Discover Midland: Nature, Museums, and Planetarium

Midland combines nature observation with unusually diverse insights into history, the oil industry, space exploration, and regional everyday culture. Anyone planning a trip to Midland can choose between peaceful moments in nature, carefully designed historical exhibitions, and special visitor experiences. You can easily choose your vacation rental based on the focus of your trip: Would you primarily like to explore museums, visit a planetarium, experience the landscape, or combine several themes?

Nature at the I-20 Wildlife Preserve

The I-20 Wildlife Preserve is an 86-acre urban Playa habitat. It is important both for local bird populations and native wildlife, as well as for thousands of migratory birds. At the edge of the Playa, the trees along Sibley's nature trail provide a resting place for migratory birds in spring and fall. For planning your trip, this location offers a clear contrast to the museums and exhibitions: Instead of focusing on the region's history, you can center your visit on the importance of a habitat and the changing migration seasons.

Cultural History at the Museum of the Southwest

The Museum of the Southwest campus comprises four independent facilities. The Historic Turner Mansion is particularly vivid, with three areas dedicated to the history of Midland, the history of the house, and the family's connection to the Kentucky Derby. The Bush Family Home has been restored to its early-1950s condition. Exhibitions and furnishings convey what life was like for the young family.

Allow 30 minutes to 1 hour for a visit to the Bush Family Home. The listed visiting hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. If you prefer to explore historic rooms during a manageable visit and then plan additional stops, this time frame can easily be incorporated into your daily itinerary.

Oil, Motorsports, and Looking to the Sky

The Petroleum Museum explores every aspect of the oil industry across 15,000 square feet of interactive exhibition space. The “Birth of an Industry” exhibition recreates a 1930s boomtown with a general store, a land office, and numerous early artifacts from Midland. The Chaparral Gallery explores the founding of a small racing team by Jim Hall and Hap Sharp in Midland, Texas, in 1962, as well as the team's name, Chaparral Cars.

The Marian West and William Blanton Blakemore Planetarium offers a different perspective. Its program includes astronomy presentations and dome shows using a Digistar 7 360-degree system. This allows you to combine cultural and technological topics without limiting your trip to a single area of interest.

More Special Experiences in Midland

At the eastern end of the Central Fire Station building is the Midland Downtown Lions Club fire museum. It displays the old vehicles Engine #1 and Engine #2, is open daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m., and admission is free. Something sweet is also part of the visitor experience: Susie’s South Forty Confections offers a factory tour featuring the production of Toffee, Kickers Pralines, Winners Caramels, Fudge Richey, and Texas Trash, among other treats.

This allows you to tailor your trip planning to the experiences you actually want to include in your stay.

For the overall travel overview: Midland.