Texas Memorial Museum

Elite '08

80

67

Hoa N.

Austin, TX

Terrific free museum on the UT Campus. Designed in the 30's by Paul Cret, it has a stunning grand hall, Italian terrazzo floors, brass railings on their graceful stairway, with art deco sconces and grillwork in their elevator. Cold blasting AC!

Oh, ok, there's exhibits too.

4th level: the interactive section that changes. Right now it's Explore Evolution (score one for science).

3rd level: TX fauna--stuffed specimens in dioramas. Kinda cool and creepy.

2nd level: flying pterosaur skeleton overhead! Gems and minerals, fossils, and gift shop. Some pretty decent science/nature-related toys and books in there. They have a 20% off sale in the fall. Check the website.

1st level: fossil records from TX, "discovery drawers", a non-working microscope, a paleontologist doing his/her work. One day, when we asked, she said she was examining fragments from a cave dig: teeny tiny bat bones and teeth.  

Great trip with kids when it's sweltering out. You can play and picnic under live oaks and among fake dino vertebrae next to the Glen Ross dino track exhibit.

Park for free (at home or away from campus) and take the bus in. It's half the fun.

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Elite '08

38

140

allison j.

Austin, TX

Excellent display of dinosaur bones and tracks and most of them are from Texas!  If your kids like dinosaurs, they will LOVE it.  They also display beautiful rocks and gemstones and freaky looking bugs.  If that doesn't sound cool to your child, they can still find refuge in their outstanding gift shop full of great toys, books and jewelry.  My daughter got out of there with a flying dinosaur and a tiny tiny penguin.  The museum is free, so honestly you have no excuse not to go.  You might even learn something. . .

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40

61

Barron F.

Austin, TX

This small museum is located on the UT campus, and is easy to get to. Consisting of four floors, you can view then entire museum in an hour. When you first enter, you are in the Great Hall, with a pterodactyl skeleton suspended above. This room has some nice gems and quartz, plus bugs, bones, etc. It is sort of a showcase of their collection. The other floors have exhibits showing dinosaur bones, fossils, dioramas of wildlife scenes, aquatic exhibits, evolution, etc. There is also a Paleo-lab, where you can see how the paleontologists do their thing.

There's a lot to learn about at the Texas Memorial Museum, and it is pretty interesting for K-Elementary school kids, especially if they like dinosaurs. Our 5-year old was really digging it, and our 3-yr old had a good time as well.  I'd recommend starting at the 4th floor and ending in the 1st floor (basement), as the 1st floor has the most impressive exhibits. Nice to end on a good note! Oh, there's also a small gift store as well.

Admission is free, but parking in the garage next door will cost you:
0 - 30 minutes: No Charge
31 - 60 minutes: $2
61 - 90 minutes: $4
91 - 120 minutes: $6
Over 2 hours: $8

http://www.utexas.edu/...

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21

85

Tracey S.

Austin, TX

Barron F.'s thorough review is accurate.  The Texas Memorial Museum had lots of unique specimens and ancient things that are once-in-a-lifetime viewing opportunities.  You can spend hours here!  It's good for groups and free.  There are four floors, each with a theme.  My favorite floor was the third (the one above the ground floor) with all the fauna displays.  Children should enjoy this and have lots of questions.  I can't believe this museum is free.

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