Blog Post

2 Austin Museums With Kids

  • by Faye Fitzgibbon
  • 27 Oct, 2018

Johnson Science Mill & The Bullock Texas State History Museum

There are so many museum and gallery options in and around Austin. We knew we wouldn’t have the time, money, or child-attention-span to do all of them so we had to make a selection. Luckily for us, our visit to Austin coincided with the annual Austin Museum Day, where participating museums open their doors for free to the public. For this day, we chose the Bullock Texas State Museum. This was because we have found the most interesting museums we have visited have been those on the human history of the area we are in. This is personal preference, of course – others would find Natural History or Art more up their alley. Luckily for us Bullock Texas State Museum was on the ‘free’ list on Austin Museum Day, so we were sold.

Our other choice for a day out was the Johnson City Science Mill. This is a place that appeared on many ‘top something-or-other’ lists I read about Austin. It was competing with the NASA Centre in Houston and the JFK Museum in Dallas, both of which are reportedly excellent. In the end it came down to those two little factors: Time and Money. 3 hours each-way in a car and over $100 US to go to either Houston or Dallas; 1 hour each way and $40 US for Johnson City. The fact we could also stop at a vodka and gin distillery on the way home from Johnson City had absolutely nothing to do with our decision.

And so, to Johnson City we went: the home of Lyndon B Johnson, 36th President of the United States. Not named after him, but after his uncle James Polk Johnson. Population approximately 1700. It’s a small place, with a small high street and a funny little shop called Hill Country Cupboard proclaiming proudly “(NEARLY # DOZEN SOLD)”. So cute.

On the way to Johnson City we stopped off at Pieous Pizza. This was a tip we got from an Austin local a few days earlier. Best Pizza In Texas. We had to eat, so we figured we had to try. It was indeed good pizza. It was also quite expensive pizza. I’m not sure my pizza-palate is refined enough to pay that much on a regular basis, but it was fun and convenient and delicious and better than a ham sandwich in the car.

We got lucky on the day we visited the Science Mill - aside from a school excursion that was about to leave, we were the only people in the whole place! And it is a wonderful little place. Founded by two scientists passionate about sharing learning and knowledge, it is clearly a labour of love.

We started with the 3D movie, at the time we were there this was a BBC documentary on sea life. Jimmy and Alex loved the turtles, star fish and dolphins jumping out the screen. We then spent a fair chunk of time at the cog wall and ball wall. It was great to see the kids so intent on creating their own little working process.

In the main hall, Mike got right into a basic programming function allowing users to control the movements of various stuffed animals! There was an old-school spirograph which fascinated the kids, a ‘banana piano’ passing a current through 5 bananas which then acted like a keyboard. Moisture? Potassium? Not sure, but cool nonetheless!

In the next room we were able to observe actual lung at work and observe living organisms under a microscope.

And then there was the outside area! What a treat! A huge, Michaelangelo-inspired maze of balls and pullies which played cymbals and all sorts of marvellous things. This kept Alex enthralled for ages while Jimmy moved on to the archaeology pit, where he was able to ‘discover’ various dinosaur skeletons hidden in the dirt. There was also a giant hand statue, the movement of the individual digits controlled by a smaller hand at ground level, a giant pendulum wave structure that can be started and stopped by the user – and a couple of giant tortoises, because tortoises.

Basically, it was awesome. Not least because we were the only ones there and had multiple turns on everything without waiting our turn. But anyway it is just a wonderful place! The curators have really thought about how to teach various science lessons in away that makes them interesting, tangible and – most importantly – memorable! We loved it.

And on the way home, as the latest big storm crept across to Austin, we stopped in at Dripping Springs for a taste test and left with two bottle of vodka.

So on to the Bullock Texas State Museum! The FREE Bullock Texas State Museum! It is worth noting that the museum also offers free entry on the first Sunday of every month. But the first Sunday of the month was the first Sunday we were in Austin. And I ain’t that organised.

 As we walked into the museum we were greeted with a plethora of kids’ activities – making your own horseshoe, building Lego ranches and colouring-in tables. We let Jims and Alex do their thing for half an hour, then it was time to head up to level one and learn about the history of Texas.

We had a basic understanding of the founding of Texas thanks to our visit to San Antonio and The Alamo. This time, it was great to understand a little bit more about this, plus the lives of Texans from that moment onwards. From Cowboys, the Oil Rush and through to Space Stations and Assassinations.

For example, I found it fascinating to learn more about the ‘Wild West’ era and what it was actually like, outside of the movies. Kind of like that era in the eighties/nineties when all bad guys were Russian, so all Native Indians in the Wild West were hunting down white folk to slice off the top of their heads  - according to the movies. But did you know that during that 50 year period, there were only about 300 civilian deaths at the hands of Native Americans? The whole idea of “rounding the wagons” as a defensive strategy is also rubbish – those convoys were kilometres long – they had no chance of coordinating that quickly in the instance of a (rare) attack. These wagon formations were in fact used as a way to stop the livestock escaping when they stopped for the night. In reality, most Native Americans valued a peaceful relationship with immigrants because it allowed them to trade for things like weapons and fabrics. There were rogue groups of young males that terrorised anyone they could find – but they were most definitely the minority. I shall be watching my next Spaghetti Western with a whole new appreciation now!

We managed to make our way through the whole museum with only minimal whinging from the kids, and with bribes that if they were patient they could play with the Lego again at the end. There is a reason the ‘Children’s Museum’ was invented: 5 and 7 is just too young. They are still in their little childhood bubble, no matter how much of the world we show them. They need things they can touch, and things that move – which is why the Science Mill was such a winner.

Bullock Texas State Museum - definitely a winner for Mike and me. And do take your kids – only do it on Free Sunday 😉

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