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Highest-rated specialty museums in Texas by visitors

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Monkey Business Images // Shutterstock
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In 1683, Elias Ashmole, an Oxford graduate and true polymath, founded the Ashmolean, the modern world's first public museum. Stocked with his private collection of artifacts, curios, and special scientific equipment, the goal of the museum was to create a center for practical research and the advancement of knowledge. This, Ashmole felt, was a goal "very necessary to humaine life, health [and] the conveniences thereof."

According to figures from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, there are more than 35,000 museums in the United States today. Their collections encompass everything from modern art, like at the MoMA in New York City, to mustard, like at the National Mustard Museum in Middleton, Wisconsin, and everything in between.

Museums are anchors of our communities. The American Alliance of Museums reports that museums support more than 725,000 jobs and contribute upwards of $50 billion to the U.S. economy each year. Three-quarters of Americans agree that museums are an important part of our civil society and have an important role in promoting knowledge and civic engagement.

Beyond their educational and economic significance, museums are just plain fun. Whether you have a developed interest in natural history or just want to learn a little bit more about funerary history (the National Museum of Funeral History in Houston), there's sure to be a museum that strikes your interest. There's simply nothing else quite like spending an afternoon learning about famous figures, arts and crafts, military history, or what else you fancy.

Here, Stacker compiled a list of the highest-rated specialty museums in Texas on Tripadvisor as of Aug. 13, 2025. Keep reading to see what unique museums are in your home state. Then, make sure to plan a visit. With many museums facing funding cuts due to the current administration's efforts to dismantle the Institute of Museum and Library Services, who's to say how much longer these treasure troves will be available to us?

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#29. Galveston Railroad Museum

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#29. Galveston Railroad Museum

- Rating: 4.3/5 (608 reviews)
- City: Galveston Galveston Island
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#25. Amon Carter Museum of American Art

Tripadvisor

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#25. Amon Carter Museum of American Art

- Rating: 4.7/5 (574 reviews)
- City: Fort Worth
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#20. Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum

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#20. Dallas Holocaust and Human Rights Museum

- Rating: 4.4/5 (542 reviews)
- City: Dallas
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#19. Galveston Historic Seaport - Home of the 1877 Tall Ship ELISSA

Tripadvisor

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#19. Galveston Historic Seaport - Home of the 1877 Tall Ship ELISSA

- Rating: 4.4/5 (830 reviews)
- City: Galveston Galveston Is
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#18. Ocean Star Offshore Drilling Rig & Museum

Tripadvisor

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#18. Ocean Star Offshore Drilling Rig & Museum

- Rating: 4.5/5 (1,038 reviews)
- City: Galveston Galveston Island
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#13. The Buckhorn Saloon and Texas Ranger Museum

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#13. The Buckhorn Saloon and Texas Ranger Museum

- Rating: 4.1/5 (1,399 reviews)
- City: San Antonio
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#12. George Bush Presidential Library and Museum

Tripadvisor

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#12. George Bush Presidential Library and Museum

- Rating: 4.8/5 (1,289 reviews)
- City: College Station
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#10. Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum

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#10. Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum

- Rating: 4.6/5 (1,146 reviews)
- City: Waco
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#9. National Museum of Funeral History

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#9. National Museum of Funeral History

- Rating: 4.6/5 (602 reviews)
- City: Houston
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#5. George W. Bush Presidential Center

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#5. George W. Bush Presidential Center

- Rating: 4.6/5 (3,906 reviews)
- City: Dallas
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#4. Perot Museum of Nature and Science

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#4. Perot Museum of Nature and Science

- Rating: 4.5/5 (3,637 reviews)
- City: Dallas
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#3. The Houston Museum of Natural Science

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#3. The Houston Museum of Natural Science

- Rating: 4.6/5 (5,369 reviews)
- City: Houston
- Read more on Tripadvisor

#2. The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza

Tripadvisor

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#2. The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza

- Rating: 4.6/5 (9,421 reviews)
- City: Dallas
- Read more on Tripadvisor

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