List of museums in the Texas Gulf Coast facts for kids
The list of museums in the Texas Gulf Coast encompasses museums defined for this context as institutions (including nonprofit organizations, government entities, and private businesses) that collect and care for objects of cultural, artistic, scientific, or historical interest and make their collections or related exhibits available for public viewing. Museums that exist only in cyberspace (i.e., virtual museums) are not included. Also included are non-profit art galleries and exhibit spaces.
Contents
Texas Gulf Coast
Counties included are Austin, Brazoria, Chambers, Colorado, Fort Bend, Galveston, Harris, Liberty, Matagorda, Montgomery, Orange, Walker, Waller, and Wharton County, Texas.
Museums
Austin - Brazoria counties
| Museum name | Image | City | County | Notes | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austin County Jailhouse Museum | Bellville | Austin | Recorded Texas Historic Landmark | ||
| San Felipe de Austin State Historic Site |  |
San Felipe | Austin | Site of 1823 Stephen F. Austin colony | |
| Alden B. Dow Office Museum | Lake Jackson | Brazoria | Operated by the Lake Jackson Historical Association, Alden B. Dow was Lake Jackson's building designer | ||
| Alvin Historical Museum | Alvin | Brazoria | Operated by the Alvin Museum Society | ||
| Ammon Underwood House | .jpg) |
West Columbia | Brazoria | 1830s period house. National Register Listing | |
| Brazoria County Historical Museum |  |
Angleton | Brazoria | Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, National Register of Historic Places | |
| Brazoria Historical Museum | Brazoria | Brazoria | Area history dating back to the Karankawa people | ||
| Brazoria County Military Museum | Richwood | Brazoria | The restored 1897 Brazoria County Courthouse is currently used to house the Brazoria museum | ||
| Brazos Valley Railroad Society | Brazoria | Brazoria | HO model scale train layout and museum, open on Saturdays | ||
| Brazosport Center for the Arts & Sciences | Clute | Brazoria | Brazosport Art League, Brazosport Center Stages community theater, Brazosport Museum of Natural Science, BASF Planetarium, and Brazosport Symphony Orchestra | ||
| Brazosport Museum of Natural Science | Clute | Brazoria | Features shells, fossils, dinosaur skeletons, wildlife, rocks & minerals and archeology, part of the Brazosport Center for the Arts & Sciences | ||
| Columbia Historical Museum | West Columbia | Brazoria | |||
| Freeport Historical Museum | Freeport | Brazoria | Discovery Dome Planetarium, Children's Museum | ||
| Karpeles Manuscript Museum | Alvin | Brazoria | Part of a larger United States collection, allegedly "the world's largest private holding of important original manuscript documents" | ||
| Lake Jackson Historical Museum | Lake Jackson | Brazoria | Prehistoric era, the plantation era, area's petrochemical industry and the founding of modern Lake Jackson | ||
| Levi Jordan Plantation State Historic Site | Brazoria | Brazoria | Antebellum plantation, site under development and only open to the public on a limited basis and by appointment, includes the plantation house a | ||
| Surfside Beach Historical Museum | Surfside Beach | Brazoria | Independence era replicas and artifacts | ||
| Marguerite Rogers House Museum | Alvin | Brazoria | Operated by the Alvin Museum Society | ||
| Varner–Hogg Plantation State Historical Site | .jpg) |
West Columbia | Brazoria | Recorded Texas Historic Landmark. National Register Listing of historic places |
Chambers - Fort Bend counties
| Museum name | Image | City | County | Notes | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agricultural Historical Museum | Winnie | Chambers | Open by appointment, includes tractors, farming equipment, photos, Winnie Santa Fe Depot | ||
| Chambers County Museum at Wallisville | Wallisville | Chambers | |||
| Barbers Hill / Mont Belvieu Museum | Mont Belvieu | Chambers | Local history | ||
| Baytown Historical Museum |  |
Baytown | Chambers | ||
| Wallisville Heritage Park and Museum | Wallisville | Chambers | |||
| Alley Log Cabin Museum | Columbus | Colorado | Abram (or Abraham) Alley built this cabin as part of the Stephen F. Austin Old Three Hundred colorization of Mexican Texas | ||
| Confederate Memorial Museum | .jpg) |
Columbus | Colorado | Built 1883 by town of Columbus, using over 400,000 handmade bricks. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark | |
| Heritage Society Museum of Weimar | Weimar | Colorado | Housed in the Old Hill Bank building | ||
| Live Oak Art Center | Columbus | Colorado | Contemporary art | ||
| Prairie Edge Museum | Eagle Lake | Colorado | Local area culture | ||
| Mary Elizabeth Hopkins Santa Claus Museum | Columbus | Colorado | Collected 1913-1990 by Mary Elizabeth Youens Hopkins | ||
| Tate-Senftenberg-Brandon House | .jpg) |
Columbus | Colorado | 19th-century house with furnishings depicting small-town life a century ago, operated by the Columbus Historical Preservation Trust | |
| Art Museum TX | Katy | Fort Bend | Established in 2020, Art Museum TX is a not-for-profit institution | ||
| Art Museum TX | Sugar Land | Fort Bend | Established in 2020, Art Museum TX is a not-for-profit institution | ||
| Black Cowboy Museum | Rosenberg | Fort Bend | Established in 2017, THE BLACK COWBOY MUSEUM TX is a not-for-profit institution | ||
| Fort Bend Heritage Unlimited Museum | Kendleton | Fort Bend | |||
| Fort Bend Museum | Richmond | Fort Bend | Includes the museum, Long-Smith Cottage, 1883 John M. and Lottie D. Moore House, and the McFarlane House | ||
| Fort Bend County Heritage Unlimited Museum | Kendleton | Fort Bend | Lifestyles of African American settlers and residents from 1865 to 1965 | ||
| The Old Foster Community Museum |  |
Foster | Fort Bend | Local history | |
| George Ranch Historical Park | Richmond | Fort Bend | Recorded Texas Historic Landmark. 20,000 acre working ranch featuring historic homes, costumed interpreters and livestock | ||
| Houston Museum of Natural Science at Sugarland | Sugar Land | Fort Bend | Located in Telfair, exhibits on paleontology, space, life and earth science | ||
| Johnny Nelson Katy Heritage Museum | Katy | Fort Bend | Includes farming equipment, agricultural and pioneering history artifacts, photographs and antiques | ||
| Katy Heritage Park | Katy | Fort Bend | Operated by the Katy Heritage Society | ||
| Katy Heritage Society Railroad Museum | Katy | Fort Bend | |||
| Katy Veterans Memorial Museum | Katy | Fort Bend | Artifacts from every foreign conflict involving the United States | ||
| Rosenberg Railroad Museum |  |
Rosenberg | Fort Bend | Includes a railroad tower, rail cars, model train layout | |
| Sugar Land Heritage Foundation | Sugar Land | Fort Bend | History of the sugar industry in Texas |
Galveston County
| Museum name | Image | City | County | Notes | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ashton Villa |  |
Galveston | Galveston | National Register of Historic Places, built in 1859 by businessman James Moreau Brown | |
| Bishop's Palace |  |
Galveston | Galveston | Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, National Register of Historic Places, Built in 1888 for politician Walter Gresham, later sold to the Houston Diocese of the Catholic Church as a residence for Bishop Christopher Edward Byrne | |
| Bryan Museum |  |
Galveston | Galveston | Museum works from the collection of J.P. Bryan, direct descendant of early settler Moses Austin | |
| Butler Longhorn Museum | League City | Galveston | Texas Longhorn history through art, music and artifacts | ||
| Dickinson Historic Railroad Center | Dickinson | Galveston | Artifacts and memorabilia, Dickinson Railroad Depot, the League City Railroad Depot, and the grounds surrounding those depots | ||
| Frank J. Brown Heritage Museum and Barn | Friendswood | Galveston | Reconstructed early 1900s Quaker home with furniture and artifacts. Maintained by the Friendswood Historical Society. Frank J. Brown was one of two 1895 Quaker leaders who established Friendswood, the other being T. Hadley Lewis. | ||
| Galveston Arts Center | Galveston | Galveston | Non-profit | ||
| Galveston County Museum | Galveston | Galveston | |||
| Galveston Historic Seaport | Galveston | Galveston | National Register of Historic Places | ||
| Galveston Railroad Museum | .jpg) |
Galveston | Galveston | Railroad - includes rolling stock, model trains, devastation caused by Hurricane Ike, maps, railroad jargon, pictures from the Southern Railroad and the Panama Railway exhibit, railroad dining cars and china | |
| Galveston Naval Museum | Galveston | Galveston | Home to the USS CAVALLA (WWII Submarine) and the USS STEWART (destroyer escort - one of only 3 in the world) | ||
| Michel B. Menard House |  |
Galveston | Galveston | 1838 house, operated by the Galveston Historical Foundation | |
| Moody Mansion |  |
Galveston | Galveston | Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, National Register of Historic Places | |
| Moody Gardens |  |
Galveston | Galveston | Includes Discovery Pyramid with traveling exhibits about science and space, Rainforest Pyramid with animals and plants, and the Aquarium Pyramid | |
| Ocean Star Offshore Drilling Rig & Museum |  |
Galveston | Galveston | History and technology of the area offshore oil and gas industry | |
| Old Kemah School Museum and Old Railroad Station Museum | Kemah | Galveston | |||
| Rosenberg Library Museum | Galveston | Galveston | Recorded Texas Historic Landmark | ||
| Seawolf Park |  |
Galveston | Galveston | Includes the submarine USS Cavalla (SS-244), the ASW destroyer escort USS Stewart (DE-238), and the remains of a merchant ship | |
| Texas City Museum | Texas City | Galveston | |||
| Texas Seaport Museum |  |
Galveston | Galveston | Includes the three-masted barque Elissa | |
| West Bay Common School Children's Museum | League City | Galveston | Managed by the League City Historical Society |
Harris County
| Museum name | Image | City | County | Notes | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1940 Air Terminal Museum |  |
Houston | Harris | Located at William P. Hobby Airport. "Wings and Wheels", Wings Over Houston Airshow, "HobbyFest", the Pops & Props Gala and Silent Auction | |
| American Cowboy Museum | Houston | Harris | |||
| American Indian Genocide Museum | Houston | Harris | Genocide of American Indians | ||
| Art Car Museum | Houston | Harris | Contemporary art including art cars, fine arts, and artists that are rarely seen in other cultural institutions | ||
| Art League Houston | Houston | Harris | Alternative art exhibitions | ||
| Asia Society Texas Center | Houston | Harris | Facility of the Asia Society, includes an art gallery and Allen Sculpture Garden, art and culture presentations | ||
| Bay Area Museum | Seabrook | Harris | Exhibits include NASA memorabilia, Japanese artifacts, Karankawa Indians, Lunar Rendezvous Festival | ||
| Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens | Houston | Harris | Recorded Texas Historic Landmark, National Register of Historic Places, | ||
| Baytown Historical Museum | Baytown | Harris | Recorded Texas Historic Landmark | ||
| Blaffer Art Museum | Houston | Harris | Part of the University of Houston, exhibits national and international works as well as artwork by students | ||
| Buffalo Soldiers National Museum | Houston | Harris | Recorded Texas Historic Landmark | ||
| Children's Museum of Houston |  |
Houston | Harris | 90,000 square feet of innovative, interactive bilingual exhibits | |
| Contemporary Arts Museum Houston | Houston | Harris | Contemporary art created within the past 40 years | ||
| Czech Center Museum Houston | Houston | Harris | Paintings, sculpture, folk art and artifacts, cultural center to preserve the language, scholarship and arts of Bohemia, Moravia, Silesia and Slovakia | ||
| Cypress Top Historic Park Museum | Houston | Harris | |||
| DiverseWorks | Houston | Harris | Nonprofit , established to encourage local areas artists | ||
| Dunham Bible Museum | Houston | Harris | |||
| Health Museum | Houston | Harris | Also knows as the John Philip McGovern Museum of Health & Medical Science | ||
| Heritage Society Museum | Houston | Harris | Part of Sam Houston Park, includes exhibits of local history, several historic houses and a church | ||
| Holocaust Museum Houston | Houston | Harris | The 1941-1945 Holocaust in Nazi Germany | ||
| Houston Bicycle Museum |  |
Houston | Harris | As of May 2022, owner was retiring and looking for a new owner | |
| Houston Center for Contemporary Craft | Houston | Harris | Fiber, metal, glass, clay and wood | ||
| Houston Center for Photography | Houston | Harris | Exhibits of historic and contemporary photography | ||
| Houston Fire Museum | Houston | Harris | |||
| Houston Maritime Museum | Houston | Harris | Includes ship models, navigation instruments and maritime artifacts | ||
| Houston Museum of African American Culture | Houston | Harris | African American history and culture, including regional and national | ||
| Houston Museum of Natural Science | Houston | Harris | Natural history and science | ||
| Houston Police Department Museum | Houston | Harris | Artifacts from the Honor Guard, SWAT, Mounted Patrol, badges, uniforms and other equipment | ||
| Humble Museum | Humble | Harris | Exhibits include oil, cattle, lumber, churches and everyday life | ||
| John C. Freeman Weather Museum | Houston | Harris | |||
| Jung Center of Houston | Houston | Harris | Features an art gallery | ||
| Lawndale Art Center |  |
Houston | Harris | ||
| Lone Star Flight Museum | Houston | Harris | Features historic aircraft and the Texas Aviation Hall of Fame | ||
| McKay Clinic Medical Museum | Humble | Harris | Original furniture and equipment from the 1938 medical clinic, open by appointment with the Humble Museum | ||
| Menil Collection | Houston | Harris | 20th century art | ||
| MKT Depot | Katy | Harris | Historic depot and caboose, area railroad artifacts, operated by the Katy Heritage Society | ||
| Michael E. DeBakey Library and Museum | Houston | Harris | aka DeBakey Library and Museum of Baylor College of Medicine | ||
| Museum of American Architecture and Decorative Arts | Houston | Harris | Part of Houston Baptist University | ||
| Museum of Fine Arts, Houston | Houston | Harris | Collection of the museum spans more than 6,000 years of history with approximately 64,000 works from six continents | ||
| Museum of Printing History | Houston | Harris | Also called The Printing Museum | ||
| Museum of Southern History | Houston | Harris | Part of Houston Baptist University, history of the South during the mid-19th century with period room displays | ||
| National United States Armed Forces Museum | Houston | Harris | Also known as the Military Museum of Houston | ||
| National Museum of Funeral History | Houston | Harris | Exhibits include caskets, funeral and mourning artifacts and rituals | ||
| Pasadena Heritage Park & Museum | Pasadena | Harris | Local history | ||
| Pearl Fincher Museum of Fine Arts | Spring | Harris | Features three galleries of changing exhibits | ||
| Pioneer Memorial Log House Museum | Houston | Harris | Located in Hermann Park, operated by the San Jacinto Chapter of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas | ||
| The Printing Museum | Houston | Harris | |||
| Rice University Art Gallery | Houston | Harris | |||
| Rienzi | Houston | Harris | |||
| Rothko Chapel | Houston | Harris | Nondenominational chapel with art by Mark Rothko | ||
| Rutherford B. H. Yates Museum | Houston | Harris | History of the Freedmen's Town National Historic District | ||
| San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site |  |
La Porte | Harris | National Register of Historic Places | |
| San Jacinto Museum of History | La Porte | Harris | National Register of Historic Places | ||
| Seismique | Houston | Harris | Immersive and interactive art museum | ||
| Space Center Houston |  |
Houston | Harris | Visitor's center of the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center | |
| Spring Historical Museum | Spring | Harris | Located at the western edge of "Old Town Spring" | ||
| Station Museum of Contemporary Art | Houston | Harris | Jim and Ann Harithas, museum directors | ||
| Strake Jesuit Art Museum | Houston | Harris | Part of Strake Jesuit College Preparatory | ||
| Sylvan Beach Depot Museum and Library | La Porte | Harris | Operated by the La Porte Heritage Society | ||
| Tomball Museum Center | Tomball | Harris | Operated by the Spring Creek County Historical Association | ||
| USS Texas |  |
La Porte | Harris | Battleship, part of San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site, National Register Listing |
Liberty - Montgomery counties
| Museum name | Image | City | County | Notes | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center | Liberty | Liberty | Includes changing exhibits of South Texas history from its collections and two historic house museums | ||
| City By the Sea Museum | Palacios | Matagorda | Museum of the Palacios Area Historical Association, exhibits include Camp Hulen, fishing, ships, agriculture, Hurricane Carla, Karankawa Indians | ||
| Matagorda County Museum | Bay City | Matagorda | Bay City's first post office, displays of historical artifacts | ||
| Fernland Historical Park | Montgomery | Montgomery | City park with early Texas frontier architecture | ||
| Footprints in Courage Museum | Shenandoah | Montgomery | Located inside the Shenandoah Visitors Center | ||
| Heritage Museum of Montgomery County, Texas | Conroe | Montgomery | Child-friendly and handicap accessible | ||
| Magnolia Depot Museum |  |
Magnolia | Montgomery | Built in 1902 by the International and Great Northern Railroad | |
| N.H. Davis Pioneer Complex and Museum | Montgomery | Montgomery | Replica of the original sketch of the Lone Star Flag and Republic of Texas seal, drawn by Republic political leader Charles Bellinger Stewart | ||
| Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center | Liberty | Montgomery | Memorabilia related to Sam Houston, 110-acre complex. Includes the home of formerTexas Governor Price Daniel and his wife Jean Houston Baldwin, a direct descendant of Sam Houston | ||
| Texas Flag Park | Conroe | Montgomery | aka Lone Star Monument and Historical Flag Park | ||
| The Woodlands Children's Museum | Woodlands | Montgomery | Children's |
Wharton county
| Museum name | Image | City | County | Notes | Refs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20th Century Technology Museum |  |
Wharton | Wharton | Wide variety | |
| Danish Heritage Museum of Danevang | Danevang | Wharton | Exhibits related to the everyday lives of the Danish pioneer settlers of Danevang | ||
| Egypt Plantation Museum | Egypt | Wharton | Empire period house, also includes depot museum with ranching heritage and plantation life displays, and Texas history | ||
| El Campo Museum of Natural History | El Campo | Wharton | Started in 1978 by E. A. Weinheimer | ||
| Wharton County Historical Museum | Wharton | Wharton | History, culture, and traditions of the county |
Defunct museums
- Byzantine Fresco Chapel Museum, Houston, closed in 2012
- Forbidden Gardens, Katy, closed in 2011
- Geraldine D. Humphreys Museum, Liberty, closed in 1984
- Gulf Coast Archive and Museum, Houston, archive still open by appointment but museum is closed
- Samuel May Williams House, Galveston, closed in 2007
- Tate-Senftenberg-Brandon House, Columbus, closed in 2006
See also
- Museum District, Houston, Texas
- List of museums in Texas
- List of museums in East Texas
- List of museums in Central Texas
- List of museums in North Texas
- List of museums in the Texas Panhandle
- List of museums in South Texas
- List of museums in West Texas
Resources
- Texas Association of Museums
- Historic House Museums in Texas
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List of museums in the Texas Gulf Coast Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.