My husband and I will be flying to San Antonio next week. We are thinking about taking a tour to the LBJ ranch one day with San Antonio City Tours. Can anyone give us any feeback on this tour?
My husband and I will be flying to San Antonio next week. We are thinking about taking a tour to the LBJ ranch one day with San Antonio City Tours. Can anyone give us any feeback on this tour?
It is a very nice tour, the scenery is spectacular & it's very interesting. Here is a website you can check out to see what they have to offer. I didn't take the tour bus, we drove their but I'm sure they cover everything. Here is the website.
I've been to the LBJ Ranch, both the state and national park on several occasions and was just there last weekend with my husband and 3 young grandchildren. The state park and the national park are adjacent to each other. The LBJ National Park is only accessible by the tram which is picked up at the Visitor's Center at the State Park. There is a small fee for the tram (it used to be free). The tram ride is about 1 1/2 hours and is air conditioned (well sort of..it's definitely cooler than outside!). The tram takes you by the Church LBJ attended as a boy, the 1 room schoolhouse he attended, the replica of the house he was born in, the family cemetery where he and Lady Bird and other family members are buried, the "Texas White House" where LBJ and Lady Bird lived, the auto barn where all of his cars are displayed, the air strip, and the barns where the cows and horses still are (it's a working ranch). There are several stops where you can get off the tram --- the stops vary depending on the driver/guide. On the most recent trip, we stopped at the schoolhouse, the replica of the house where LBJ was born, the cemetery, the Texas White House (although we didn't go in) and the barn.
At the Visitor's Center there are several movies about LBJ and the Hill Country. They vary. There is also a separate building with exhibits.
Our grandchildren definitely enjoyed visiting the Sauer-Beckman Living History Farm (State Park) where park rangers and docents are in pioneer dress and demonstrate what it was like to live on a farm in the early days. They raise farm animals, milk the cows, make butter, raise crops, make candles. They are very knowledgeable and really seem to enjoy talking about their experiences.
There are also a number of picnic tables in several areas scattered among the trees. There was a nice breeze blowing, making the 95 degree heat tolerable.
Also, in Johnson City, just 14 miles east of the Ranch are a number of other buildings/houses, etc., related to LBJ. Additionally, the LBJ Presidential Library in Austin on the edge of the U.T. Austin campus is a very interesting Presidential Library.
To the west of the LBJ Ranch, is Fredericksburg which is an interesting German community worth a visit. On the way, you'll pass several wineries and vineyards that welcome tourists. Also on the same highway, you might enjoy a stop at the Wildseed Farms where numerous flowers are grown, seeds harvested and shipped all over the world. They have acres and acres of flowers in bloom as well as an interesting gift shop and a restaurant.
Hope you enjoy your trip to San Antonio and to the Hill Country.
Zell
I have not taken that tour, but if you rent a car you can do it yourself and get in more. Drive north on 281 and turn left on 290 west. Go a few miles and you are at the Ranch. Take park service tour. Get in you car drive west and see wildseed farms and an wine place. Make short detour and see Luchenbach TX (its next to the creek, not the big barn with the sign). Back to 290 into Fredericksburg, see old buildings and shopping, eat German food drink beer. Best IMO is at the west end of town where the road y's. Leave town on 87 to IH 10 turn left and head east to SA.
Zell's advice and description are right on the money. Only thing to add is don't take the last one or two hours of the day. The cattle will be back in their barn and you won't get to see these prize specimens (descendants of LBJ's own herd).
Thanks, everyone! We're looking forward to seeing the ranch.
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