Discover Our Museum and explore our Brand New Exhibit.
“Whether you are an adult, parent, student or young child, a hard core history buff or new to the subject, there is something in this exhibit for everyone,” says Jeff Hunt, director of the Texas Military Forces Museum.
Our museum & parking is always free!
There is no charge for admission, but donations are always welcome.
The 45,000-square foot Texas Military Forces Museum explores the history of the Lone Star State’s militia and volunteer forces from 1823 (date of the first militia muster in Stephen F. Austin’s colony) to 1903 when the Congress created the National Guard. From 1903 to the present the museum tells the story of the Texas Army and Air National Guard, as well as the Texas State Guard, in both peacetime and wartime. The museum displays dozens of tanks, armored personnel carriers, self-propelled guns, trucks, jeeps, helicopters, jet fighters, observation aircraft and towed artillery pieces. Permanent exhibits utilize uniforms, weapons, equipment, personal items, film, music, photographs, battle dioramas and realistic full-scale environments to tell the story of the Texas Military Forces in the Texas Revolution, the Texas Navy, the Texas Republic, the Mexican War, the Battles along the Indian Frontier, the War between the States, the Spanish-American and Philippine-American Wars, World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Cold War, Peace Keeping Deployments and the Global War on Terror. Living history programs, battle reenactments and other special events take place throughout the year. Admission to the museum is always FREE. For more information visit:www.texasmilitaryforcesmuseum.org
Opened in 1892, Camp Mabry in Austin, Texas is the headquarters for the Texas military forces, and is complete with a tourist museum containing more than 20,000 artifacts. Discover Camp Mabry and its main gallery with exhibits detailing the Texas Revolution and other military history.
In many ways the heart of the museum, this gallery covers the story of the 36th Infantry Division from its creation in July 1917 to its reorganization in 1968 and reactivation in 2004. The role of the division in World War I and World War II are extensively covered.
Our exhibits include materials covering the cold war right up to items captured in Iraq during Operation Desert Storm and military operations in Afghanistan.
Location and Hours. The Texas Military Forces Museum is located in Building 6 on Camp Mabry in Austin, Texas. The street address of Camp Mabry is 2200 West 35th Street. The former entrance to the post was blocked in 2001, the current entrance is on Maintenance Drive. See Goggle map below.
Visit historic Camp Mabry. Camp Mabry is the third oldest military base in Texas and the oldest post belonging to the Texas National Guard. It's easy to get to. It's located in the middle of Austin off the Mopac Loop 1 Expressway. A photo I.D. for all adults is required for entry onto Camp Mabry. In addition, Camp Mabry regulations require motorcycle riders to wear long pants, a long sleeve shirt, and a motorcycle helmet.
Video of Museum's 9/11 and Beyond Exhibit. - 5 minutes.
Easy Access to base.
If for any reason the gate guards refuse you entry to the post to visit the museum, please have them call us at 512-782-5659 and we will make arrangements to bring you to the museum. Please see the Goggle Map below for driving directions. For additional directions or call 512-782-5659.
Free tours
Guided Tours of the museum, for groups larger than 15, may be scheduled for Tuesday, Weds, Thurs or Friday of each week. To schedule a tour for your group, please call 512-782-5659 between 7 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. See the guidelines document below for detailed information once you tour is booked.
Guidelines for Guided Group Tours.
Armor Row and the Artillery Park.
Outdoor exhibits display a remarkable collection of tanks, armored personnel carriers, artillery, self-propelled guns, engineer vehicles, helicopters and jet fighters.
Visitors can check out historic vehicles and artillery pieces from American, French, German and Russian military. Walk up and touch military history.
Our Mopac/Loop 1 Aircraft Display.
These exhibits are located around the museum itself and on the parade ground of Camp Mabry. The base's running track around the parade ground, is also the location of aircraft and artillery displays from the museum and is visible from MOPAC/Loop 1 Expressway.
Visit the parade ground to see: an F-86D "Saber" fighter jet, an F-4C "Phantom" fighter-bomber, an F-16 "Falcon" multirole fighter, an AH-1 Cobra attack helicopter; UH-1M and UH-1H Huey utility and gunship helicopters; an M2 155mm "Long Tom" gun (U.S.) from WWII and a Soviet M1946 130mm Field Gun captured in Iraq during Operation Desert Storm.
Mark your Calender.
Come, Experience Our Exciting Annual Camp Mabry WWII Live Reenactment.
Once a year, every year, Camp Mabry and the Texas Military Forces Museum hosts a celebration designed to increase interaction between the local community and service members called American Heroes. One of the more popular events taking place during the two-day event was a World War II reenactment performed by a group of local enthusiasts.
"We see this as a time capsule for our visitors to walk into, so that as much as possible, we can surround them with the look and feel of what happened back in the 1940s," said Director of the Texas Military Forces Museum, Jeff Hunt.
"For so many kids today, history is compressed. They go through it so fast in the schools and memorize the name, place, date, what happened and regurgitate it on a standardized test," said Hunt. "History is really a much more dramatic and exciting thing than that. We want kids to understand that history is not just a lecture, not an old documentary and it's not a story that grandpa tells that maybe you only half believe. History is something that lives and breathes. You can hear it, you can feel it, you can taste it, you can smell it. When the kids get out here and they feel the rumble of a Sherman tank going by, they hear the crack of one of those guns, they smell the smoke, they see the muzzle flash and they watch people not a lot older than themselves moving across the battlefield, it really does breathe life into the whole experience."
The simulated battle replicates one fought by the 36th Infantry Division during the invasion of southern France. The museum spent more than $4,000 on pyrotechnics, airplanes, vehicles and blank ammunition to wow the audience. To onlookers, the museum's budget may have appeared far more massive because the nearly 180 reenactors augmented the museum's props with their own equipment like uniforms, tents, private vehicles and even tanks.
Annual Muster Day 2011, TV news segment. - 4 minutes
"For so many kids today, history is compressed. They go through it so fast in the schools and memorize the name, place, date, what happened and regurgitate it on a standardized test," said Hunt. "History is really a much more dramatic and exciting thing than that. We want kids to understand that history is not just a lecture, not an old documentary and it's not a story that grandpa tells that maybe you only half believe. History is something that lives and breathes. You can hear it, you can feel it, you can taste it, you can smell it. When the kids get out here and they feel the rumble of a Sherman tank going by, they hear the crack of one of those guns, they smell the smoke, they see the muzzle flash and they watch people not a lot older than themselves moving across the battlefield, it really does breathe life into the whole experience."
The simulated battle replicates one fought by the 36th Infantry Division during the invasion of southern France. The museum spent more than $4,000 on pyrotechnics, airplanes, vehicles and blank ammunition to wow the audience. To onlookers, the museum's budget may have appeared far more massive because the nearly 180 reenactors augmented the museum's props with their own equipment like uniforms, tents, private vehicles and even tanks.
Professional shot video of the full battle 2012. - 29 minutes.
Muster Day 2012, WWII Reenactment. Battle of Montelimar, filmed on Sunday and shot with 4 cameras. This is the full version of the battle reenactment.
Use this Goggle map to find Camp Mabry and Museum!
