Bastrop County Museum & Visitor Center

Bastrop County Museum & Visitor Center Our legacy began in 1952 when a group called the Bastrop Ladies Reading Circle raised funds to open our current museum in 1953. Call for more information.

Since then, a lot has changed, and we are now a modern museum and visitor center sure to please the whole family. The mission of the Bastrop County Historical Society Museum is to preserve and promote the history of Bastrop County. History: Bastrop County Historical Society (BCHS) and its museum were established in 1952. Since then, BCHS has amassed a unique collection of materials, documents, and

artifacts dating before the County’s founding in 1836. Collections: The Society has a collection of approximately 5,000 artifacts and books in addition to 14,000 documents and photographs contributed by members of the community. Collectively, they tell the unique story of Bastrop County. Research: Archives are available for research in our professional research library. Membership: is open to anyone willing to pay modest annual dues. Bastrop Old Town Visitor Center: over 9,000 annual visitors come through our doors for local and regional information. Our dedicated staff of experts knows the area's secrets, and we encourage you to take respite in our climate-controlled spaces. This is the entrance to visiting the Bastrop County Historical Society museum.

🌎 Visitors Round Up | 8/31-9/5/26This week brought a little bit of everything to the Bastrop County Museum & Visitor Cen...
09/05/2026

🌎 Visitors Round Up | 8/31-9/5/26

This week brought a little bit of everything to the Bastrop County Museum & Visitor Center! We welcomed families enjoying quality time together, visitors tracing their family roots, and locals introducing friends and family to the place they call home. ❤️

The museum and visitor center is the perfect place to connect with Bastrop County’s past, discover something new, and share the stories that make our community special. 📖 We loved having you with us!

Make plans to stop by next week and see what you can discover! 🏛️

🕰 Museum Hours: Monday–Saturday | 10 AM–5 PM
🎟 Admission: Adults $8 | Military, Military Families & Veterans Free | Children 12 & Under Free | Members Free

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🌶️ FAME Days: Salsa Showdown was one spicy way to kick off Hispanic Heritage Month! 💃🎶 Big thanks to Bastrop Cultural Ar...
09/05/2026

🌶️ FAME Days: Salsa Showdown was one spicy way to kick off Hispanic Heritage Month! 💃🎶 Big thanks to Bastrop Cultural Arts Committee for bringing the party!

The museum porch was the place to be as DJ SheLow brought the hits, and downtown restaurants brought the heat with their delicious salsas. Things got a little too hot? Jeremiah's Italian Ice was there to cool everyone down! 🍧

And, of course, our resident Flash Mob lead brought even more energy to the party! 💃🔥

We also got crafty with our community, making colorful paper flowers for our upcoming Día de los Mu***os Ofrenda Display. Some of our youngest artists got especially into it, making enough flowers for themselves and to share with their friends. 🌸

Good salsa, great music, dancing, creativity, and an amazing community made this FAME Friday one to remember. Thank you to everyone who came out and helped us celebrate!

We had so much fun, and we’re already counting down to the next FAME Friday!

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MORNING STORY ☀️ Happy National Beard Day!Today we’re celebrating some fantastic facial hair from the Bastrop County Mus...
09/05/2026

MORNING STORY ☀️ Happy National Beard Day!
Today we’re celebrating some fantastic facial hair from the Bastrop County Museum & Visitor Center’s archives by highlighting a few photographs featuring some truly stellar beards.

From full and flowing to neatly trimmed and seriously impressive, these gentlemen clearly knew how to make a statement with their facial hair!

So we have to ask: Which beard would win a Bastrop County beard contest? 🏆

Cast your vote in the comments and let us know which one gets your vote for Best Beard!

🕰 Museum Hours: Monday–Saturday | 10 AM–5 PM

🎟 Museum Admission: Adults $8 | Military, Military Families, Veterans free | Children 12 & under free | Members free

To use these photos, you must have permission from the Bastrop County Historical Society. See our website for more details.

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Don’t forget to drop by to make paper flowers at FAME Days on Main Street tonight from 6-8 pm! 🌸 Free and open to everyo...
09/04/2026

Don’t forget to drop by to make paper flowers at FAME Days on Main Street tonight from 6-8 pm! 🌸

Free and open to everyone!

MORNING STORY ☀️ Remembering the Bastrop County Complex FireToday marks the 15th anniversary of the Bastrop County Compl...
09/04/2026

MORNING STORY ☀️ Remembering the Bastrop County Complex Fire

Today marks the 15th anniversary of the Bastrop County Complex Fire, a devastating chapter in our community’s history.

On September 4, 2011, three wildfires swept through nearly 35,000 acres of Bastrop County, destroying more homes than any single wildfire in Texas history. Nearly 96% of Bastrop State Park was also scorched.

Objects like this melted toy truck and saxophone and scorched timber recovered from the fires are silent witnesses to the incredible destruction and the losses so many families experienced. Speak to anyone who lived here at the time, and you’ll be hard-pressed to find someone who wasn’t affected.

But the story of the fire is also a story of community resilience. Neighbors became firefighters, volunteers helped families rebuild, and organizations like the Bastrop County Long Term Recovery Team helped rebuild 133 homes. Support poured in from across Texas and the nation.

The fire changed Bastrop County forever, but it also revealed the strength, compassion, and resilience of the people who call this place home.

Today, we remember what was lost, honor those who helped, and remember the community that refused to give up.

🕰 Museum Hours: Monday–Saturday | 10 AM–5 PM

🎟 Museum Admission: Adults $8 | Military, Military Families, Veterans free | Children 12 & under free | Members free

To use these photos, you must have permission from the Bastrop County Historical Society. See our website for more details.

Follow us for more Bastrop County history and community events!

09/03/2026

We don’t play at the visitor center. If we don’t know your answer, we will hunt it down until we do!

📢 Holiday HoursThe Bastrop County Museum & Visitor Center will be closed Monday, September 7 for Labor Day.We’ll reopen ...
09/03/2026

📢 Holiday Hours

The Bastrop County Museum & Visitor Center will be closed Monday, September 7 for Labor Day.

We’ll reopen Tuesday, September 8 at 10 AM. We look forward to seeing you then!

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MORNING STORY ☀️ Lights, Camera, Bastrop!🎬 Action!In 1974, Bastrop County became the backdrop for Leadbelly, an action-p...
09/03/2026

MORNING STORY ☀️ Lights, Camera, Bastrop!

🎬 Action!

In 1974, Bastrop County became the backdrop for Leadbelly, an action-packed film chronicling the life of legendary blues singer Huddie Ledbetter, better known as Lead Belly. And lucky for us, the museum has behind-the-scenes photographs from the filming!

But Leadbelly wasn’t the only movie to find a home in our corner of Texas. Bastrop County has been the setting for plenty of other films, including Bernie, Hope Floats, The Texas Chain Saw Massacre, and even Transformers.

And the story isn’t over. With the development of large-scale studio projects including Spiderwood Studios, 204 Studios, and Wyldwood Studios, Bastrop County continues to grow as a hub for filmmaking.

Maybe it’s something about our historic buildings, beautiful landscapes, or the fact that Bastrop County just looks good on camera!

Pick up our guide find out about more famous movies and TV shows that have been shot here in Bastrop County!

🕰 Museum Hours: Monday–Saturday | 10 AM–5 PM

🎟 Museum Admission: Adults $8 | Military, Military Families, Veterans free | Children 12 & under free | Members free

To use these photos, you must have permission from the Bastrop County Historical Society. See our website for more details.

Follow us for more Bastrop County history and community events!

09/03/2026

Please join us for the 35th Annual Rockne Parade on Saturday, September 5, 2026. Not only will we be celebrating America's 250th Birthday, but we will also be celebrating the 150th Birthday of the Rockne and String Prairie Parishes!!! (How cool is it to join these two great events???)

We would love to have any and all businesses and organizations join in on the fun! And we would especially like to see all the local families come out, represent yourselves in the parade and honor our faith, families, heritage and community!!!

We will line up at Red Rock Grocery at 9am that morning. (1945 FM 20.) Judging will be at 9:30 am. The parade starts at 10:30 am. Registration is open to EVERYONE!!! Contact Kathy Carriger at 512-581-1959 for more info or questions.

If you don't want to be in the parade, come on out to watch. Bring the whole family!! You won't be disappointed!

We hope to see you all there!!!

And please feel free to share, share, share this post!!! =)

Today, we had the rare opportunity to hear from Mayor Ishmael Harris as he shared the legacy of Juneteenth Rodeos in Bas...
09/02/2026

Today, we had the rare opportunity to hear from Mayor Ishmael Harris as he shared the legacy of Juneteenth Rodeos in Bastrop County, the African American community, and his own family.

His words were both informative and inspiring, reminding us that preserving history means more than protecting objects and images. It also means continuing traditions, sharing stories, and remembering the people and experiences that shaped our community.

Mayor Harris spoke in conjunction with our current special exhibit, Soul Circuit: Juneteenth Rodeos in Texas, a powerful collection of photographs taken by Sarah Bird in the late 1970s at Juneteenth Rodeos throughout Texas. As Mayor Harris described them, the photographs provide a window into a moment of the past.

We’re grateful to Mayor Harris for sharing his family’s story and helping us connect the past to the traditions that continue today.

Be sure to see Soul Circuit before the exhibit ends on September 20!

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Address

904 Main Street
Bastrop, TX
78602

Opening Hours

Monday 10am - 5pm
Tuesday 10am - 5pm
Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 5pm
Saturday 10am - 5pm

Telephone

(512) 303-0904

Website

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