Austin has a booming art scene and several nationally recognized museums. With Austin Museum Day on September 21, 2025, visitors should expect nothing but the best. This year, dozens of local museums and historic spaces around Austin will celebrate with free in-person admission and special events. Enjoy a variety of activities that encourage discovery and creativity, including craft projects, tours, gallery talks and more.
Be sure to check out Museum Day's website for the latest news about participating locations, but remember these gems are available year-round for visitors and locals alike!
Traditional and Contemporary Art Museums
A must-see is The Contemporary Austin - Laguna Gloria, an outdoor sculpture park and museum that brings multidisciplinary exhibitions, engaging programs and enticing special events to the city's art landscape. Hang out on the lawn with refreshments and games (and perhaps spot some local wildlife!). Looking for something indoors? The Contemporary Austin - Jones Center showcases two floors of dynamic exhibition space and a Learning Lounge along with art activities and yard games on their rooftop patio. Both locations will have special programming for Museum Day from 12-3 PM.
Also be sure to stop by the Mexic-Arte Museum, which celebrates the vibrant art and culture of Mexico. Here, you’ll find exhibits that feature traditional and contemporary Mexican, Latino and Latin American works. This year, don't miss the chance to see their new exhibit En lo más negro del verano / In the Darkest Domain of Summer which will be on display starting September 5, 2025. Special workshops will be held from 11 AM - 2 PM where visitors can create a piece of art that will be displayed as a part of the new exhibition.
Courtesy of UMLAUF Sculpture Garden & Museum.
UMLAUF Sculpture Garden & Museum is a perfect blend of all things Austin: amazing local art casually set in a lush garden of local native Texas plants. There are almost 60 works of art to tour along with regular rotating exhibitions. While the Elisabet Ney Museum is closed for renovations, they'll bring the party to UMLAUF where visitors can explore a variety of sculpting activities.
While on campus, visit the Blanton Museum of Art, home to Central Texas' largest public collection with around 19,000 objects. Its major collections include modern and contemporary American and Latin American art, Italian Renaissance and Baroque paintings, prints and drawings.
Local Art Galleries
Women and Their Work Gallery, located in the heart of downtown, serves as a place where contemporary art created by Texas women can be featured in exhibitions, performances and workshops.
Experience the University of Texas public art program, Landmarks. Journey around campus to find some fifty works of modern and contemporary art.
Courtesy of the Bullock Museum.
Family Friendly Museums
Located in northeast Austin, Pioneer Farms offers six historic areas to explore, from the 1840s through the 1890s. Take the kids back in time to four different farmsteads, a Tonkawa Indian Encampment, a rural village and more.
The Bullock Texas State History Museum features three floors of engaging exhibits that tell the story of Texas. Here, you can catch an IMAX film, or tour the exhibits and grab a Texas-themed souvenir at the gift shop to remember it by.
The Thinkery is Austin's premier children's museum where innovative, play-based, STEAM learning experiences can be enjoyed by kids of all ages.
History Museums
A rare surviving example of Austin's earliest history, The Neill-Cochran House, was built in 1855. Today, this impressive Greek Revival house museum offers visitors an inside look into the lives of Austinites from the mid-19th through early 20th centuries. Join during their normal hours for special programming and refreshments on the shaded lawn.
Explore the historic Chateau Bellevue, an 1874 castle in the middle of Austin. Learn about the legacy of the Texas Federation of Women's Clubs and how they preserved the history of the landmark. From 1-4 PM the estate will have fun activities like a scavenger hunt, arts and crafts and live music in the parlor.
LBJ Library Great Hall. Credit LBJ Library Photo by Lauren Gerson.
The LBJ Presidential Library & Museum is another must-see, with interactive exhibits, three high-tech theaters and displays of rare documents that explore the legislative process and key moments in the life of the Central Texas native and 36th president. On Museum Day, the LBJ Library will be celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month with crafts for all ages, story time and lotería, refreshments and live music.
The Harry Ransom Center, a free library and archive on the University of Texas campus, lets you view rarities like the Gutenberg Bible and the world's first photograph year-round as well as rotating and traveling exhibits.
Founded in 1851, the Texas State Cemetery is the final resting place of Texas' most notable sons and daughters, including Stephen F. Austin and Barbara Jordan.
Check out Austin's museums and galleries year-round. You can find a complete list of Austin's arts attractions here.
