Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Blanton Museum of Art
MAP
MUSEUM
GOOGLE MAP
( 512-471-5482;
www.blantonmuseum.org
;
200 E Martin Luther King Blvd; adult/child $9/free; 10am-5pm
Tue-Fri, 11am-5pm Sat, 1-5pm Sun)
A big university with a big endowment is bound to have a big
art collection, and now, finally, it has a suitable building to show it off properly. With one
of the best university art collections in the USA, the Blanton showcases a variety of styles.
It doesn't go very in-depth into any of them, but then again you're bound to find
something of interest.
Especially striking is the permanent installation of Missao/Missoes [How to Build
Cathedrals] - which involves 600,000 pennies, 800 communion wafers and 2000 cattle
bones.
Lyndon Baines Johnson (LBJ) Library & Museum
MAP
( 512-721-0200;
www.lbjlibrary.org
; 2313 Red River St; adult/child 13-17yr/senior $8/3/5; 9am-5pm)
A ma-
jor renovation has brought the museum into the new millennium with interactive exhibits
and audiovisual displays. Fortunately, they didn't lose the hokey, animatronic LBJ that re-
gales visitors with the president's recorded stories - although they did stir some contro-
versy when they changed him out of his ranch duds into a suit much more befitting an an-
imatronic of his stature.
There are some fascinating mementos from the 36th US president, including his presid-
ential limo and gifts from heads of state ('Why, thank you Chiang Kai-shek, for this
lovely Chinese tomb sculpture!'). The museum also provides insight into the events of the
1960s, including the Vietnam War, the Cuban Missile Crisis and the assassination of Pres-
ident Kennedy. Don't miss the 8th floor for a look at a replica of Johnson's Oval Office,
and an exhibit on Lady Bird Johnson, the president's wife.
MUSEUM
Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center
MAP
MUSEUM
GOOGLE MAP
( 512-471-8944;
www.hrc.utexas.edu
; 300 W 21st St; 10am-5pm Tue, Wed & Fri, 10am-7pm Thu, noon-5pm
Sat & Sun)
The fascinating Ransom Center is a major repository of historic
manuscripts, photography, books, film, TV, music and more. Highlights include a com-
plete copy of the Gutenberg Bible (one of only five in the USA) and what is thought to be
the first photograph ever taken, from 1826. Check the website for special online-only ex-
