thought this was:
- Useful (3)
- Funny (2)
- Cool (3)
I had sex outside this library once. 5 stars.
Never been inside though.
People thought this was:
- Funny (3)
- Cool (2)
This is one of my favorite museums of all time! I didnt know too much about Johnson going in to the museum, but I learned that his amazing and productive presidency was overshadowed by his botched attempted at removing troops from Vietnam. While I was there, back in 2005, they had an exhibit on pop culture during his presidency that was also engaging and colorful. I highly recommend a visit to this place while in Austin.
People thought this was:
- Useful (1)
- Cool (2)