French Legation State Historic Site — Local services in Austin

It's a lovely site with a scenic, though now crowded, view of downtown Austin and the Capitol. The grounds are free to explore, while the buildings require an admission fee. Within, there are some well-preserved historical pieces and a good bit of reading posted nearby to give context to the time and nature of the exhibit. It's not large, though, so a viewing could last anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes, dependent on how much reading and detailed viewing you partake in. I would also say, though, that if you are with smaller children, or adults that don't care for that kind of experience, plan on cutting out quickly or having them spend the majority of the time outside which, as mentioned, is...

Please note the exhibit doesn't open until 11AM. There is a Starbucks Cafe on site that opens at 7AM. Parking available. Wheelchair accessible as the upstairs is not part of the exhibit (houses HVAC). So I'm giving this House and Kitchen Museum 4 stars for a few reasons. My friend and I were both a bit underwhelmed. And very surprised there was no material culture exhibit of the original land inhabitants. The focus if the exhibit is during the Era when this building was The French Legation to the Republic of Texas. Very informative docent tour. I was actually a bit more impressed with the kitchen. But I would recommend this if you enjoy...

I sorely wished the hosts were more enthusiastic and gave more knowledge about the history of the house and the time period. We got a ten minute tour that really could have been done with a good pamphlet. Worth the 5 dollars if you literally need to kill time. Also the tours start at the top of the hour so even though the tour only takes 10 minutes you will have to wait. Overall I give it an "okay" rating. What a waste because this was an important time period in Texas History that is wasted without a...