The park was authorized on December 2, 1969 and was redesignated from a historic site to a national historical park on December 28, 1980. Present holdings are approximately 1,572 acres, 551 of which are federal. The Johnson family generously continues to add to this property; their most recent donation of acreage was in April, 1995.

VISITATION:

Approximately 140,000 visitors come to the park each year. The majority of visitors are from Texas, but international visitors are not uncommon. Highest visitation is during wildflower season in March and April. The lowest visitation is in August and January as these are the hottest and coldest months.

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LOCATION:

LBJ is located in the heart of the Texas Hill Country. The park has two visitor areas separated by about 14 miles: the Johnson Settlement/Visitor Center/Park Headquarters in Johnson City and the LBJ Ranch near Stonewall. The Park Visitor Center in Johnson City is 50 miles west of Austin and 60 miles north of San Antonio.

The State of Texas manages the Park Visitor Center near Stonewall where the visitor can ride the bus to the LBJ Ranch, which is managed by the National Park Service.

ADDRESS:

Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park
P.O. Box 329
Johnson City, Texas 78636

TELEPHONE:

(830) 868-7128

OPERATING HOURS, SEASONS:

The park is open every day except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years Day. The Visitor Center is open from 8:45 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Various guided tours of the LBJ Boyhood Home in Johnson City are offered seven days a week.

Self-guided tours of the Johnson Settlement, also in Johnson City, are available from 9:00 a.m. until sunset seven days a week. Costumed or ranger-guided interpretive tours of the Johnson Settlement are offered as staffing permits.

Bus tours of the LBJ Ranch near Stonewall are conducted from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. seven days a week. After hours self-guided tours of a portion of the Ranch are available seven days a week from 5:00 p.m. until dusk.

CLIMATE, RECOMMENDED CLOTHING:

Overall, the park enjoys a sunny, mild climate during three seasons of the year. The rainy month is usually April. Winter temperatures are usually in the 50s; snow and ice are rare. Summer temperatures can exceed 100 degrees in July and August, with high humidity. Lightweight clothing and sunscreen are advisable in the summer months, and walking shoes are recommended for those touring the Johnson Settlement.

DIRECTIONS:

To Park Headquarters and the Visitor Center in Johnson City

From Austin, take Highway 290 westbound. At the traffic light in Johnson City, turn left (still on 290), towards Fredericksburg. Go three blocks and turn left on Avenue F. Go two blocks and turn right onto Lady Bird Lane. The parking lot and visitor center are on the left.

From San Antonio, take Highway 281 northbound until it joins Highway 290 and follow the above directions from the traffic light in Johnson City to the Visitor Center.

From Fredericksburg, take Highway 290 eastbound to Johnson City. After passing the blinking traffic light, go two blocks and turn right onto Avenue F. Follow the above directions for parking.

Note: You will pass the LBJ Ranch district before you get to Johnson City -- see next direction.

To the LBJ Ranch: From Park Headquarters, take Highway 290 sixteen miles westbound to LBJ State Historical Park. If you are coming from Fredericksburg, you will pass the Ranch before you get to Johnson City. Tickets for the LBJ Ranch bus tour are purchased at the State Park Visitor Center.

TRANSPORTATION:

There is no public transportation to Johnson City or Stonewall.

FEES, COSTS, RATES:

There is no fee to visit the Johnson City District. Donations are gratefully accepted. There is a $3.00 fee to take the bus tour of the LBJ Ranch for persons who are seven years old or older. Younger children are free.

FACILITIES AND OPPORTUNITIES:

Visitor Center:
The Visitor Center in Johnson City contains a permanent exhibit gallery that showcases Lyndon Johnson's life and accomplishments. It includes a world events timeline, a display depicting the highlights of LBJ's Great Society programs, and a tribute to Mrs. "Lady Bird" Johnson. Also offered are two video presentations, both 30 minutes in length. One is about the Johnson Administration, the other, about Mrs. Johnson's life and achievements.

In this presidential park, it is possible to trace the ancestry and heritage of our 36th president as well as his birth, boyhood, youth, political career, retirement, and death. Some visitors may want to do this chronologically, beginning with the Johnson Settlement and finishing their visit at the LBJ Ranch.

Johnson Settlement:
Lyndon Johnson's grandfather and great-uncle established a cattle droving headquarters here in the 1860s. Their log cabin and subsequent barns, cooler house, and windmill are still here. There is also a modern exhibit center focusing on the cattle business, early Johnson family and settlement history, and Hill Country survival. A chuckwagon and longhorn cattle round out the "cowboy" atmosphere.

Lyndon Johnson Boyhood Home:
The former president lived here from the age of five until his high school graduation in 1924. The home is furnished in the early to mid-1920s period and as such depicts a rural Texas lifestyle of 70 years ago.

LBJ Ranch:
The LBJ Ranch House, known as the Texas White House, was the home of President Johnson and a center of political activity for more than 20 years. Today, Mrs. Lyndon B. Johnson resides here.

The Reconstructed Birthplace:
The Reconstructed Birthplace was built by President Johnson in 1964 on the site where he was born in 1908. The Johnsons furnished the home with family memorabilia and used it as a guest cottage.

Along with his ancestors, President Johnson was buried at the Johnson Family Cemetery.

Lyndon Johnson first attended classes in the one-room Junction School House. And as president, he signed into law the Elementary and Secondary Education Act at the same one-room school.

Registered Hereford cattle graze at the ranch and are displayed at the Show Barn.

Trails, Roads:
A self-guiding nature trail is available at the Johnson Settlement. Access to the LBJ Ranch is restricted to the ranger-guided bus tour, except for the Birthplace, Junction School, and Cemetery, which can be seen as a self-guided tour from 5 p.m. until sunset.

Programs, Activities:
Children aged 5 through 10 can expand their experience at the park by participating in the Junior Ranger Program, earning a special badge. Regularly scheduled house tours and guided bus tours, wild flower walks, ranger talks, and costumed rangers demonstrating skills of the pioneers are among the activities offered.

Educational programs appropriate to elementary and middle school students are offered several months of the year, by reservation only. Call (830) 868-7128, extension 231, for further information.

Lodging and Camping Facilities:
There is no lodging or camping in park. Three motels and several bed and breakfast facilities are available in Johnson City. Many motels, bed and breakfast inns and RV camping opportunities are in Fredericksburg, 32 west of the visitor center and 18 miles west of the LBJ Ranch. Contact Texas Parks and Wildlife Department for other camping locations in the immediate area or call 1-800-792-1112.

Food/supplies:
No food or drink is available in the park. Local restaurants and grocery stores exist in both Johnson City and Stonewall.

Other Concessions/NPS-Managed Visitor Facilities and Opportunities:
The Southwest Parks and Monuments Association manages two sales outlets. One is in the Visitor Center in Johnson City and the other is at the LBJ State Park Visitor Center in Stonewall. Please visit Southwest Parks and Monuments Association's Web Page.

Accessibility:
Most facilities in the park are wheelchair accessible. Closed captioning is provided for the two videos in the Visitor Center.

RECOMMENDED ACTIVITIES/PARK USE:

Sight-seeing in the historical areas; observing plants and wildlife, bird watching at the Johnson Settlement.

RESERVATIONS/PERMITS:

Reservations for educational programs are necessary. Commercial filming and photography permits are arranged on an individual basis, as are requests for any other special uses of the park. Contact the park for more information.

BASIC VISIT RECOMMENDATIONS:

Please allow enough time to see all of the park. When planning a visit to both districts, it is recommended that a full day be set aside to see all of the park. A minimum amount of time to spend in Johnson City is two hours; the same amount of time at a minimum is recommended at the Ranch.

SPECIAL EVENTS, PROGRAMS:

Remaining special events for 1999 include President Johnson's birthday on August 27th, with free bus tours all day and a wreath-laying ceremony at the Johnson cemetery. President Johnson's birthday will be celebrated in the Johnson City district on August 28th. Heritage Crafts Day, which is a fall festival of heritage skills, will be celebrated at the Johnson Settlement in Johnson City on October 9th. A Timeless Christmas including a lamp light tours of the Boyhood Home will be held in Johnson City on December 18th, and the following night, December 19th, the Christmas Tree Lighting will be held at the LBJ State Historical Park near Stonewall. This annual event will include special nighttime bus tours of the LBJ Ranch to see the Christmas decorations.

Annual special events for the year 2000 include Cowboy Songs and Poetry at the Johnson Settlement in Johnson City on April 8th. National Park Week in both districts on April 17-23. Mother's Day at the LBJ Boyhood Home in Johnson City on May 14th. Father's Day at the LBJ Boyhood Home on June 18th. Founder's Day on August 25th. LBJ Birthday Commemoration in Johnson City on August 26th. LBJ's Birthday Celebration at the Ranch with Free Ranch Tours and a Wreath-Laying Service on August 27th. Heritage Crafts Day at the Johnson Settlement in Johnson City on October 14th. A Timelesss Christmas in Johnson City on December 9th. The Christmas Tree Lighting and Evening Ranch Tours on December 17th.The Park also has Night Sky astronomical evenings in the spring and fall. Call the park for exact dates and times for these and other recurring events.

VISITOR IMPACTS:

Historic structures and objects can be fragile and visitors are advised not to touch park resources when on guided or self-guided tours of facilities. Natural resource issues include trampling of vegetation off the trails in the Johnson Settlement and the picking of wildflowers. Bicycles and pets are not permitted in the Johnson Settlement in order to better preserve the historic scene and to avoid confrontations between domestic animals and livestock.

ADJACENT VISITOR ATTRACTIONS:

The closest state parks are Pedernales Falls and LBJ State Parks. Both provide recreational opportunities such as hiking, swimming, and picnicking. LBJ State Park has nature trails and a German farm (c.1915) where costumed interpretation is performed. The town of Fredericksburg has numerous visitor services and attractions, one of which is the Admiral Nimitz Museum of the War in the Pacific.

LINKS

Please visit our working neighbor, the LBJ State Historical Park.

Please visit our cooperating association, Southwest Parks and Monuments Association.

Two nearby state parks with camping are Enchanted Rock State Park and
Pedernales Falls State Park.

To learn more about the life and times of Lyndon Johnson,
please visit the Lyndon B. Johnson Library and Museum.

To learn more about Mrs. Johnson and her work with wildflowers,
please visit the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Research Center.

Find out more about area Hill Country towns at these links:

Fredericksburg's Chamber of Commerce Home Page

Stonewall's Chamber of Commerce Home Page

Johnson City's Chamber of Commerce Home Page

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

Write Park Headquarters,
Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park,
P.O. Box 329, Johnson City, Texas 78636,
or call (830) 868-7128.

Last Updated:Thursday, 05-Aug-99 14:26:27
http://www.nps.gov/lyjo//lyjo/
Author: Gene Warren