LBJ Presidential Library and Museum

The LBJ Presidential Library and Museum is home to invaluable pieces of American history right in Austin, Texas. Inside the 10-story, travertine-encased building, a vast collection of Lyndon Baines Johnson's presidential artifacts provides transparency into his administration and helps visitors make sense of the 1960s. The archives are among the first things you'll see on your visit: four floors of red archival boxes, neatly arranged in rows of 175 and stacked six high, reside behind floor-to-ceiling glass in the Great Hall. At the library's 1971 dedication, President Johnson said its purpose was to tell "the story of our time," noting that the files held nothing critical, ugly, or unpleasant that had been left out.

Since the library's dedication, the repository has grown to include approximately 45 million pages of documents, more than 650,000 photos, roughly 12,000 hours of audio recordings, more than 2,000 oral history interviews, and 7,500 motion picture film and video recordings, donated by the Johnsons, their family, friends, associates, and the American people.

The Great Hall

The Great Hall is a massive space—7,686 square feet, the equivalent of 6.6 Olympic-sized swimming pools. The hall accommodates not only the archives but also permanent exhibits, temporary exhibits, and artwork, including an engraved presidential seal. A stunning 50-foot photo-engraved mural by artist Naomi Savage, composed of five deeply etched magnesium plates (each 8 feet by 10 feet), portrays LBJ across his political career: as a Congressman with President Franklin D. Roosevelt, as a Senator with President Truman, as Senate Majority Leader with President Eisenhower, as Vice President with President Kennedy, and finally as the 36th president of the United States.

The Renovated Fourth-Floor Exhibit

In March 2026, the library debuted a newly renovated 4,500-square-foot permanent exhibit on the fourth floor—its first major update in more than a decade. The renovation brings LBJ's story to life through immersive, hands-on interactives and dynamic films that connect his legacy to present-day America, highlighting the impact he had on social reform in the U.S. He worked to diminish poverty, promote education, expand healthcare, protect the environment, and abolish segregation, signing more than 200 landmark laws during his time in office, including the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act.

The 1960s were stormy times for the U.S., both at home and abroad, and the museum takes a candid look at this era—from JFK's assassination and Johnson's transition to the presidency aboard Air Force One, to the nation's escalating involvement in Vietnam.

The Tenth Floor

Be sure to make your way to the tenth floor of the museum, where you'll find a recreation of the Oval Office and Lady Bird's office, along with a film and exhibit on the Johnsons' family life. Nearby, an exhibit showcases gifts received during state visits and from the American people.

Temporary Exhibits

Throughout the year, the museum also features rotating temporary exhibits drawn from its vast archives. In 2026, in celebration of the nation's 250th anniversary, the library is hosting The American Experiment: Pursuing Our Promise, a series of exhibits featuring rare historical documents curated by the National Archives and Records Administration and the Briscoe Center for American History, on view through early 2027. Two additional temporary exhibits—Austin, Past & Present: Through the Lens of Jay Godwin and What We Bring to the Table: Tales of History and Home—opened alongside the renovated permanent exhibit in spring 2026.

As President Johnson said during the library's dedication, "It is all here: the story of our time with the bark off."

Photo Credit: LBJ Library