Harry Ransom Center: Literary Treasures

August 20, 2013 by greystar

Expand your cultural horizons with a visit to the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin. Since its creation in 1957 by former university provost Harry Huntt Ransom, the center has been a repository of some of the rarest and most valuable manuscripts and photographs from around the globe. The collection includes original page proofs of James Joyce's Ulysses. The literary archives also contain manuscripts of Russell Banks, Jorge Luis Borges, John Fowles, Adrienne Kennedy, Doris Lessing, Penelope Lively, David Mamet, Isaac Bashevis Singer and Leon Uris. In addition to preserving and safeguarding these important collections, the center supports a wide variety of programs for scholars, students and the public at large. Tours are offered at 12 p.m. on Tuesdays and 2 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.

Harry Ransom Center
21st & Guadalupe Streets
Austin, TX 78782
(512) 471-8944

Public Domain. (From http://www.photos-public-domain.com/2010/12/15/stack-of-books/). Books, bookstore, library, libraries, book, stack, read, reading, reader.

Filed Under: Things To Do Tagged With: Austin Attractions, Harry Ransom Center, Libraries, Museums, Things to Do in Austin

Explore the Natural World at the Austin Nature & Science Center

July 31, 2012 by greystar

Austin is widely regarded as the intellectual center of Texas, so it should come as no surprise that a world-class natural science museum rests inside its borders. The Austin Nature & Science Center was incorporated in 1960 to bring the natural world to Austin residents, and it has since become a very popular destination for families. One of the biggest attractions is the animal exhibits—it is stocked with over 90 native Texas animals that have either been recovered, injured, or abandoned, and can't be returned to the wild. Each animal has a story that goes along with it, some of which are quite heartbreaking. Other public exhibits include the Dino Dig area, which lets kids get into paleontology as they excavate for prehistoric fossils; and an outdoor raptor enclosure that lets visitors get amazingly close to some spectacular birds of prey. The best part about the Austin Nature & Science Center is that admission is completely free.

Austin Nature & Science Center
301 Nature Center Dr.
Austin, TX 78746
(512) 974-3888

By FunkMonk (Own work) [CC-BY-SA-3.0 or GFDL], via Wikimedia Commons

Filed Under: Things To Do Tagged With: Austin Attractions, Austin Nature and Science Center, Museums, Things to Do in Austin

Museum of Natural and Artificial Ephemerata: Helping Keep Austin Weird

June 5, 2012 by greystar

Austinians fighting to “Keep Austin Weird” have legions of outposts throughout the city. The Museum of Natural and Artificial Ephemerata is one of the quirkiest! Located in the house occupied by a husband-wife team, the Museum of Ephemerata is dedicated to the oddness of the human desire to collect things, as demonstrated in their “impermanent collection.” The collection has five categories: urban phantasmagoria, the celebrity collection, the snowglobe collection, and what the owners have dubbed “an entire wig collection dedicated to sleep.” The museum also hosts events. But in the spirit of the venue, they’re quite atypical: less along the lines of barbecues and blues bands than of seances, komboucha workshops, and special exhibits of narwhal teeth. All planned events are posted onto the museum’s website, so check there to see what's happening.

Museum of Natural and Artificial Ephemerata
1808 Singleton Avenue
Austin, TX 78702
(512) 320-0566

By kallu from Helsinki (Calm before the storm) [CC-BY-SA-2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

Filed Under: Lifestyle Tagged With: Austin Attractions, Museum of Natural and Artificial Ephemerata, Museums, Things to Do in Austin

Umlauf Sculpture Garden & Museum: Serene Space

May 2, 2012 by greystar

There’s nothing exciting that goes on at Austin's Umlauf Sculpture Garden & Museum. But that’s precisely the point! Fifty sculptures created by 20th Century sculptor Charles Umlauf pepper the serene outdoor grove, giving visitors the opportunity to pause and appreciate them. Allow the sculptures to provide ambiance while you sit on a bench and read a book and let the kids roam around. Think of Umlauf as an artistically curated park, situated in the hustle of Austin but somehow shielded from it in a calm oasis. Umlauf offers summer camps for children and offers yoga sessions (the sessions are called “The Body as Sculpture”) throughout the season. And, okay, there’s one exciting happening: the yearly Garden Party, which was listed by the Austin Chronicle in its 2005 “Best of Austin” issue as, well, one of the best things to do in Austin.

Umlauf Sculpture Garden & Museum
605 Robert E. Lee Road
Austin, TX 78704
(512) 445-5582

Nv8200p [GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons