Lyndon B. Johnson State Park & Historic Site
Things to Do
Visitors to this day use park can enjoy historical sites, picnicking, fishing, swimming, nature and wildlife viewing. As of May 2014, the park is home to part of the Official Texas State Longhorn Herd. If you plan to swim at the park, read through our swimming safety tips before you come.
Be sure to visit the Sauer-Beckmann Farmstead, a living history farm, presented as it was in 1918. Interpreters wear period clothing, do the farm and household chores as they were done at that time, and conduct tours for the visitors. Located east of the visitor center, off the nature trail.
The abundant wildlife of the Hill Country is highlighted by enclosures containing buffalo, longhorn and white-tailed deer. These animals have played a part in the park's history, and the local wildlife continues to be an important attraction for visitors. The park is famous for its spring wildflower display.
The Visitor Center is the focal point of Lyndon B. Johnson State Park. It contains memorabilia from President Johnson's presidency and interactive displays about the land and people that shaped a president. Attached to the Visitor Center is the Behrens Cabin, a two-room dogtrot cabin built by German immigrant H. C. Behrens during the 1870s. The furnishings are typical of such homes in that period. Visitors can further explore the history of these immigrants by viewing the 1860s Danz family log cabin located just west of the Visitor Center. An auditorium in the visitor center complex will accommodate 234 persons for state performances or films. An outdoor amphitheater is used for a variety of programs. A nature trail, including a Hill Country botanical exhibit, winds past wildlife enclosures stocked with bison, white-tailed deer, wild turkey, other native wildlife, and longhorn cattle.
Directly across the Pedernales River from the LBJ State Park is the LBJ Ranch, part of LBJ National Historical Park.
- The Annual LBJ Tree Lighting takes place in mid-December.
Educational & Interpretive Programs
Tours of the complex, including the Sauer-Beckmann farm with its smokehouse, Victorian style house, garden, and log house lasts approximately an hour; group reservations are accepted. No entrance fee is required, but donation boxes are available. Individuals and families can take the tour on a first-come, first-serve basis. For group tours, call (830) 644-2252, Ext. 229.
Directly across the Pedernales River from the LBJ State Park is the LBJ Ranch, part of LBJ National Historical Park. Self-guided tours of the Ranch begin at the LBJ State Park Visitor Center. Among the sites on the Ranch are the one-room Junction School first attended by the four-year-old Lyndon B. Johnson in 1912, reconstructed birthplace and nearby Johnson family cemetery where the former President is buried, and the Texas White House. The drive also takes visitors through the pasturelands where Hereford cattle, descended from those owned by President Johnson, can be viewed.
Self-guided tours of the LBJ Ranch begin at the LBJ State Park Visitor Center and are available daily, except Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, when the national park is closed. For more information & hours of operation, visit the LBJ National Historical Park web site. Check the calendar for upcoming events and programs.
Natural Features
The abundant wildlife of the Hill Country is highlighted by enclosures containing buffalo (American bison), longhorn and white-tailed deer. These animals have played a part in the park's history, and the local wildlife continues to be an important attraction for visitors. The park is famous for its spring wildflower display.
Area Attractions
Nearby state parks include Old Tunnel, Enchanted Rock State Natural Area, Honey Creek State Natural Area, Blanco State Park, Pedernales Falls State Park, and Guadalupe River State Park. Other attractions include Johnson City, where LBJ's boyhood home and the National Park Service Visitor Center are located, Johnson Settlement just west of the boyhood home, which includes a cluster of stone barns and buildings constructed by LBJ's grandfather, Sam Ealy Johnson, Sr., and Sam's brother Tom. Nearby Fredericksburg, founded in 1846, has many excellent examples of German architecture, shops, restaurants, and several bakeries. Fredericksburg is also home to the National Museum of the Pacific War, which includes the Admiral Nimitz Museum, the George Bush Gallery, and many more features and exhibits.
The rich heritage of German culture is evident throughout the Texas Hill Country, where Texans of German descent proudly maintain links with the past. In Fredericksburg, some of the tourist attractions which reflect German culture are the Pioneer Museum, the Verein Kirche and the Peter Tatsch Home. Other historical buildings and activities are found throughout the Hill Country, especially in older, predominantly German settlements such as Boerne and New Braunfels.
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