Area Parks

LYNDON B. JOHNSON NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK

Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park, located in Johnson City and Stonewall, is open every day of the year except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Days.

The Johnson City District of the park contains the boyhood home of Lyndon B. Johnson, listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and located on Elm Street. This original house was built in 1901 and is furnished as it was circa 1920, when young Lyndon was 13 years old. Free guided tours through the home are given on the hour and half-hour from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
The Visitor Center on Ladybird Lane is open daily from 8:45 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. A large exhibit gallery traces the life of our 36th president in photographs, video clips, and audio recordings. Two comfortable theaters show films about Lady Bird Johnson's life and the Johnson presidency. Evening guest lecture programs are scheduled monthly.

A ten-minute walk from the Visitor Center is the Johnson Settlement, home of Lyndon Johnson's paternal grandparents. The 1856 dog trot cabin is preserved for future generations. An Exhibit Center, located along the trail to the cabin, tells the story of cattle drives and frontier survival and is open from 9:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. The settlement is open daily for self-guided tours, relaxing strolls, or outdoor exercise from sunrise to sunset.

The LBJ Ranch District contains the birth site of Lyndon Johnson as well as the "Texas White House." A ninety-minute bus tour of the ranch leaves from the LBJ State Park and Historic Site Visitor Center, one mile east of Stonewall or 14 miles west of Johnson City. The Visitor Center contains a large gift shop and a theater that shows a 25-minute movie containing historic film footage about the ranch and the Johnsons. The ranger-guided bus tour goes past the ranch house (still Mrs. Johnson's home), used by LBJ not only as a retirement residence, but also as a retreat and the "Texas White House" during his presidency. The tour includes LBJ's reconstructed birthplace (the only presidential birth home reconstructed by order of a sitting president), the family cemetery, and a view of the Junction School, where the future president began his formal education. The show barn, where some of the registered Hereford cattle descended from the LBJ Ranch herd may be viewed, is included in the tour. There is a $6.00 tour fee for each person ages 18-61; $3.00 for ages 62 and older or ages 7-17; children ages 6 and younger are free. The first bus leaves at 10:00 a. m., the last at 4:00 p.m., with tours scheduled in between as needed. Groups of 15 or more are requested to make reservations by calling (830) 868-7128, extension 231. A self-guided tour of a smaller portion of the ranch is available for visitors from 5:00 p.m. until dark.

Special events are presented in both districts throughout the year, including
"Christmas at the LBJ Boyhood Home" in November and December and a birthday anniversary commemoration on August 27. For more information contact: (830) 868-7128, ext. 244; or visit www.nps.gov/lyjo .