Battleship Texas State Historic Site

3523 Highway 134
LaPorte TX 77571
281/479-2431

Photo courtesy of Battleship Texas Archives

Welcome Aboard the Battleship Texas

In 1948, the Battleship Texas became the first battleship memorial museum in the U.S. That same year, on the anniversary of Texas Independence, the Texas was presented to the State of Texas and commissioned as the flagship of the Texas Navy. In 1983, the Texas was placed under the stewardship of the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and is permanently anchored on the Buffalo Bayou and the busy Houston Ship Channel. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department's 1,200-acre San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site consists of the Battleground, Monument and Battleship Texas. These sites are located within minutes of downtown Houston and a short distance to the beaches of Galveston Island. Millions of visitors come to this area each year to enjoy the mild coastal climate and cultural and sports activities. Students and visitors alike are most fortunate to be able to experience history first hand through living history at the San Jacinto Battleground and Battleship Texas.

The Buffalo Soldiers National Museum (BSNM)

The Buffalo Soldiers National Museum (BSNM) a non-profit 501(c)(3) institution was founded in the year 2000 by a Viet Nam Veteran and African-American military historian, Mr. Paul J. Matthews. The museum's Historian is Dr. Franklin D.B. Jackson, a highly decorated Viet Nam veteran.

The Museum's Chief Docent is Trooper Arthur Joseph, a Silver Star recipient and author of the World War II book "Driving at the Edge of Death".
The Buffalo Soldiers National Museum a proud member of the Houston Museum District is the only Museum dedicated primarily to preserving the legacy and honor of the African-American soldier, in the United States of America.

Exhibit Hours:

Monday - Friday: 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m.
Saturday: 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.

Admission: $2.00 per person

Rated a 5-star nationwide children's museum by Citysearch.com and the only one in Texas to receive such accolade, the Children's Museum of Houston is the highest-attended youth museum in the country for its size and is dedicated to its mission of transforming communities through innovative, child-centered learning. Housed in a whimsical building designed by internationally acclaimed architect Robert Venturi, the Children’s Museum of Houston offers a multitude of exhibits bursting with action-packed fun that engage kids in the ultimate learning experience. The Museum was founded in 1980 by a group of Houston parents who hoped to elevate early childhood development to a community-wide priority.

Thursday evenings from 5 to 8 p.m. the Museum hosts Free Family Nights, during which all admission fees are waived.

The John P. McGovern Museum of Health & Medical Science, also known as The Health Museum, is Houston's most interactive science learning center and a member institution of the world-renowned Texas Medical Center. Located in the heart of the city's rich and varied Museum District, The Health Museum encourages growing interest and regard for healthier lifestyles, fitness and good physical, mental and spiritual health. The Museum treasures Houston’s diverse population and welcomes individuals of all backgrounds.

The Health Museum is committed to excellence in innovative and interactive health and science educational experiences such as: 
•           a hands-on walk through the human body
•           new and exciting exhibits 
•           real organ dissections
•           obesity prevention and nutritional awareness
•           science mini-classes and mini-med schools
•           health fairs and community outreach
•           family Science Labs
•           school field trip experiences
•           scout programs
•           summer camps

Free General Admission on Thursdays from 2 to 5 p.m. (excludes special exhibits)

The Houston Museum of Natural Science

As one of the most heavily attended museums in the United States, and one of the most attended venues in Houston, the Museum is in the distinguished company of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C., the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the American Museum of Natural History, both in New York City.

The Museum houses the Burke Baker Planetarium, Wortham IMAX® Theatre, Cockrell Butterfly Center and over a dozen permanent exhibit areas that examine astronomy, space science, Native Americans, paleontology, energy, chemistry, gems and minerals, seashells, Texas wildlife and more. In addition, the museum frequently presents traveling exhibitions on a variety of topics.  The Museum also maintains two satellite facilities: The George Observatory in Fort Bend County, which houses one of the largest telescopes in the country that is available for public viewing; and The Woodlands Xploration Station, which has exhibits on dinosaurs; mineralogy; exotic, live insects and more.

The Museum is also a major science learning center with over a half million school children visiting annually, including every fourth grade and seventh grade class in the Houston Independent School District. Just one of many unique educational opportunities available to these students and others is the Challenger Learning Center, the first in a national network, which allows students to experience the teamwork necessary to complete a variety of space tasks. Modeled after NASA, the two-part center houses Mission Control on the Lower Level, which is linked via monitors, microphones and computers to a space simulator located in the Museum's penthouse. The Museum has a second Challenger Learning Center at its George Observatory, located 55 miles south of Houston in Brazos Bend State Park.

Free Late Tuesday
The permanent exhibit halls are open free for patrons every Tuesday from 2 pm to 8 pm. (Last entry at 7 pm.)

Inspiring America's next generation of scientists and engineers.

Weather Research Center

Origins

Weather Research Center was founded in 1987 by Jill F. Hasling and her father, Dr. John C. Freeman, both Certified Consulting Meteorologists and Fellows of the American Meteorological Society. Weather Research Center is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit corporation and was founded to respond to a need to educate the public about weather and weather safety. WRC is the successor organization to the Institute of Storm Research founded in 1966 at the University of St. Thomas.

Freeman and Hasling’s groundbreaking research in orbital influences on the atmosphere, long range predication, marine and tropical weather forecasting for the community and the corporate clients provides the WRC with the solid experience for its operations.

Current Activities
Since WRC inception in December 1987, WRC meteorologists have served over 650,000 people in the regional and national community . The Center’s activities are focused on: 1) education of newly graduated meteorologists in the art of global marine and tropical weather forecasting, 2) outreach/community education programs for school children and adults, and 3) weather research.

Funds for the annual budget come from grants and fees for global weather forecasting, research, education programs, membership, admission to WRC’s Weather Museum, and charitable donations.

A. Education of newly graduated meteorologists. Since no university is providing hands-on global, marine and tropical weather forecasting training, graduates from Texas A&M, the University of Oklahoma and elsewhere come to the WRC as interns for on-the-job training. Internships last for 1 to 3 years and interns are compensated for their work at WRC. They benefit from the opportunity to prepare actual forecasts for a variety of corporations, largely oil and drilling companies with operations worldwide.

B. Outreach/Community Education Programs. WRC inspries students through science experiments and presentations of the Weather Museum. Programs which emphasize science and mathematics are available both at the Museum and through site visits to partner organizations. These programs include Weather Camp, Weather Labs, Weather Classes and Student Summer Internships. WRC’s 20 plus partners include American Meteorological Society, Cy-Fair ISD, HISD, Community in Schools, Boy Scouts and Girls Scouts, etc.

C. Weather Research. These research projects range from forensic meteorology to detailed hurricane risk analysis for Texas Department of Insurance, detailed wind study and forecast for the installation of high-tech fabric Radome designed to withstand winds of more than 130 mph, forecasting for recovery tasks such as the Titanic, space capsules and other intricate projects. Clients have included Oceaneering, Raytheon, etc.

Plans For The Future
The John C. Freeman Weather Museum opened at 5104 Caroline Street on April 21, 2006. In order to operate in adequate space with room to grow and to meet the present and rapidly increasing demand for professional and community education, the Board of Directors approved the plan to expand the museum’s educational programs.

FREE THURSDAY AFTERNOON ADMISSION FROM NOON TO 4PM