lyndon b. johnson national historical park

While the entire ranch was pretty, the best part about the LBJ park was the Texas White House. It was remarkably well preserved and really gave you a feel for who LBJ was, for both good and bad. You could see how much he loved his family and the land he was from, but also you could see by the multiple TVs and telephones in every room that he was a hard-charger even in his own home.

The Presidential Libraries of the late presidents are impressive and a great way to remind us of the troubled times they and their administrations faced. Like so many accomplished men, many rose from humble beginnings to great fame and fortune. The libraries focus mainly on their presidencies and their political achievments and omits a lot from their formative years leading to the presidency.Visiting LBJ's Ranch helps fill in some of those historical gaps and allows one to see more of the personal side of LBJ. It is a pleasant hour drive through the hill country west of Austin and winds through the ranch's 1500 acres to his home. Visitors enter the ranch home via the original airplane hangar, which serves as a gift shop, theater to view a film about LBJ, the waiting area for the tours and some exhibits providing more information about LBJ's rise from school teacher through different political offices on his way to the presidency.Lady Bird remained on the ranch after LBJ's death and did some modernization to the home, but it has been restored to its original condition by the National Park Service which operates the ranch and the home. Also known as the Texas White House, the ranch is a beautiful, large country space and has the Pedernales River running through it. It is a very modest home considering some of the additions to the home were down to create office space for presidential staff and to accommodate secret service and guests. The home is on a bank of the Pedernales and this setting makes it easy to see why LBJ felt rejuvenated and more productive on the ranch than at the White House. He spent a lot of time on the ranch, working and recuperating form two heart attacks; a third killed him. The Presidential jet, much more modest than today's Air Force One, which served him is outside the original hanger in an airplane port (roof but no sides).Lady Bird's hand-prints are all over the home’s Texas motif. LBJ's contributions to that motif are the of 3 TVs in most of the rooms, one for each of the 3 major broadcast channels, which he watched constantly, and the telephones that are within arms reach of wherever LBJ sat so he could call a news anchor to register his disapproval of a news item, staff members to discuss issues, or a congressional member whose support he needed. Lady Bird's sense of style required that she conceal/disguise a couple of the phones in some of the rooms so they would not be so conspicuous. In the dining room LBJ was seated so he could see the living room TVs; photos of him in the pool were usually standing reading briefs. LBJ reportedly decided early in life that he would succeed by outworking everyone and slept only 2-4 hours a night - not a healthy life style and probably a contributor to his heart attacks. The master bedroom was also equipped with TVs and phones which required Lady Bird to frequently exit the master bedroom to her own bedroom to get some sleep. LBJ's aching back required a daily massage and the massage table is part of the master bedroom decor.The ranch itself is still operating and members of LBJ's family have some involvement in it. Some of his family have homes on the ranch and visit periodically. LBJ and Lady Bird are buried in the family cemetery on the ranch and the grave sites are easily seem from outside the fence as you are not allowed in the cemetery.I am just now visiting presidential libraries, LBJ's is the third, and the corresponding president's home. So far I have enjoyed them all. It's a great way to revisit some past history and remind me there were many troubled times in our past and we got through them. If you haven't visited one - even if you disagree with that president, you will most likely learn something you did not know and get a different perspective on what they did and why, which sometimes even they didn't like. A visit is worth the time.

This is a wonderful place to visit if you are at all in the area. The ranch is 5500 acres and the house is 8000 sq ft. The Park Rangers do a superb job of explaining all the attractions here from how the ranch was acquired, expanded, its uses, and restoration. The setting is beautiful and very peaceful. I understand why he liked coming here. There is the Air Force "1/2" and the runway built to accommodate the visitors to the ranch.

We stopped here with our three kids. The driving ranch tour was nice, didn't tour the White House. Kids loved walking around the working farm! Cows, chickens, sheep, and bison to see. Staff was very nice and knowledgable. They were actively cooking various foods fresh from the farm. We had a good time and it was free:)

This free, self-guided tour was a nice hour spent. Start at the visitor center; there was a nice map, which included descriptions of all the stops. Walk the < 1 mile loop of the Johnson Settlement, see LbJ's boyhood home (tours are available but it didn't synch up right for me).

This was so worth the stop! We completely enjoyed walking through the ranch and talking with the staff. They actually work the ranch & were very knowledgeable. It was like stepping back in time!

We loved our trip to LBJ Ranch! We visited the ranch and Texas White House on Presidents Day weekend, to our surprise it was free. Highly recommend this stop.

This is a big park just off 290. It takes less than 2 hours, but it gives you a little different view of LBJ than you see in the news reels. It is great to see his presidential plane and his house--both of which are a little underwhelming. The house is small and very dated--it is a time capsule from the 60's! It really does show how far we have come since then!The museum next to the house has some very interesting displays and show a differ side of LBJ--he was a character!

If I were to have a ranch, it would look much like the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park. About 2.5 sq.miles, private airport, Lockheed Jetstar, and a 28 room ranch house. You must stop at the visitor's center for a free permit to drive through the ranch. You can pay $6 for a DVD and CD that you can play during the drive to tell you about what you are seeing (recommended). Once you get to the ranch house, you can take a tour for $3/each. The tours run every 20 mins or so and are lead by a park ranger. Expect to be 1-1/2 hours there with light traffic.

You can just imagine the Johnson's relaxing here on their big ranch as you tour the property and then ramble around inside. They were down - to -earth folks in some ways and after you are there you wish you could have known them personally. Charming and comfortable abode. It is well worth your time. The short video in the reception building is also quite intersting.

We come here once a year on our drive to Fredericksburg (15-20 minute drive outside of Fredericksburg). If we have time, we do the full house tour and love it each time. Even if we don't have a lot of time to spare, we still do the driving tour and stop to see the animals. It is still a working ranch and is packed full of several animals from their own cattle, to goats, deer, buffalo and some exotic animals.It continues to keep parents, grandparents and kids entertained + it is FREE. So, we keep going!

The LBJ house is both large and comfortable. One can easily imagine LBJ reaching for one of the many phones placed for his convenience throughout the house. The house has an intimate quality about it as if you are a guest of the Johnsons. Well worth a visit.

This is well worth the trip. It is off the beaten track a bit, but you'll see very interesting things that you'll not find elsewhere. You can see the Texas White House and the places important to LBJ, from the place of his birth to the place of his death.

Consider the National Historical Park in Johnson City a good pit stop on the way to the LBJ ranch. The park has a museum, LBJ's boyhood home and his grandparents' settlement. The museum is a great introduction to LBJ. It also has a 30-minute video on LBJ's years in the White House. The boyhood home, on the other hand, is just an old house. Period furniture, not original. It gives a good sense of where he came from, but don't lose sleep if you don't take the tour.

The highlight of the tour of this ranch was the guided tour around the house. The guide was knowledgable, witty and answered all questions. The house itself was a fascinating insight into American history. The ranch has lots of places to stop off and visit, animals and the runway complete with the presidents jet. This is well worth a visit. Allow at least two hours.