National Ranching Heritage Center
The NRHC is a free (donations encouraged) inside/outside museum that focuses on the ranching heritage of the American West. Inside you will see art, guns, and artifact exhibits. The inside has recently been renovated and looks amazing and colorful. Outside you will see over 48 restored structures. The structures include houses, windmills, shops, barns, and even a train! The NRHC has miscellaneous events throughout the year and is a great place to visit year-round. It is the perfect place for kids to get out and maybe even learn a little history. The NRHC is located on 3121 4th Street.
http://www.depts.ttu.edu/ranchhc/
Texas Tech University Museum
The TTU Museum became “official” in 1990, and has been going on strong since with an array of exhibits. The museum is host to ancient Indian art, sculptures, dinosaurs, Western art, pictures, and more. There are travelling and permanent exhibits that are informative and well presented. Some examples of previous exhibits include textiles and pottery from the Navajo Nation, photos in WWII pertaining to Lubbock, Covering America in the 1950’s and 1960’s, clothing, President Lincoln archived photos, historic toys, and more. The best part of the museum is the planetarium. View a fully digital show, such as “Black Holes,” or enjoy a full-dome laser show. Admission to the museum is free (donations encouraged), and the planetarium is only $5 or less.
http://www.depts.ttu.edu/museumttu/index.html
The Science Spectrum and OMNI Theater
If you are looking for a kid-friendly museum, then the Science Spectrum is your place. The museum is full of hands-on exhibits, some travelling and some permanent. There are three floors of interactive science experiments. A dinosaur, a giant mouth fish, bubbles, tornadoes, coins, dresses, trains, basketball court, electricity, games, animals, pianos, fire trucks, air balloon, and mirrors are just a few of the neat things you will see at the Science Spectrum. The kids and even parents (it’s a lot of fun) can interact and also learn about science along the way. Some neat exhibits also travel through throughout the year. The museum also contains a large OMNI Theater dome that shows short (45 min or less) documentaries and also more kid-friendly shows. The prices vary and there are great combination ticket deals.
http://www.sciencespectrum.org/new/home.shtml
American Wind Power Center and Museum
If you have ever been through Post or Abilene, you have seen the giant white windmills, but what all do you know about them and their history? The museum is home to over 100 rare and unique windmills and contains an art gallery with rare artifacts. You will about learn about windmills from all over the United States on your journey from the farm to the big white power monsters you see now. The museum will be one of the most interesting and unique you will visit. It is very well done and a photographer’s dream. Many beautiful pictures of the windmills have been set against the West Texas sunsets. This is probably the best reviewed museum in Lubbock.
http://www.windmill.com/aboutus.html
Silent Wings Museum
The Silent Wings Museum is a fascinating glimpse into the history of both WWII and Lubbock. The museum has collections of period guns, uniforms, war souvenirs, and a movie about the war. Gliders played a major part in the Allies’ victory in WWII and many of the pilots and crew trained right here in Lubbock. The building that houses the museum was the original training center and was once the Lubbock airport. There is an intact glider as well. Call ahead to set up a tour or wander through the museum at your own pace. Come in for a look into the past of the South Plains Army Airfield! (Written by Linn Hughes, volunteer at the Silent Wings Museum.)
http://www.silentwingsmuseum.com/
American Museum of Agriculture
1121 Canyon Lake Drive
We live in West Texas, Kings of cotton and agriculture. Why wouldn’t we love the museum of agriculture? This museum tells the history of agriculture from tractors, tools, and other artifacts. They are open Tuesday-Saturday 10am-5pm. Make sure to join the tractor club and sign up for a membership to keep updated with newsletters.
