The fascinating Ransom Center is a major repository of historic manuscripts, photography, books, film, TV, music and more. Highlights include a complete 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 exhibitions and the center's busy events calendar of author readings, live music, lectures and more.
Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center
Austin
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
Bat Colony Under Congress Avenue Bridge
1.57 MILES
Austin is known as the capital of Texas quirk, so it shouldn't be surprising that it's a city tradition to sit on the grassy banks of Lady Bird Lake and…
0.66 MILES
Completed in 1888 using sunset-red granite, Texas’ state capitol is the largest in the US, backing up the familiar claim that everything’s bigger…
2.43 MILES
This 350-acre park is a slice of green heaven, lined with hiking and biking trails. The park also provides access to the famed Barton Springs natural…
0.15 MILES
Whatever you do, don't call it 'Texas University' – them's fightin' words, usually used derisively by Texas A&M students to take their rivals down a notch…
Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum
0.31 MILES
Big, glitzy and bursting with high-tech interactive exhibits, this showcase museum celebrates the story of the Lone Star State, from its earliest…
Lyndon Baines Johnson (LBJ) Library & Museum
0.73 MILES
Devoted to the 36th US president, who launched his political career in Austin, this museum is still attracting the crowds more than 50 years since he left…
Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center
10.44 MILES
Anyone with an interest in Texas' flora and fauna should make the 20-minute drive to the wonderful gardens of the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center,…
23.43 MILES
How gorgeous is the pool beneath Hamilton Creek, which spills over limestone outcroppings just upstream from the Pedernales River? Let's just say…
Nearby Austin attractions
0.05 MILES
Created by songwriter and artist Daniel Johnston, this iconic bug-eyed frog greets passersby near the University of Texas. Also known as Jeremiah the…
2. University of Texas at Austin
0.15 MILES
Whatever you do, don't call it 'Texas University' – them's fightin' words, usually used derisively by Texas A&M students to take their rivals down a notch…
3. Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum
0.31 MILES
Big, glitzy and bursting with high-tech interactive exhibits, this showcase museum celebrates the story of the Lone Star State, from its earliest…
0.34 MILES
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…
0.56 MILES
We all know how kids feel about dinosaurs, and this natural history museum is the perfect place for them to indulge their fascination. Look up to see the…
0.66 MILES
Completed in 1888 using sunset-red granite, Texas’ state capitol is the largest in the US, backing up the familiar claim that everything’s bigger…
7. Lyndon Baines Johnson (LBJ) Library & Museum
0.73 MILES
Devoted to the 36th US president, who launched his political career in Austin, this museum is still attracting the crowds more than 50 years since he left…
0.9 MILES
For a wild collision of colors and art, make your way to this sprawling collection of graffiti that's been spray-painted across multilevel concrete ruins…