While we were staying at Inks Lake State Park, in Burnet, TX., we visited Austin, TX for the day. Austin is the capital of Texas. We didn't find this city extremely impressive. It was dirty and we didn't feel safe walking around. We drove by the Capitol Building (below) and across Congress Ave. bridge. Congress Ave. bridge is a favorite spot from May until August in the evenings. This is because colonies of bats nest below the bridge and come out each evening by the hundreds. Visitors can view this from the top of the bridge.
The visitors center had information about FREE Capital tours but we decided not to take one.
We decided to go to Olive Garden. It is one of our Christmas traditions. Every year we go to Olive Garden as a family. This year was special because it was the first time the new four children had been to Olive Garden.
After a delicious meal, we went the the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park in Johnson City. The Visitors Center has exhibits and films that show the lives of President and Mrs. Johnson. All of this is FREE. Across from the Visitors Center is Lyndon B. Johnson's boyhood home. The cost $1.00 per person over 12. We decided not to tour the inside but looked around outside.
This is the boyhood home of President Lyndon Johnson. He lived here from age 5 until he got married. The home is as it was in the 1920's.
Down the road from the home is the Johnson Settlement. (We arrived too late to go into the Exhibit Center.) The Exhibit Center tells the story of cowboys, cattle drives, and Texas frontier life. We were able to drive around the Settlement and view the cabin, barns, and windmill.
The cabin was where Samuel Ealy Johnson Sr., President Johnson's grandfather, brought his wife, Bunton, to live in 1867. The home also served as head quarters for the family cattle droving business. Because this area was subject to Comanche and Apache raids, Sam moved his family to Hays County in the early 1870's. President Johnson donated funds to the National Park Service to purchase this settlement for preservation.
The Windmill, Water Tank, and Cooler House were important to ranchers in the late 1800's. These were added to the farm by James Polk Johnson. He was the nephew of the President's grandfather. Johnson City, TX is named after James Polk Johnson.
About 20 miles north toward Fredericksburg is the Lyndon B. Johnson Ranch. This is where the President was born, where he and Mrs. Johnson lived after his Presidency, and where the Johnson's are buried. We didn't have time to visit the LBJ Ranch; however, I am sure it is an interesting place. It is FREE.
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