Bryan Museum

Opened in 2015, the Bryan Museum in Galveston, Texas, is the go-to destination for a comprehensive look into the culture and heritage of the United States’ Western frontier.

Housed in the historic former Galveston Orphans Home in Galveston, the museum was founded by retired Texas oil magnate J.P. Bryan to showcase his private collection of artifacts, with some memorabilia pieces even being as old as 12,000 years. The sprawling permanent collection, organized into engaging storytelling exhibits, comprises 70,000-some items ranging from displays of ancient to modern; including Native American artifacts, rare maps, antique firearms, saddles and more.

Memorable moments include displays of hundreds of belt buckles, spurs, and arrowheads of all shapes and sizes, as well as an archival library of tens of thousands of rare books and historical documents in multiple languages. Overall, the museum presents a chronological history of Texas and the American West, with a particularly interesting cultural focus on the Spanish Colonial era and Tejano culture and Galveston history too. Acquisitions from local collectors, for example, Enrique Guerra, a 12th-generation Texan, provide personal, intimate glimpses into cowboy culture, farming and ranch life through rare antiques and family heirlooms.

In addition to its permanent collections, the Bryan Museum is especially worth a visit for its fantastic special exhibitions. Changing every few months, temporary showcases delve explore cultural themes from Western contemporary art to the legacy of coastal ranching, Tejanos in Revolutionary Texas and Galveston’s unique Mardi Gras tradition.

The Bryan Museum is housed in the 1895-built Galveston Orphans Home. The grand Gothic Revival building, known for its stately arches and turrets, provides unique exhibit spaces inside thanks to ornate woodwork and balusters. A permanent exhibit in the museum delves into the orphanages’ history, including interviews with former residents and toy displays, as well as the story of how it was built by fundraising efforts led by newspaper tycoon William Randolph Hearst after the 1900 hurricane.