If you’re a culture buff traveling or residing in El Paso, Texas, you’ll be glad to know that the city has many museums that offer diverse cultural experiences. Visiting these museums is a great way to know the city and its surrounding areas on a deeper level. Check out these three museums while you’re in El Paso.
Centennial Museum
Established in 1936, the Centennial Museum in the University of Texas is the oldest museum in El Paso. This museum focuses on preserving and showcasing the cultural and natural history of the largest desert in North America, the Chihuahuan Desert region. It features a diverse permanent collection that consists of about 73,000 items, ranging from Native American crafts and artworks from famous local artists to fossils from the Ice Age and desert animals.
The building that houses the Centennial Museum is an attraction in itself. Fashioned after a typical Bhutanese fortress, it features steep sloping walls, tile mandalas, and stone urns that resemble prayer wheels. Just outside the museum, you’ll find the beautiful Chihuahuan Desert Gardens, which has over 800 species of plants that are found in the Chihuahuan Desert.
Located on West University Avenue, the Centennial Museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. from Tuesday to Saturday. Admission is free.
National Border Patrol Museum
The National Border Patrol Museum is the only museum in the U.S. dedicated to the history of border patrol. It covers over 80 years of border patrol history, from the Old West to the present day. As you explore the museum, you’ll see an extensive collection of weapons, equipment, artifacts, documents, photos, paintings, and vehicles that provide an insight into the activities and achievements of the U.S. Border Patrol and the methods individuals used to cross the U.S.-Mexico border illegally.
The National Border Patrol Museum is situated on Woodrow Bean Transmountain Road. It’s open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Tuesday to Saturday.
El Paso Holocaust Museum and Study Center
Founded in 1994 by Holocaust survivor Henry Kellen, the El Paso Holocaust Museum and Study Center seeks to educate the public about Nazi concentration camps, the Third Reich, and resistance movements that took place during World War II. It does this through interesting interpretative panels and video presentations. In the “Final Solution” section of the museum, you can “board” a railcar and experience what it was like to be deported to an extermination camp.
The El Paso Holocaust Museum is housed in an artfully designed building on North Oregon Street in downtown El Paso. It’s open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Tuesday to Friday and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
Whether you’re interested in cultural, art, or military history, you’ll be able to find a museum in El Paso that suits your taste. Other museums worth visiting include the El Paso Museum of History, El Paso Museum of Art, Fort Bliss and Old Ironsides Museum, Chamizal National Memorial, and the El Paso County Historical Society’s Burges House.
Image via Visit El Paso | Licensed by CC BY 2.0
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