Texas Science & Natural History Museum

The Texas Science & Natural History Museum on the UT Austin campus is one of Austin's best-kept free family secrets. Admission costs nothing, the exhibits are genuinely impressive, and the campus setting gives you a bonus walk through one of Texas's most storied university grounds.

The museum's signature attraction for families is the fossil gallery — a full-scale Diplodocus dinosaur skeleton dominates one of the main exhibit halls and creates an immediate jaw-drop moment for kids who have been reading about dinosaurs in books. Beyond the dinosaur, the museum covers Texas geology (complete with samples of the rock layers underneath Austin), ancient marine fossils from the prehistoric sea that covered central Texas, and exhibits on the natural history of the Hill Country region.

For kids who are into science at school — especially earth science and biology — the exhibits map directly onto curriculum in a way that makes the visit feel like an extension of classroom learning, but way more engaging than a textbook.

The museum is operated by the University of Texas, which explains both the quality of the collections and the free admission — a genuine gift to Austin families. Sunday hours are compressed (1-5PM only), and the museum is closed on Mondays, so plan accordingly.

Parking on the UT campus costs money. If you're visiting, check the UT parking website for visitor lot options, or look for street parking on the surrounding neighborhood streets north and east of campus to save a few dollars.