Museums, Theaters, Architecture, Austin

The Elisabet Ney Museum is the historic 1892 Austin studio of European-born sculptor and activist Elisabet Ney (1833-1907). It features her own work—large scale classical style portraits of 19th-century European intellectuals, statesmen, and royalty, as well as Texas notables—and exhibitions of contemporary art, both on the grounds and inside the building. Part of the 2.5 acre site features a historic prairie recreation. Admission is free and events are held year-round. https://www.austintexas.org/listings/elisabet-ney-museum/1523/

This museum is the one-time home the “Messenger of the Alamo,” Susanna Dickinson, a survivor of the 1836 Battle of the Alamo who carried the news of its fall to General Sam Houston. Her eyewitness account of the battle remains a benchmark for historians. Inside, the museum houses rare Dickinson family artefacts and a library area where you can peruse the history of early Texan life and other historic frontier women. Her home was opened as a museum on March 2, 2010, Texas Independence Day. https://www.austintexas.org/listings/susanna-dickinson-museum/5900/

The Austin Fire Museum is located in Austin’s Central Fire Station No. 1 in the heart of downtown Austin, Texas. The firehouse is Austin’s busiest station, which includes Quint 1, Engine 1, Engine 13, Austin EMS Medic 6, and the AFD Shift Commander. The station was built in 1938 and is a piece of history in and of itself. The station and museum are next door to the O’Henry Museum and Susanna Dickinson Museum and is just one block south of the famous Sixth Street District. https://www.austintexas.org/listings/austin-fire-museum/9033/

Museum presents traditional and contemporary Mexican and Latin American art and culture. https://www.austintexas.org/listings/mexic-arte-museum/1620/

Founded in 1963, the Blanton Museum of Art is one of the foremost university art museums in the country and holds the largest public collection in Central Texas. https://www.austintexas.org/listings/blanton-museum-of-art/1580/

The Mexican American Cultural Center is dedicated to the preservation, creation, presentation, and promotion of Mexican American cultural arts and heritage. https://www.austintexas.org/listings/emma-s-barrientos-mexican-american-cultural-center/2981/