-USA.Texas.Austin-
So who was Lyndon Baines Johnson ? I have to say I did not know much about the 36th President of the United States. The event that overshadowed his Presidency was how he became the President ,sworn in after the untimely assassination of President John F. Kennedy. So it was an educational time spent for me at the LBJ Presidential Library on the campus of University of Texas.
Opening times: 7 days a week from 9am – 5pm except for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day.
Tickets are half priced on Tuesdays . Click here for up to date information on the Hours and admission.
No luggage storage is available here.
LBJ Presidential Library - Lobby
Upon entering the first thing that is unmissable is the Limousine directly at the Lobby used by LBJ during his post-presidency. It is interesting to see how it look like in the 60’s. Inside it is equipped with a television , radio and phone.
Upon entering , I was greeted by a friendly staff member who did a short introduction about what to see and a little bit about the place to get started. This is a nice touch to know what to look for. She suggested to start off at the Introduction Theatre showing an 11-minute multimedia experience. This was very well made and provided some good insight about LBJ and his family and his Presidency. I decided to start at the Top Floor making my way down.
LBJ Presidential Library - Floor 10
Taking the elevator up to the top floor, there were exhibitions that are there permanently. A showcase of gifts received from other Heads of State to the president. An interesting collection to say the least. Next is a replica of the Oval Office during LBJ’s presidency. This was another highlight to see.
There are photo collections of important moments in the White House displayed together with phones you can pick up to listen to LBJ himself.
Then there is Lady Bird Johnson’s office where she worked from and a nice film about the Johnson family living in the White House. LBJ was displayed as quite the workaholic , often working while having meals or in bed recovering from gall bladder surgery.
LBJ Presidential LIbrary - 4th Floor
The Great Hall
Floors 5 – 9 are housing archives containing Presidential documents and other materials. The design was specifically thought out by Lady Bird Johnson. Whilst these floors are not accessible for visitors , it is displayed from the outside with the red boxes holding 45 million pages of raw historical documents! From the 4th Floor Great Hall this is quite a sight. Below the archives is an equally impresssive mural engraving showing LBJ in various stages of his political career.
The side wall holds portraits of the former Presidents and their First Ladies. At the time when I visited in September 2022, the Obamas were not as yet on the wall. Behind the mural wall , houses the main exhibition depicting the topics that were predominant during LBJ’s presidency.
November 22, 1963
Particularly somber is the by-now iconic photo of his swearing-in as President with Lady Bird Johnson on one side and Jackie Kennedy on the other. The section talks about the the Kennedy assassination. On this historic day LBJ and his wife were two cars behind the Kennedy’s motorcade and Lady Bird Johnson gave a detailed eyewitness account on the incident. This event tragic as it was, put LBJ in the Presidential seat and one can only imagine the uphill task he had on his hands , foremost was to calm the American people in the midst of confusion and chaos.
Civil Rights
During this time, Martin Luther King Jr was actively fighting for racial equality. While President Kennedy had already submitted a Civil Rights Act , it was LBJ who pushed through the signing of the law to remove racial segregations and put in place voting rights for the African Americans. This changed the landscape significantly to the America we see today.
Vietnam War
While Martin Luther King Jr and LBJ strategized privately to get the Civil Rights Act passed, they were at odds regarding the Vietnam War. The exhibition depicted the dilemma faced by the President in a no-win situation. Still, he went ahead and sent more troops into Vietnam.
Honorable Mentions - SPACE Program
Everyone knows that it was JFK’s mission to land a man on the moon. Not so commonly known is that he tasked it to his then Vice President LBJ to oversee the mission to the moon. We now know of course that this mission was successful on 21 July 1969 when Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the moon.
LBJ Presidential Library - Floor 3
I am now back where I started from , the entrance floor. A section of the timeline of the lives of LBJ and Lady Bird Johnson helps to understand their background. At the time of my visit, there was a special exhibition “Lady Bird: Beyond the Wildflowers” detailing the work and impact the former First Lady contributed in the role of wife, mother, business woman, environmental conservationalist and much more. There was also a gallery showcasing her wardrobe which was a look back on fashion in the 60’s.
Visitors can listen to some audio of LBJ’s recorded conversations as well as a treat to his brand of sense of humour. It comes in the form of an Animatronic LBJ relating tales. There are displays of a part of LBJ’s political cartoons which he solicited and collected as well. I really like this display.
Summary
So, is the LBJ Presidential Library worth a visit ? Its a resounding Yes! from me – it was a history lesson and a few hours well spent. The Library had a feeling of a walk-through documentary of the lives of LBJ and Lady Bird Johnson. Instead of sitting in front of the TV watching it, one walks through the comprehensive information that is detailed in such a way that it gives a simple to understand insight to the complicated lives led. It brings to my mind this saying “Behind every successful man, there stands a woman”.
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I live in Texas but I haven’t visited the library yet. However, I have visited the LBJ Historical Site in Johnson City. I found that some of the exhibits are the same. I hope to visit his Presidential Museum in the future.
Visiting the LBJ Presidential Library sounds like a great way to learn more about this president. And to see some memorabilia from his time in office. The swearing in picture would certainly bring back a very sad day in American history. Johnson certainly led through some interesting times. Walking through certainly would provide me with a great history lesson.
This was very interesting! I don’t often run into blog posts about presidential libraries. I have been to Richard Nixon library and I thought it was quite educational. And it was very well made museum. Looked very much like this one. I will definitely visit the other ones when I’m near by.
Ooh, I haven’t been to Austin yet, but it’s on my radar as my son just moved to Texas. I don’t think I’ve ever been to a presidential library yet, but this sounds like a great start. I’m adding it to my travel list when I visit Austin!
You really learned a lot during you visit at the LBJ Presidential Library – it seems they did a good job in making historiy facts interesting to the public. I studied North American Area studies at university and always was intrigued by the figure of Lyndon B Johnson. I have no plans of visiting Texas in the near future, but if I go, I will definitely visit the LBJ Presidential Libraray.
I love discovering unique museums, there is always so much to learn from them. The LBJ Presidential Library looks like a great insight into the history of America. As a European, I am not familiar at all with the US Presidents, so I’d like to come here and see the replica of the Oval Office, the limousine, and learn about the impact Lyndon Baines Johnson had on America during his presidency.
I have not been to a presidential library until now. There seems to be so much of historical facts to learn here. It is such a unique museum. I would love to walk through this museum and learn more about the various points of American History stopping at the pictures describing the events. It must have been a great experience. I will definitely add this to my bucket list and visit when I go to Texas next.
I have not been to a presidential library until now. There seems to be so much of historical facts to learn here. It is such a unique museum. I would love to walk through this museum and learn more about the various points of American History stopping at the pictures describing the events. It must have been a great experience. I will definitely add this to my bucket list and visit when I go to Texas next.
Such places are the ones that captivate me. It sounds worthwhile and educational to visit the LBJ Presidential Library. I’d like to learn additional facts about this location. And I appreciate that it has been preserved and is still open for visitors today.
LBJ Presidential library is quite an informative and interesting place to explore. It gives an insight into his life and times along with his wife Lady Bird Johnson. The library has a great collection the grand limousine at the lobby to start with, photos, murals from the LBJ’s lifetime, replica of the oval office and gifts received from heads of state across different floors.
The view of the Great Hall from the 4th floor displaying the Presidential documents in red boxes is amazing. Most importantly the library gives us information about LBJ’s contribution in pushing the Civil rights law, American mission on Moon and Vietnam war. Also Lady Bird Johnson’s contributions as a First Lady, entrepreneur and environmentalist.
LBJ Presidential library is quite an informative and interesting place to explore. It gives an insight into his life and times along with his wife Lady Bird Johnson. The library has a great collection the grand limousine at the lobby to start with, photos, murals from the LBJ’s lifetime, replica of the oval office and gifts received from heads of state across different floors.
The view of the Great Hall from the 4th floor displaying the Presidential documents in red boxes is amazing. Most importantly the library gives us information about LBJ’s contribution in pushing the Civil rights law, American mission on Moon and Vietnam war. Also Lady Bird Johnson’s contributions as a First Lady, entrepreneur and environmentalist.