texas ranger hall of fame and museum

My husband and son visited the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum and really enjoyed it. They especially liked all the guns. My 13 year old son enjoyed the exhibit where he assembled a gun. They found the exhibits to be very interesting.

This little jewel is from a foundation that compiled all of the various histories about the inception of Texas, and the Texas Rangers, evolving then into DPS, and other agencies. This includes a social history that is clearly compiled by those invested in telling the "good and gritty" side to the Texas Rangers, with glaring gaps for historians, but for most this is just plain cool!

I visited the Texas Ranger Museum in Waco recently and I was not disappointed. It is a rich history of not only the Texas Rangers, but the State itself. Texas would not be Texas without the sacrifices of it's lawmen. The museum contains weapons, clothing, articles and photographs of famous Texas law men.

I love this museum. A lot of hands on plus exhibits of all the notorious cases and the heroic rangers we have all read about! Even a tribute to Chuck Norris and his character Walker, which he honored the name of one of the earliest and infamous of the rangers. .

My son's 4th grade class had the opportunity to visit the Texas Rangers Hall of Fame Museum this past week and I was lucky enough to be a parent chaperone. It had been years since I had visited this place. The outside looked liked I remembered but the inside looked transformed. There are tons of guns and tons of stories to be read. My son was totally into looking at all of the guns which ranged from Wincestor rifles to Tommy Submachine guns and most anything in between. There were several portraits through out the museum depicting different events that pepper this legendary outfit of Texas lawmen. The exhibits were informative, easy to navigate and very well done. It was easy to see how the Texas Rangers have transformed over time and how the use of growing technological advances have played a tremendous role.I wouldn't mind going back again with just my son so we could look around and learn more. I think this museum would appeal to any history buff as well as anybody interested in Texas history. You could spend as much time as you would like, just take some good supportive shoes as the floors are tiled and hard.

Very interesting museum. You could spend a week here if you read all of the information. Fascinating info on the history of the Rangers through today.

I'll give it a B-minus. Worth a visit if you like Texas history. But the collection is incoherently arranged and does not communicate a clear story of the Rangers. The rooms look too much alike and overlap in content, period, and theme. Many of the Rangers stories are hard to read (small print). The museum seems set up to flatter the big donors rather than educate the visitors

The Texas Ranger Museum is one of those places we drove past on I-35 for years, and every time we vowed to stop and visit someday. A recent sunny day got us out of the house and ended up in Waco. The museum is chock full of the history of the celebrated Rangers, with many of the actual weapons used by the Rangers, and by the outlaws they sought. Growing up in Texas as the son of a peace officer, Texas Rangers were viewed as larger than life heroes, who were called upon when other crime fighting efforts fell short. The museum provides a look at some of their historic activities which don't fit neatly into our idea of modern law enforcement. If you are interested in Texas history, especially related to law enforcement, this is a must. I know I'm glad I finally made it.

This is a great experience if you enjoy TX history. It has a lot if unique artifacts and an extensive collection of firearms. The kids might get a little bored as its mainly ideal for an older crowd who knows and appreciates what their looking at.

If you are a Rangers fanatic or work in law enforcement, the high admission price will be worth it. There are so many artifacts that it will take hours to see everything. For one with only a casual interest, like myself, it was a bit too much. However, it was still interesting, and I enjoyed a very small display relating the Rangers with the baseball Rangers team.

Learn the history of Texas Ranger lawmen from beginning to the present. There are some interactive exhibits. There is a photo op where you (or kids) can put on costume pieces , stand in front of a mural, and take your own picture. The informative film lasts 45 minutes. The gift shop has good postcards and other gift items, including little cook books. Parking is free.

Nice place to visit for an hour. For the most part this is a gun exhibit with some history thrown in. I enjoyed it but my wife checked out after five minutes. If you like guns this is a great attraction and the history of the Texas Rangers is very educational.

Expectations. I have had the privilege of visiting quite a few museums in the United States and abroad; I enjoy military museums of any size/type but especially appreciate museums like this with large collections of well-cared-for antique weapons. I can attest to the high quality of the exhibits in this museum - they are very extensive and detailed. Anyone interested in other museums of this type will also enjoy the NRA National Firearms Museum in Fairfax, Virginia.Location. The museum is easy to find; I plugged the address in to my iPhone and it took me directly there.Parking. Parking is free and there are approximately 80 spaces. There appears to be sufficient space for visitors who are in RVs or travel trailers but entry/exit may be a little tight (I would recommend looking at an aerial view of the museum on Bing Maps or Google Maps to determine accessibility).Admission fee and hours. Admission is $7.00 for adults. Operating hours are 9:00-5:00 seven days per week. I would recommend that visitors check the museum's website to confirm operating hours and admission fees.Exhibits. There are several exhibit halls; each has a specific focus but the common thread throughout the museum is firearms. There are very comprehensive and informative exhibits on: the evolution of Colt Revolvers; the evolution of Winchester lever-action rifles; and the lineage of firearms issued to Rangers (from the Colt Patterson revolver to the Sig Sauer 357). There are some very ornate and beautiful engraved weapons throughout the museum (primarily Colt Single Action Army .45 cal revolvers and Colt M1911 .45 cal semi-auto pistols). There are also quite a few oil paintings and bronze sculptures scattered throughout the museum.Exhibit Hall #1. Origins of the Texas Rangers: Ranger weapons throughout the years; historical Ranger badges; Ranger saddles and clothing (1800s to early 1900s); ties between Rangers and surveyors. There are a couple of beautiful Kentucky flint-lock rifles in this exhibit. Also of note is a very nice (reproduction ?) .70 caliber Spanish Miquelet flintlock pistol.Exhibit Hall #2. Early Rangers 1823-1935: The Frontier Battalion; Prohibition; Bonnie & Clyde.Exhibit Hall #3. Modern Texas Rangers 1935-present: Investigative techniques and tools; criminal weapons; From the Case Files of the Rangers; retired Ranger exhibit. Exhibit Hall #4. Legacy of Texas Rangers: These exhibits consist of display cases of personal effects of former Rangers - donated by their families (firearms, saddles, badges, holsters, hats, etc).Exhibit Hall #5. Hall of Fame Lobby. Map of the six different Ranger districts; photos of current rangers. Visitors may be surprised to learn how few Rangers are actually on active duty - approximately 150.Exhibit Hall #6. Hall of Fame. Tribute to Hall of Fame members; special temporary exhibits; 45 minute video of the evolution of the Rangers (shown at 9:30, 11:00, 12:30, 2:00, 3:30).Exhibit Hall #7. Rangers in popular culture. Exhibits featuring: Walker Texas Ranger TV show (Chuck Norris); Extreme Prejudice movie (Nick Nolte); Man of the House movie (Tommy Lee Jones); etc.Length of visit. Including the 45 minute video on the history of the Rangers, it took me approximately 2.5 hours to see all portions of the museum (reading approximately 50% of the informative placardsHandicap access. I am not handicapped but understand that this can affect someone's decision whether or not to visit a site/attraction. Visitors who are wheelchair-bound or have difficulty walking can access the museum with no difficulty whatsoever. There are a few benches scattered through some of the exhibit halls that afford a place to sit.Child friendliness. I do not have children, and on the day I visited, there were very few children in the museum (Sunday morning and afternoon in the Winter). While the museum is child-friendly, I would recommend that teachers and parents exercise control of their children and understand that this is a museum - not a playground. Amenities/creature comforts. There are restrooms and water fountains in the museum. Food is neither available nor permitted in the museum.Gift shop. There is a gift shop inside the museum; they carry a fairly large selection of items oriented towards adults and children: books, toys, t-shirts, ball caps, coffee mugs, souvenirs, etc.Other attractions nearby - #1. The Texas Military Forces Museum is located in Austin (1hr 30 min drive) and is very nice; I recommend it without any reservations.Other attractions nearby - #2. The Museum of the Pacific War is located in Fredericksburg (2hr 45 min drive). This is a world-class museum that is well worth the visit; I enthusiastically recommend this museum to anyone.Other attractions nearby - #3. San Jacinto monument/museum is located in LaPorte - Houston (2hr drive) and has a medium size exhibit hall with some very nice artifacts and a very informative 30-minute movie on the War for Texas Independence.Other attractions nearby - #4. The Bullock Texas State History museum is located in Austin (1hr 30 min drive). I have not visited this museum but it has good reviews and seems to be very nice.

This visit was recommended by a family member who was brought up in Waco. The exhibits are fascinating with the opportunity yo see every type of gun imaginable and some good antique weapons. I especially enjoyed the Boney and Clyde exhibits and there was a 45 minute film shown in the theatre which was both interesting and informative. The museum may be a little boring for youngsters there were a couple who didn't last out through the film. Overall a very enjoyable experience which I would recommend.

Great museum for those interested in law enforcement history or gun history. Museum has a large collection showing the history of the Rangers and the firearms they've used. A def don't miss if your interested in the subject.