Lubbock, Texas

1. Bayer Museum of Agriculture

Located within the Alton Brazell Exhibit Hall, the Bayer Museum of Agriculture strives to teach visitors the significance of agriculture in their everyday lives. They accomplish this task with their growing list of interactive exhibits where visitors can hear, see, and experience how life would be on a farm.

You can see examples of early hand harvesting, interact with a hologram blacksmith, and speak with a farmer in the Bayer Crop Science display. Visitors can even get behind the wheel of a contemporary cotton stripper. They also focus on the history of farming with their massive collection of antiques and machinery that work in tandem with their interactive video games and kiosks.

Address: Bayer Museum of Agriculture, 1121 Canyon Lake Drive, Lubbock, TX, Phone: 806-744-3786

2. Buddy Holly Center

The Buddy Holly Center is a historical site dedicated to collecting, promoting, and preserving the legacy of Buddy Holly and the music of West Texas and Lubbock. This is done through programs and exhibits that demonstrate the varied cultural characteristics of the area.

They chronicle Holly’s life from his childhood in Lubbock to his rise to fame displaying numerous artifacts such as documents and photographs, his Fender Stratocaster guitar, his legendary black glasses, and two of his acoustic guitars. It also features a life-size statue of the musician and the West Texas Walk of Fame to which he was the first to be inducted.

Address: Buddy Holly Center, 1801 Crickets Avenue, Lubbock, TX, Phone: 806-775-3560

3. Caviel Museum of African-American History

The Caviel Museum of African-American History is housed in the first pharmacy in the United States owned and operated by an African-American husband and wife, Alfred and Billie Caviel. After running a successful business for nearly 50 years they retired, donating their store to the Roots Historical Arts Council with the dream of turning it into a museum that would one day represent African-American culture.

This goal was achieved in 2015 when the museum becoming the first of its kind in West Texas. Its walls are adorned with black and white photos of African-American doctors, nurses, and dentists including one of M.D. Bernard Harris, an astronaut at NASA and the first African-American to walk in space.

Address: Caviel Museum of African-American History, 1719 Avenue A, Lubbock, TX, Phone: 806-928-4268

4. Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts

The Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts (LHUCA) is a non-profit organization opened in 1997 that encompasses four blocks with nine incredible buildings. It is dedicated to showcasing, supporting, and connecting practicing and aspiring artists, and it achieves this with its diverse exhibits and performances.

The exhibitions continually change throughout the year, highlighting the works of local and international artists such as Tina Fuentes whose art is focused on aerial landscapes of West Texas and the Plains of Eastern New Mexico. They also feature fun and interactive exhibits that call on the public to get involved like the “What Makes You Happy?” display, which invites people to give their responses to the question.

Address: Louise Hopkins Underwood Center for the Arts, 511 Avenue K., Lubbock, TX, Phone: 806-762-8606

5. Lubbock Lake National Historic Landmark

Located in a section of the ancient valley Yellowhouse Draw is the Lubbock Lake National Historic Landmark. The draw once served as the water resource for the people of the Southern High Plains before it dried out in the early 1930s. Years later, all traces of settler activity were covered by sediment, but in an effort made by the city of Lubbock to revitalize the underground springs, they dredged the area, exposing numerous Folsom Period bison kills.

This discovery unearthed an ancient bison kill from a then unknown Paleoindian group, allowing for the first radiocarbon date. Today excavations are conducted annually to preserve the evidence of people occupying the Southern High Plains for nearly 12,000 years.

Address: Lubbock Lake National Historic Landmark, 2401 Landmark Drive, Lubbock, TX, Phone: 806-742-1116

6. Lubbock Memorial Arboretum

The Lubbock Memorial Arboretum is a historical site situated within K.N. Clapp Park. Situated on 93 acres of open space, it features a diverse collection of trees, plants, shrubs, vines, and flowers as well as various wildlife, including butterflies and birds.

The arboretum features the beautiful, serene Playa Lake (which welcomes water fowl in the winter), a 1.18-mile walking trail, and a charming red brick house known as The Interpretive Center where many nature classes are held. They also offer special guided tours to visitors in an effort to educate them about the various trees and plant life.

Address: Lubbock Memorial Arboretum, 4111 University Avenue, Lubbock, TX, Phone: 806-797-4520

7. Lubbock Municipal Garden and Arts Center

Open since 1960, The Lubbock Municipal Garden and Arts Center (GAC) has been committed to providing the Lubbock community with an arts, music, and garden center. They are open to the public and offer a wide variety of monthly exhibits, art education classes, art and photography competitions, and garden shows and classes.

Notably, a number of professional artists and award-winning gardeners teach many of their classes. The GAC is the City of Lubbock Parks and Recreations System’s most-used facility providing meeting space to multiple non-profit organizations, cultural groups, garden clubs, quilting guilds, environmental organizations, and art associations. Visitors will also enjoy their many magnificent settings, including the Rose Garden, Lubbock Memorial Arboretum Gazebo, and the Tea Terrace.

Address: Lubbock Municipal Garden and Arts Center, 4215 University Avenue, Lubbock, TX, Phone: 806-767-3724

8. Museum of Texas Tech University,

The Museum of Texas Tech University serves as an educational and research tool for Texas Tech University. It is free and open to the public, providing the community with a diverse array of public programming and exhibitions.

Their collections cover a wide-range of topics, including fines arts, history, anthropology, clothing and textiles, paleontology, and natural sciences. They feature over seven million objects and maintain a Natural Science Research Laboratory that preserves major natural history collections of invertebrates, mammals, birds, and genetic resources. The museum provides a variety of docent-led tours, including a Highlight Tour, a quick look at the entire museum, and gallery-specific tours.

Address: Museum of Texas Tech University, 2500 Broadway, Lubbock, TX, Phone: 806-742-2011

9. National Ranching Heritage Center

The National Ranching Heritage Center officially came to be in 1976 in order to preserve and interpret North America’s history of ranching. This historical park features nearly 50 historic structures, 30 of which are between 100 and 177 years old. These structures were organized chronologically in order to showcase the progression of ranch life from the early 1700s to the mid-1900s. Visitors can stroll down the 1.5-mile paved pathways and view each of these perfectly restored structures, each furnished to period-correctness. Afterwards, they can peruse over 40 life-size bronze art pieces and visit the 44,000-square-foot museum boasting seven unique galleries.

Address: National Ranching Heritage Center, 3121 Fourth Street, Lubbock, TX, Phone: 806-742-0498