Tyler, TX

Tyler Rose Garden - Free

Set on 14 acres of beautifully manicured landscapes that feature more than 35,000 rose bushes and more than 500 varieties of roses, Tyler Rose Garden is world-renowned and offers visitors an unforgettable visit.

Open from dawn until dusk seven days a week and free for the public to enjoy, Tyler Rose Garden has several areas of interest, including the Heritage Garden and the Ida Garden, as well as spectacular collections of camellia and day lilies.

The Tyler Rose Garden is also home to the Rose Garden Center, a beautiful space that can be rented for special events and occasions such as weddings, birthday parties, reunions, and more. A small gift shop allows visitors to take a memoir of the Rose Garden home with them.

420 Rose Park Dr, Tyler, TX 75702, 903-597-3130

Caldwell Zoo

The Caldwell Zoo is an 85-acre zoo that provides a sanctuary for a variety of animals from all over the world. Founded in 1937 by David King Caldwell, the zoo began as a Child Development Laboratory where children could interact with animals such as parrots, monkeys, and squirrels. Sixteen years later, it became an official zoo.

Early residents of the zoo included a lion and chimpanzee, while today, the zoo is home to a wealth of mammals, reptiles, birds and insects. The zoo also has a large giraffe and hoofstock barn and an elephant facility, a giraffe barn, a Texas reptile and aquarium building, and the Overlook plaza.

The zoo has several breeding programs, including those for Chilean flamingoes, cheetahs, and Attwater’s Prairie Chickens. Caldwell Zoo is one of Tyler’s most popular attractions for both children and adults to learn more about conservation and wildlife.

2203 W Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Tyler, TX 75702, 903-593-0121

Discovery Science Place

Discovery Science Place offers a fun-filled, interactive, and hands-on educational experience for children of all ages.

The museum is home to an array of exhibits, including a large man-made cave with a built-in earthquake simulator and various rock/sediment displays, a mock television station with working camera and mini-control board, a live iguana, and various physics-related exhibits.

The Discovery Science Place also offers a multitude of engaging, age-appropriate educational programs, camps, classes, and events that aim to provide guests with a greater understanding and passion for the natural world, the sciences, and learning in general. The museum often hosts free community events and activities for the whole family.

308 N Broadway Ave, Tyler, TX 75702, 903-533-8011

Tyler State Park

Covering 985 acres north of Tyler, Tyler State Park is a beautiful state park that has a 64-acre lake and offers a variety of outdoor activities for all ages. 100-foot tall trees and historic structures that visitors can explore surround the spring-fed lake, and you can rent boats as well as take a refreshing dip or fish for perch, bass, or catfish.

The lake has three fishing piers and a boat ramp for launching, and fishing tackle can be rented. Other activities in the park include camping, picnicking, bird and wildlife watching, rambling through the woods, geocaching, and hiking or mountain biking one of the many trails such as the Whispering Pines Nature Trail.

789 Park Road 16, Tyler, TX 75706-9141, 903-597-5338

Tyler HAMM

Located in the old passenger terminal building of the Tyler Pounds Regional Airport, the Historic Aviation Memorial Museum (HAMM) is dedicated to the history of aviation during times of both peace and war and is home to an excellent array of displays featuring historic military aircraft and aviation memorabilia.

The HAMM hangar facility is used as a base for restoration of older aircraft as well flying aircraft, and the museum hosts a variety of high-profile airshows and air exhibits that are open for the public to enjoy.

The Historic Aviation Memorial Museum also offers a variety of aviation-based educational programs, a multimedia theater room and library, and a small gift shop that sells books and mementos.

150 Airport Dr, Tyler, TX 75704, 903-526-1945

TJC Earth and Space Science Center Featuring Hudnall Planetarium

Established to inspire and nurture an interest in and passion for sciences, the TJC Earth and Space Science Center Featuring Hudnall Planetarium is located on the campus of Tyler Junior College and is one of the largest planetariums in Texas.

The state-of-the-art planetarium offers visitors a one-of-a-kind immersive, full-dome video experience with real-time space flights, and visits to various locations around the planet.

The planetarium also features a variety of ever evolving exhibit areas with large plasma screen displays showing real-time video from NASA and the Space Telescope Science Institute. The Science Center also provides a wealth of educational programs, classes, lectures, and public events, as well as educational-based outdoor play areas.

1411 E Lake St, Tyler, TX 75701, 903-510-2312

Azalea Residential Historic District

Azalea Residential Historic District The Azalea Residential Historic District is one of Tyler’s historic districts and is packed with a high concentration of early to mid-20th-century homes. Built in a variety of styles, from Queen Anne, Classical Revival, Craftsman, and Ranch to the International style, these beautiful homes, mansions, and estates convey the rich architectural heritage of the city.

They also showcase the incredible growth that Tyler experienced due to the advent of the East Texas Oil Fields and subsequent industry. The Azalea Residential Historic District was designated as a National Historic District in June of 2003.

Tyler Museum of Art

The Tyler Museum of Art is a private museum that showcases the works of local and international artists, including those from Texas, and encourages art education in the community.

Designed by the architectural firm of E. Davis Wilcox and Associates, the award-winning two-story museum spans more than 17,000 square feet and is home to three galleries that feature over 1,500 works in its permanent collection, including paintings, photographs, prints, and sculptures by artists such as Alexander Calder, Vernon Fisher, and Charles Umlauf.

Situated next to the campus of Tyler Junior College, the museum also has a research library, on-site café, and gift shop.

1300 S Mahon Ave, Tyler, TX 75701, 903-595-1001

Goodman-LeGrand Museum & Gardens

The Goodman-LeGrand Museum & Gardens is a historic landmark Civil War-era estate that has been turned into a museum. Located at 624 North Broadway, the Goodman-LeGrand House and Museum has been a recorded landmark since 1976 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Named Bonnie Castle by original owner Samuel Gallatin Smith, the Goodman-LeGrand House was built in the Greek Revival style on nine acres of land and became a refuge for families of refugees fleeing the Union Army in the Capture of New Orleans in 1862.

The house was sold to the Goodman family and remodeled into the current Classic Revival style. Later, it was made a museum and opened to the public. The LeGrand Park and Gardens are open to the public and admission is free.

624 N Broadway Ave, Tyler, TX 75702, 903-531-1286