The park features historical exhibits, memorabilia and a living history farm with recreational sports, nature trails and bicycling opportunities, shopping and more.
Reservations are suggested for day visits and camping by going to https:// texasstateparks.reserveamerica. com/. For updated information, visit http://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/lyndon-b-johnson.
Honoring a president
The LBJ State Park and Historic Site honors Gillespie County native Lyndon B. Johnson, the 36th President of the United States.
A Visitor Center complex houses exhibits and memorabilia focusing on the late president’s two terms of office.
Park facilities The Visitor Center is the first stop for any tour to the LBJ Ranch, which is a part of the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park. (See separate article on the national park facility elsewhere in this issue.)
Attached to the Visitor Center is the Behrens Cabin, a tworoom dogtrot cabin built during the 1840s by German immigrant Johannes Behrens.
There’s also an outdoor amphitheater used for a variety of programs.
Numerous shaded picnic and rest areas (some with restroom facilities) are available at the state park. From early June throughout the summer, a large pool facility — complete with children’s wading pool and a covered pavilion — is manned by certified lifeguards. Nearby are two lighted tennis courts. Available by reservation is the park’s dining hall and group picnic area, located on the banks of the Pedernales River, as well as a separate baseball diamond facility.
Fishing is allowed without a license from the banks of state park lands. However, those who go into the waterways, for example, on a boat, must have a fishing license.
Nature trails
Elsewhere in the park, a winding nature trail leads walkers to a larger-than-life bronze statue of the former president overlooking the Pedernales River.
The trail also winds near a wildlife enclosure housing American bison and other areas with members of the Official State of Texas Longhorn Herd.
Another trail approximately a mile long is handicapped accessible and suitable for wheelchairs and strollers. It departs the Visitor Center and travels through fields of wildflowers and past the Texas Longhorns’ pen to the Danz cabins.
Every trail in the park is marked with directional signs and strategically placed markers giving a brief description of highlights along the path. Leashed pets are welcomed but are not allowed inside buildings.
More information
More information on specially planned park events, as well as rental of the park facilities, is available by contacting the park headquarters at 830-644-2252 or visiting the park’s website: https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/lyndon-b-johnson/park_ events.
All of the current park information is also posted on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LBJSTATEPark and on the park’s Instagram at www.instagram.com/lbjstatepark.
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