LBJ Presidential Library

I've always regarded Lyndon Johnson as one of America's most underrated presidents and, after visiting the LBJ Library, I only feel it more strongly!

His record of accomplishment has few equals and few people did more to help bring about progress for America in the 2nd half of the 20th century. If you enjoy NPR, PBS, the voting rights act, the civil rights act, national parks, nuclear de proliferation, Medicare, Medicaid, space exploration - or even just child safety caps for prescription drugs - you have LBJ to thank. An imperfect man with a complicated legacy, to be sure. But a true public servant who gave everything he had to help make America better.

As you can tell, I found the museum quite affecting! The historical information is presented in a way that is both comprehensive and comprehensible. And no matter who you are, you can learn something you didn't know. The architecture, while not my personal taste, is elegantly constructed and evocative of the era.

If you're in Austin, it's well worth a visit!

This Hoosier couple very much enjoyed our entire afternoon here. Could use some larger signage at street as it sits behind another large building.
There were a plethora of us old people and bathrooms were only available in basement and 10th floor. It's very difficult to run and hold your legs together at the same time.

After emptying my bladder, this old gal left with a much more positive outlook concerning LBJ. He led us through a very difficult time in history.

Interesting tidbit, he, wife and both daughters have same LBJ initials.

All of the presidential libraries hold a multitude of historical artifacts. The LBJ library in Austin is all that. A very informative place to get a better understanding of his presidency, himself and that time in American history. If you get. Chance to visit any of them, do it. These places fill in many gaps for me for each time these men served.

Such a great interactive library! The perfect place to spend a rainy day or way too hot day in Austin. The American music exhibit that's there right now (Feb 2024) is really cool! So many handwritten notes and lyrics and photos! Give yourself time to explore!

I finally got the chance to cross off my second presidential library off my list. Only 11 more to go! The Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library is located in Austin, TX, close to downtown in the University of Texas campus. The building was finished in 1971 but still has a modern look from the outside. The library is 10 stories tall with the 3rd, 4th and 10th floor open to the public. The floors in between houses the archives which can be seen from the 4th floor.

Admission is 13 dollars but discounts are available for many different groups such as seniors, children, students, military or even individuals named Lyndon. There is also free admission on certain holidays as well. We got discount tickets on Groupon and felt we definitely got our moneys worth.

I admittedly did not know a lot of LBJ before visiting this library. My memory dates back to Reagan as president. All I really knew was that he took office in a plane after JFK was assassinated. Coming here really opened up my eyes to some of the amazing things he accomplished in his short time in office. The library did a very good job of highlighting his life as well as his presidency. One of the cool things that this library has was hundreds of hours of recorded phone calls between he and many influential people such as MLK or Jaqueline Kennedy Onnasis. If I had more time, I would have listened to everything. I also discovered his contributions to poverty, healthcare reform and education. Truly impressive.

Overall, I highly recommend this library if you like history like I do. On to the next!

This was the second presidential library I've visited in my life (first was the Reagan museum back in 2001 when I was a kid!), and since it had been a long while since my last presidential library visit, I knew there was a lot to catch up on in this series!

Since my visit, new libraries had popped up, and so did the creation of the Presidential Library passport program. It's a cute souvenir where you can get pages stamped whenever you visit a presidential library. Unfortunately, the LBJ one did not give out passports when I went, but they did say you can come back and get a stamp if you get the passport from another library.

The LBJ museum was well-organized, and across three floors, there was so much to see. The Lady Bird exhibit was especially well laid-out and detail-oriented. If you are a history nerd, you'll enjoy it for sure!

While on a trip to Austin with two dear friends from college days, we decided to visit the LBJ Presidential Library and we were not disappointed.
Since it was a bit of a hike from our mid-downtown location hotel, we considered taking an Uber but decided, as it was another beautiful day in Austin, that we would walk. We found that much of Austin is made for walking.
That said, for those traveling by car, there is free parking on site.

The LBJ Library was conceived soon after LBJ's administration was over and was funded by private donations as well as with money paid by the publicly funded University of Texas.
Lady Bird Johnson was very involved in the selection of architects and the overall design of the library. The architect Gordon Bunshaft was one of 3 finalists and ultimately he was chosen in consultation with LBJ.
The library was completed and officially opened May 22nd 1971.

The overall design is not my favorite...it is a massive somewhat nondescript cream-colored travertine structure with 10 floors occupying a 14 acre site. It has a very Brutalist design feel to it softened a bit by the use of travertine versus the concrete that is more typically used in such design. It is an imposing sight from the outside and perhaps that was the point.

Once inside, the space is quite grand and sweeping with soaring height and wide corridors. What you see upon entering is the huge 1968 5,100 pound, 4-door Lincoln limousine that LBJ had built for his use post-presidency. It is equipped with radio, television and telephone per Secret Service requirements, but the car is not armored, bullet-proof nor bomb-proof. Considering the unfortunate manner in which LBJ became president, this was surprising to me.

Prior to this visit, I knew a fair amount about LBJ having read a terrific biography of him (I love presidential biographies) but I learned a lot here in a more tangible way.
It was wonderful to see actual objects like the now framed letters LBJ wrote, both personal and public. Some of the personal letters include many sweet ones that he wrote to Lady Bird prior to their marriage. There are also many interesting photographs throughout the library.

Other exhibits include a replica of the Oval Office with the same decor as LBJ had including his desk.
I enjoyed the film clips and short movies that are shown throughout that give a societal picture of America (and the world) during the era of his presidency: November 22, 1963 - January 20, 1969. It was quite a turbulent time on so many levels. The crisis of the Vietnam War is figured prominently in many of the exhibits.

I loved seeing some of Lady Bird's dresses and gowns that are exhibited. Overall her clothing style was classic with pieces that still withstand the vagaries of fashion changes.


Lady Bird Johnson has her own quite formidable resume as First Lady including as a champion of conservation and beautification efforts. She was an advocate for the creation of National Park Service units. She lobbied for the passage of environmental legislation and was also a staunch advocate for the improvement of the look and character of the US highway system.

Hers was a desire to create beautiful natural spaces in the USA in unexpected places. Her desire for beautification projects was not always appreciated given the turbulence of the times on more "serious" matters. Some derided her beautification attempts as frivolous. I see her as more of a visionary and am grateful for her many efforts on behalf of our country.


We spent about 2.5-3 hours here and were able to see most everything.
There is a small gift shop on the ground floor where I bought a couple of souvenirs to bring back as gifts. I do love a museum gift shop.

The library is open 7 days a week from 9am to 5pm and is only closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Year's Day.

The entry fee is very reasonable: $13 for adults, $9 for seniors 62 and up, and $4 for children 13-18. Under age 13 it's free.
If you're in Austin, and enjoy American presidential history, this is well worth a visit.

The LBJ Presidential Library is definitely worth a visit. It is not far from the University of Texas campus. There is plenty of parking and it is not expensive.

When you start, you have the option to hear a quick introduction. It is worth listening to that, it will give you good guidance on how to proceed through the library.

It is very well-organized and really gives you a good sense of all the accomplishments he had. It is organized into different sections like his early life, the JFK assassination, First Lady's gallery and more.

I learned quite a bit, particularly about all the legislation he passed along with the difficulties he faced with the Vietnam war.

The gift shop is nice also. We were glad we visited the library.

Highly recommend a visit to this Presidential Library. There is free parking, check the giant banners when entering the lot. Once we walked in, we were greeted by very kind staff who gave us the lay of the land, map, and told us the highlights/things not to miss.

The special exhibit on Lady Bird - Beyond the Wildflowers - on display until August 4 was incredible. Highly recommend! Letters from Jackie Kennedy, Lady Bird's dresses, stories of how the couple met, etc.

You can hear tons of telephone calls between LBJ and leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King , Jr. See a glimpse of all the records kept, the view of Austin from Lady Bird's office, an Oval Office replica, and so much more.

There's also a patio with some sculptures and chairs to relax too.

The history of LBJ's presidency is worth telling, and this library does a good job capturing all the good things he did as president through clear, engaging exhibits. His accomplishments have been overshadowed by the quagmire of the Vietnam War, and the library strives to overcome that while acknowledging the war's toll.

What you won't get are more than a few glimpses of Johnson the man, his history and journey, his family (especially Lady Bird), his time in other offices that were do critical to his successes as president, or his relationships with other key players along the way. It is a very filtered view of Johnson, and left a decided PR cleanup residue.

Maybe the whole Johnson story belongs to a PBS documentary not to a presidential library, but I can tell there's a lot more to understand about Johnson that would have provided deeper context -- and better explained his shift from segregationism to unabashed equality or how a man who could be so crude created the web of relationships that helped him reshape the country so dramatically. Nonetheless I gained a new appreciation for Johnson despite the selective portrait.