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Frequently mentioned in reviews: free (8) Austin (7) small (6)
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  • 5/5 Shereen H. 1 year ago on Google
    If you are in Austin, don’t leave without visiting. The amount of history it carries are incredible. It is free, very organised and well maintained. You will have access to lockers to put your things for free too, and restrooms are very clean. The staff and security are helpful and friendly 🤗
    5 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 K K. 5 years ago on Google
    This is a must see while you’re in the Austin area. This museum is small but also free. They do except small donations. There’s a Frieda Khalid painting, the first ever photograph, and a Gutenberg Bible. An incredible amount of history in such a small space. The staff here were helpful and friendly. There are not large bags allowed. You do have free use of locked lockers. There is a small exhibit on at this time, which I assume rotates. There is no free parking for this building.
    2 people found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Kristen L. M. 1 year ago on Google
    The Harry Ransom Center is so incredible! I visited several years ago while studying at The University of Texas at Austin, and my experience was amazing. My family & I went to see their Gone with the Wind exhibit, and it was so awesome. If you’re in Austin, definitely visit! Make note that their website has great information about their collections if you want to obtain more detail about their displays before you go!
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Joshua S. 2 years ago on Google
    The David Foster Wallace exhibit is great. It's like a tiny glimpse into his vast mind. The old maps were also cool. But even cooler is what is, if I interpreted the text on the wall correctly, something like the world's first photograph, even though it's very difficult to see what's in it. And one of (I believe) forty-two Gutenberg Bibles in existence is rather amazing.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Daniel B. 3 years ago on Google
    We thoroughly enjoyed our visit. The collection exhibited was a wonderful diversity of high quality pieces. Austin should be proud to have this gem at it's center. Parking is just around the corner and you can enjoy a beautiful view of the Capitol, just to the south as you walk to the front doors. Add it to your plans, we think you'll enjoy your stay.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Breanna V. 1 year ago on Google
    Loved visiting this little museum during a trip to Austin. They had a few exhibits going and seeing the Gutenberg bible was a highlight. It was also cool to see Robert DeNiro’s makeup kit from the 60’s
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Jasmine L. 1 year ago on Google
    This center is small and free (donations appreciated) but it has quite a bit in it to check out. The Robert Dinero exhibit was fun to see. There are a lot of rotating exhibits and it's a great add on to the Blanton Museum near by.
    1 person found this review helpful 👍

  • 5/5 Jason R. 2 years ago on Google
    Really cool place. Didn't take any pics inside. So here are some from around the building

  • 5/5 Austin R. 2 years ago on Google
    Last Friday, a few friends and I visited The Harry Ransom Center on the campus of The University of Texas at Austin. I used to be a member of the Ransom Center, but I have not been back since COVID-19. Admission is free. Masks are strongly encouraged in the building, and you are not allowed to bring bags, drinks or food into the museum; however, they do provide cubbies and lockers to leave your personal items. You can see one of only 45 Gutenberg Bibles in the world in the museum. There are also two special exhibits going on at the moment. I was fascinated by the Gabriel Garcia Marquez exhibition. The vast amount of letters, drafts, film and other collateral really paint an amazing picture of Marquez's life from days on the Colombian Caribbean coast as a boy to his Nobel Prize in Literature to his final days as an activist for climate change and other causes based out of Mexico City. I myself just went to the library to pick up "100 Years of Solitude," which is his most famous book. If you happen to visit the Harry Ransom Center, you can also see the LBJ Presidential Library and the Blanton Museum of Art, which are also both on the campus of UT-Austin.

  • 5/5 Catsur n. 2 years ago on Google
    It's much larger than I thought it would be. There are only 5 complete Gutenberg Bibles in the US (more in Germany, though there are less than 25 complete ones still in existence), one of which is housed here. They also had a copy of Newton's Principia Mathematica; dated 1687, it is one of 4 surviving copies of the 1st edition. They had. A collection of plays printed in small books, mostly from the 1600s, including the first 6 volumes of Shakespeare. They had other things on exhibit, such as a section on Julia Child, but that's not really my thing. This is a real gem for bibliophiles and historians. Even if you can't claim to be either, the exhibits are highly educational and I strongly recommend coming here to at least see the old books.

  • 5/5 Joshua E. 6 months ago on Google
    Great, free exhibits drawn from their amazing collection. Always worth stopping by.

  • 5/5 Jacqueline Rush R. 7 months ago on Google
    A truly awesome archive and rotating thoughtful, layered exhibitions. A jewel hidden in plain sight.


Call +1 512-471-8944 Open on Google Maps

Amenities


  • Accessibility
    • ✓️ Wheelchair-accessible car park
    • ✓️ Wheelchair-accessible entrance

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