Beaumont is considered the museum capital of Texas and was started by early French and Spanish trappers. The city came of age when, in 1901, the first great oil gusher caused the village's population to surge to 30,000 people after just one month. Today the city is an industrial giant, major port, agricultural center and home of Lamar University.
Things to do in Beaumont
Art Museum of Southeast Texas
At this museum visitors are tantalized by a permanent collection of paintings, sculpture and other mixed media. During certain times there are also traveling exhibits featured. Open Monday - Saturday 9am - 5pm (Thursday until 8pm); Sunday noon - 5pm. Tearoom open Monday- Friday 11:30am - 1pm. Located at 500 Main Street. Call 409-832-3432 for more information.
Art Studio, Inc.
At this studio you can see "Art Made Fresh Daily", where artists can be seen practicing their trade. Visitors can also attend demonstrations and educational programs. The exhibits change every month. Open Monday - Friday 1 - 5pm. Call 409-838-5393 for more information.
Babe Didrikson Zaharias Museum & Visitors Center
No American athlete was more versatile than Beaumont's Mildred "Babe" Didrikson Zacharias (1914 - 1956). She was a three-time basketball All-American, won three gold Olympic medals and was a world-class pioneering woman golfer. The connected Visitors center has experienced tourist counselors who can provide information about accommodations, attractions, events and even business and industry data. Free maps and brochures are available. Located at 1477 N Martin Luther King Parkway. Open daily from 9am - 5pm. Call 409-833-4622 for more information.
Bayou Din Golf Club
8537 Labelle Road, Beaumont, TX
Beaumont Fire/Rescue Training Center
This is the fire fighting training center for Beaumont and other area fire departments. This is also the home of the Lamar University Industrial Fire and Hazardous Materials Training Program, which is one of four schools in the nation recognized by OSHA for the training of industrial fire fighters. Public tours are welcome. Located near I-10 and Pine at the end of Marina Drive. Call 409-838-7029 for more information.
Beaumont Police Museum
This musem features a collection of police memorabilia dating back to the turn of the 20th century. This location was formerly a jail that was converted into the museum. Open Monday - Friday 8am - 5pm. Call 409-880-3825 for more information.
Belle Oaks Golf Club
15075 Country Club Road, Beaumont, TX
Brown-Scurlock Galleries
The Beaumont Art League operates these galleries. They are located on the fairgrounds and features changing exhibits and art classes. Open Tuesday - Friday 10am - 4pm. Call 409-833-4179 for more information.
Clifton Steamboat Museum
This 24,000 square-foot museum has exhibits representing the Battle of San Jacinto, the Republic of Texas and its statehood, the Civil War in Southeast Texas and Southwest Louisiana, the Steamboat Era, World Wars I & II, Korea, Vietnam and the Persian Golf War. The Museum's theme is "Heroes … Past, Present and Future", which honors military and civilian heroes. Located at 8727 Fannett Road and is open Monday - Friday 9am - 5pm. Call 409-842-1910 for more information.
Crokett Street Entertainment District
This district is the perfect place to dine and unwind. The Red-bricked streets draw you into a collection of live-music venues, dance halls and restaurants. On Sunday afternoons the area has horse drawn carriages and street performers.
Dishman Art Gallery
This gallery is home of the Heinz and Ruth Eisenstadt Collection and contains 147 paintings, 252 porcelains, eight sculptures and a 17-piece German Biedermeier dining room suite. Art exhibitions also draw from the talent of local Lamar University. Located on the Lamar University Campus at U.S. 69 south at MLK Parkway. Open Monday - Thursday 7:30am - 4:30pm; Friday 7:30am - 12:30pm. Call 409-880-8141 for more information.
Fire Museum of Texas
This Museum is home to the World's Largest Fire Hydrant. This 24-foot, spotted hydrant was donated by Walt Disney Studios to celebrate the re-release of the animated classic 101 Dalmatians. The larger than life attraction is a working fire hydrant that actually spews water on special occasions. Founded in 1927, this former fire station displays antique fire bells, leather buckets, nozzles, badges, photographs and vintage fire engines. Special exhibits trace the history of fire service and showcase recorded histories of fire departments across the state. Located at 400 Walnut. Open Monday - Friday 8am - 4:30pm. Call 409-880-3927 for more information.
Henry Homberg Municipal Golf Course
5940 Babes Zaharias Drive, Beaumont, TX
High Island Boy Scout Wood and Smith Oaks Nature Sanctuaries
These sanctuaries are owned by the Houston Audubon Society and sit on a salt dome in the middle of the marshland. Spring migration is usually from mid-March - mid-May. Fall migration is August - October. Located about 47 miles south on Texas 124.
Jefferson Theatre
This renovated vaudeville home hosts a variety of shows throughout the year. Located at 345 Fannin Street. Call 409-832-6649 for more information.
John J. French Historic House & Museum
This is a historic pioneer settlement house that was built in 1845 by John Jay French, a tanner and merchant in the area. This home features antique furnishings, clothing and pioneer household utensils. Other buildings on the site include a blacksmith shop, tannery, corncrib and smokehouse. Open Tuesday - Saturday 10am - 4pm. Located at 2985 French Road. Call 409-898-3267 for more information.
McFaddin-Ward House
This restored beaux-arts colonial mansion and carriage house was built from 1906 - 1908. The main house showcases original possessions and life-styles of a wealthy Southeast Texas family during the first half of the Twentieth Century. The carriage house contains the servant's quarters and other displays designed to show the support function this building played in the operation of the estate. Both buildings are open for tours. Last tour of main house begins at 3pm. No children under eight are allowed in the main house though children of all ages are welcome at the carriage house. Visitor's entrance at 1906 Calder Ave. at Third Street. Open Tuesday - Saturday 10am- 4pm; Sunday 1 - 4pm.
Noah's Animal Park
This is a petting zoo with pony rides and larger than life ark play area. Also has covered tables and a picnic area. Open Monday - Saturday 10am - 7pm and Sunday noon - 6pm. Call 409-842-6044 for more information.
Port Of Beaumont
This modern port has an observation port and gives free-guided tours of port facility. Located at 1255 Main Street. Open 8:30am - noon and 1 - 4:30pm daily. Call 409-832-1546 for more information.
Rabbit Run at Brooks Road
Brooks Road, Beaumont, TX
Spindletop/Gladys City Boomtown Museum
The world's first oil boomtown has been re-created with typical clapboard buildings of the era, including information center, post office, photo studio, saloon, livery stable, blacksmith shop, surveyor's office and wooden oil derricks. The Lucas Gusher Monument commemorates the beginning of the world's modern petroleum industry that literally blew in at 10 am on January 10 1901, with the gusher drilled by Anthony F. Lucas. Located at 5550 University Drive at U.S. 69. Open Tuesday - Sunday 1 - 5pm. Call 409-835-0823 for more information.
Texas Energy Museum
This is the definitive museum on oil industry high-points during the 19th-century. Includes temporary exhibits on energy science and the environment. Visitors can also take a tour with talking robots that trace the effects of Spindletop and how it began the modern petroleum industry. Open Tuesday - Saturday 9am - 5pm and Sunday 1pm - 5pm. Located at 600 Main Street. Call 409-833-5100 for more information.
Tyrell Park
Here visitors can enjoy the 500-acres of virgin woodland with an 18-hole golf course, playground and a bridle and hiking trail. Within the Park are botanical gardens and a Cattail Marsh. The 10-acre Beaumont Botanical Gardens feature a Japanese garden, a rose garden, azalea wall and display planting. The nearby Warren Loose Conservatory showcases a waterfall, petrified wood, palms, ferns and a dinosaur. Cattail Marsh, a constructed wetland, offers a variety of recreational activity with more than eight miles of graveled levee roads for jogging, hiking, biking, horseback riding, bird watching and wildlife photography. There is no drinking water in the Marsh area so bring your own. Located at Tyrrell Park Road & Fannett Road. Open daily. Call 409-842-3135 for more information.
Tyrrell Historical Library Landmark
1903 Romanesque-Gothic former Baptist Church houses thousands of books on Texas history, genealogical research resources, and art collections. Listed on National Register of Historic Places. Located at 695 Pearl Street. Open Tuesday - Saturday 9am - 6pm. Call 409-833-2759 for more information.