Why You Should Visit the Amazing LBJ Ranch in Texas

When I visited San Antonio I never dreamed that the highlight of the trip would be the LBJ Ranch but that is exactly what happened. I expected that the Alamo would be the most memorable. I did enjoy seeing the Alamo but it was small, wedged between buildings in the center of the city and mostly empty inside.

Several years ago, I did a 5-day Collette escorted tour of San Antonio, staying at the Omni La Mansion del Rio hotel on the RiverWalk. Besides the Alamo, I visited some missions and took a boat ride on the San Antonio River that runs through the city of San Antonio, but it was the LBJ Ranch and Park that impressed me the most.

Lyndon Baines Johnson

Lyndon Baines Johnson (August 27, 1908 – January 22, 1973), often referred to by his initials LBJ, was an American politician who served as the 36th president of the United States from 1963 to 1969, and previously as 37th vice president from 1961 to 1963. He assumed the presidency following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. 

LBJ Ranch

He donated his Texas ranch in his will to the public to form the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park, with the provision that the ranch “remains a working ranch and not become a sterile relic of the past”.

Johnson Family Cemetery

Before coming to the house we drove around the ranch lands and stopped at the Johnson Family Cemetery where the President and his wife are buried.

LBJ’s Childhood Home

Next we visited his reconstructed childhood home followed by the ranch house. Lyndon Johnson’s birthplace has the distinction of being the only presidential birthplace reconstructed, refurbished, and interpreted by an incumbent President.

The Ranch House

The media called it the “Texas White House,” but to LBJ the ranch was home. It was a place where he could work — and have a little fun.

Described as down to earth, comfortable, not showy, the 8000+ square foot, two-story home provided a respite for a political family far away from Washington, D.C. Surrounded by familiar things, mementos and heirlooms, the Johnsons, their daughters and families and great-grandchildren made memories in the ranch house.

President Johnson’s Office in the Texas White House has been restored to its appearance from the Presidential Years 1963-1968.

The tours of the LBJ Ranch are self-guided but I also took a separate tour of the inside of the house given by a park ranger.

Everything remains as it was in the 1960’s. Mrs. Johnson’s clothing hangs in her closet protected by plexiglass and her colorful, bulky jewelry rests on her dressing table.

News Junkie

The President was a news junkie. Three televisions stood next to each other in his living room and also in his bedroom so he could watch the networks — ABC, NBC and CBS — simultaneously. He had as many as 300 telephone lines installed, one with a  70-foot phone cord built so his phone would reach his pool.

Nearby, a separate house accommodated the Secret Service agents.

Friendship Stones

Visitors to the LBJ Ranch would often be asked to sign their names on wet cement blocks called the Friendship Stones. These were signatures of world leaders, cabinet members, senators, congressmen, astronauts and the occasional actor. The signatures on the ranch are replicas while the originals are safely stored away from the elements.

Amphibious Amphicar

In the outbuildings there are several Cadillacs and the amphibious Amphicar.

LBJ would take unsuspecting guests for a drive in his amphibious car around Granite Shoals, TX. When they reached a steep incline at the edge of the lake and the car started rolling rapidly toward the water, the President would shout, “The brakes don’t work! The brakes won’t hold! We’re going in! We’re going under!” Some of the guests would jump out while Johnson roared with laughter as the amphicar merrily floated along the surface of Lake LBJ.

Air Force One Half

The 13-passenger Lockheed plane, sometimes referred to as Air Force One Half, sits in the airplane hangar.  It flew in and out of Lyndon Johnson’s ranch when he was vice president and president in the 1960s.

Trails

The 1.2 mile Nature Trail winds through a forested area leading to pastures where we saw longhorn cattle, bison, horses, wildflowers, creeks and historic cabins.

Longhorns, Bison and Deer

The Park maintains small herds of Texas Longhorn cattle, American Bison and White-tailed Deer. A tractor-driven cart carried a group of us to the fenced field where the animals grazed. On cue, they plodded forward close to the fence to receive their treats and enthrall the visitors. A local cattleman/historian entertained us with stories.

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Sports Facilities

The Olympic-sized swimming pool is usually open in summer but did not open in 2020. They also have two tennis courts and a reservable baseball field.

LBJ Ranch Visitors Center

At the Visitors Center, we saw memorabilia from President Johnson’s time in office and learned about the land and people that shaped his world view. I got to stand behind a replica of the presidential podium and imagine what the real one feels like.

Summary

Fifty-two years ago, President Lyndon Baines Johnson shocked the world by withdrawing from the 1968 presidential campaign.

Unpopularity drove Johnson out of office, however, in recent years, Johnson’s reputation has undergone a surprising rebound.

The LBJ Park and Ranch are a great place for the entire family to visit.

Driving permits for the self-guided tour of the LBJ Ranch are free.
There is no fee for the ranger-guided tour of the Texas White House grounds.

There is a fee for tours of the ground floor of the Texas White House as follows:

• Ages 18 and older: $3.00
• Ages 17 and younger: free

The interior of the Texas White House is currently closed although they are working to increase access to the park in a phased approach.