Best Places to Cool Down This Summer In Tyler & Longview – Amy’s Top Five

Explore the rich East Texas Oil and Gas exploration history.  Step back in time and experience Oil and Gas during the big boom.  Step across the city limits into Boomtown, USA, –a full scaletown full of stores, people, animals, and machinery depicting the lively activity of a town booming in oil.  Enjoyable for everyone in the family.

In 1963, the Gregg County Historical and Genealogical Society was founded with 70 charter members. From this group, the Board of Directors of the Gregg County Historical Foundation was established and chartered by the State of Texas on February 28, 1966.

The museum celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2009, and during those years, it has hosted visitors from all 50 states and over 36 foreign countries. Its exhibits, services and educational programs continue to expand. Among some of the museums exhibits are a  Caddo Indian exhibit and a Military Exhibit.

In April 1952, the Tyler Service League formed the first Community Arts Committee. Because there was not an art museum within one hundred miles of Tyler, they knew there were many children who had no opportunity to see and experience works of art.

The Tyler Museum of Art exists as an educational and cultural center to enrich the lives of East Texas citizens and visitors through the collection, preservation, study, exhibition, interpretation, and celebration of the visual arts.

The Longview Museum of Fine Arts was begun by the Junior Service League of Longview in 1958, and held its first yearly Invitational Exhibit in 1959.

The Longview Museum of Fine Arts is a non-profit organization which seeks to create interest in, and promote knowledge of, the visual arts throughout the City of Longview and vicinity by exhibiting, interpreting and preserving works of art and providing educational opportunities to a diverse audience.

Longview Museum of Fine Arts' Permanent Collection consists of nearly 300 pieces of art work including drawings, intaglio, paintings, photographs, pottery, prints, sculpture, woodblock and works-on-paper.

The Discovery Science Place offers three exhibit halls where kids of all ages are free to move about and explore. The museum is currently offering three exhibits, Discovery Landing, Hometown, USA and our new tinkering gallery – Discovery Zone – where families are free to create, invent and explore. Don't miss it!