Beaumont, Texas is a surprising, busy little city (population 114,000), with more museums than you can shake
a stick at and easy access to some of America’s most unspoiled wilderness areas. It’s the perfect place to get away from it all – but have it all handy when you’re ready to roll.
Museums Galore
a stick at and easy access to some of America’s most unspoiled wilderness areas. It’s the perfect place to get away from it all – but have it all handy when you’re ready to roll.
Beaumont got off to a sedate start with an economy based on cattle, rice and lumber until Spindletop blew its top. The first great Texas oil strike (1901) turned the place on its head and Beaumont became an oil boomtown.
For a slick look at the petroleum industry, check out the Texas Energy Museum. Exhibits include geology, exploration, drilling and refining. Tough subjects are handled with great visuals and easy explanations, making the learning fun.
Just a short walk from the Energy Museum is the Art Museum of Southeast Texas, which focuses on American and regional art. The premier attraction is a collection of folk art by the late Felix “Fox” Harris. Unable to read or write, Harris nonetheless found an amazing way to express himself and filled his yard with an imaginative forest of constructions that are now housed in the museum.
The antithesis of Harris’ exuberant free expressions is the art and architecture of the 1907 McFaddin-Ward House. Four tall Ion- ic columns grace the formal façade of the three-story mansion. In- side, the house features beautiful antiques, vivid art glass and even an indoor fountain.
If you like house museums, visit the John Jay French Museum. The house, built in 1845, is the oldest in Beaumont. Among the city’s other museums are the Edison Museum, the Babe Didrikson Zaharias Museum, the Beaumont Children’s Museum and the Fire Museum of Texas. And that’s just a partial listing!
For a slick look at the petroleum industry, check out the Texas Energy Museum. Exhibits include geology, exploration, drilling and refining. Tough subjects are handled with great visuals and easy explanations, making the learning fun.
Just a short walk from the Energy Museum is the Art Museum of Southeast Texas, which focuses on American and regional art. The premier attraction is a collection of folk art by the late Felix “Fox” Harris. Unable to read or write, Harris nonetheless found an amazing way to express himself and filled his yard with an imaginative forest of constructions that are now housed in the museum.
The antithesis of Harris’ exuberant free expressions is the art and architecture of the 1907 McFaddin-Ward House. Four tall Ion- ic columns grace the formal façade of the three-story mansion. In- side, the house features beautiful antiques, vivid art glass and even an indoor fountain.
If you like house museums, visit the John Jay French Museum. The house, built in 1845, is the oldest in Beaumont. Among the city’s other museums are the Edison Museum, the Babe Didrikson Zaharias Museum, the Beaumont Children’s Museum and the Fire Museum of Texas. And that’s just a partial listing!
