Museum of the Big Bend
Alpine
Full disclosure, Visit Alpine is a sponsor of the Texas Travel Awards.
A department of Sul Ross State University, the caliber of the exhibits and education is in keeping with big city institutions; in 2020, True West magazine named this one of the top 10 Western museums in the U.S. Housed in a restored native stone Civilian Conservation Corps structure built as a memorial museum during the Texas Centennial, the focal point is a permanent Big Bend Legacy exhibit with interpretive panels, artifacts, and videos. There’s seasonal art and history exhibits, and the annual Trappings of Texas event and sale is a national showcase of contemporary Western art and custom gear. Cartography buffs should check out the Yana and Marty Davis Map Collection, with original documents dating back to the 16th century.
