Must-Visit Museums

This is your ticket to explore all of Austin's best museums for free

Photo courtesy of The Blanton Museum of Art

There is no better time to explore Austin-area museums, cultural institutions, and preservation organizations than during the 20th annual Austin Museum Day on Sunday, September 17. Nearly 40 local participating museums have teamed with the Austin Museum Partnership to waive admission fees, host family-friendly activities, and curate special programming for the day.

Here are the best and most interesting offerings for Austin Museum Day:

Oakwood Cemetery
Save Our Cemeteries, a local preservation nonprofit, will be hosting guided tours of Oakwood Cemetery — Austin’s oldest final resting place — for Austin Museum Day. The cemetery, which dates back to the 1850s, houses some of Austin’s most recognizable names — Zilker, Barton, Bergstrom, Hogg — and overlooks the capitol building. Volunteers will be onsite early to give guided tours of the grounds, and self-guided markers will be present all day until close at sundown. Guided tours 9-11 am; self-guided tours 9 am-6 pm.

Mexic-Arte Museum
The Mexic-Arte Museum will host a slew of fun art-themed activities to celebrate its newest exhibition "Frida and Diego: A Smile in the Middle of the Way." The exhibition runs concurrently with "Love and Death: Community Altars" and celebrates the life and works of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo through the photographs of Peter Jules, Ansel Adams, Leo Matiz, and more. Hands-on art instruction, costuming ideas for the upcoming Viva la Vida Festival and Parade, and a special flower crown demonstration will punctuate the roster of special events. 1-4 pm.

Women and Their Work
Women and Their Work gallery harnesses its annual Red Dot Art Spree into a playful game of "I Spy" for Austin Museum Day. While visitors take in a selection of more than 150 works by some of the best contemporary artists in Texas, they may notice a few hidden details upon closer inspection. Notable works include pieces from Emily Fleisher, Carly Weaver, Chloe Yingst, Heather Sundquist, and Melissa Borrell. 11 am-6 pm.

LBJ Presidential Library and Museum
Celebrate the cultural legacy of the Public Broadcasting Act, signed into law by President Lyndon Baines Johnson in 1967, with "On the Air: 50 Years of Public Broadcasting" currently on view at LBJ Library and Museum. The exhibit, which showcases artifacts from classic PBS programming, will take on an added dimension for Austin Museum Day with an appearance by Grover from Sesame Street, story time with the KLRU-TV Austin vice president of education Benjamin Kramer, and music by the River City Pops. Museum visitors park for free in lot No. 38, located off Red River Street. 9 am-5 pm.

Austin History Center
Whereas the Austin History Center isn’t technically a museum, its work is still that of curation and preservation. For Austin Museum Day, the center will host genealogy- and preservation-related events alongside current photography exhibitions "Finding Refuge in Austin 1848-1980" and "Austin at Mid-Century: Photographs of Dewey Mears." Activities center around Austin family histories and include a preservation station and community pop-up exhibit, an oral history booth, and a family tree-making station for the kids. 1-4 pm.

Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
Fall flowers are blooming at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center and Austin Museum Day activities are sure to showcase it all. Drop-in tours will run all day, with a seed-planting demonstration, story time in the outdoor classroom, and a UT entomology exhibit. Patrons can also meet featured artist Laurel Daniel and attend a book signing in the Wildflower Center store. 9 am-5 pm.

Blanton Museum of Art
The spirit of Rangoli, the art form native to Nepal, India, and Bangladesh, is alive at the Blanton on Austin Museum Day. In conjunction with the current special exhibition "Epic Tales from Ancient India: Paintings from the San Diego Museum of Art," the Blanton will host traditional Indian dance and storytelling by Aruna Kharod, a Rangoli-inspired community art project, free frozen popsicles from Mom & Pops (while supplies last), and 30 percent off all Indian merchandise in the museum catalog. Free parking is available in the Brazos Garage. 1-5 pm.

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New

Historic Austin museum will close for more than a year for restoration

Photo courtesy of the City of Austin

The Elisabet Ney Museum will close at the end of 2024 and reopen in mid-2026.

Every building needs some maintenance here or there, and the historic Elisabet Ney Museum needs some extra-special care. Formerly the art studio and residence of its namesake, it's been standing since 1892. It'll spend 2025 in relative solitude, as it undergoes renovation for a year and a half with no visitors allowed.

The museum will close to the public December 30, 2024, and open again in the summer of 2026 if all goes according to plan, a news release from the City of Austin shares. It'll be a quiet period compared to the 21,000 people visiting from around the world each year.

According to a museum overview on the city's website, Elisabet Ney, a European portrait sculptor, bought the property and called her new studio Formosa. She worked on sculptures depicting important Texans like Stephen F. Austin and Sam Houston, and collected works of European contemporaries.

The building at 304 East 44th St. includes 3,700 square feet of museum space, which was converted by Ney's friends after her death in 1907. It retains its unique look that juxtaposes a Neo-Classical main studio from 1892 with a later addition from 1902 including a tower for her husband, Edmund, to write in. It is also on 2.5 acres of land, which has largely been restored to its natural state with native species.

A press release lists these tasks (verbatim) within the scope of the new work, referred to as the Capital Improvement Project (CIP):

Restoration of original exterior wood doors and windows
Upgrades and replacement of the heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system
Replacement of the exhibit and general lighting systems
Repairs to the roof, masonry, plumbing, and interior finishes.

There will also be work to do outside of the building. Workers will replace the pedestrian bridge across Waller Creek, stabilize a 20,000-square-foot portion of the bank, and make the grounds more accessible by adding new pathways.

Funding comes from several sources, according to a release: "the 2012 Bond, Proposition 14, the Parkland Dedication Fund, the Historic Preservation Fund, Partners in Preservation through the National Trust, and contributions from the Friends of the Elisabet Ney Museum."

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