The Bell County Area has a few museums, close to home. Fort Hood has two museums, the 1st Cavalry Division Museum and the 3rd Armored Cavalry Museum, both dedicated to the history of these famous units. Fort Hood is also home of the 4th Infantry Division OIF Memorial Monument, cast bronze from two melted Saddam Hussein statues. The Temple Railroad & Heritage Museum features railroad history and Texas history and heritage exhibits. Temple's Czech Heritage Museum and Genealogy Center preserves the Czech history of early Czech settlers of Central Texas. The Bell County Museum features local county and Central Texas history and culture exhibits and collections, and an education track. The Little & Farquhar Science Museum is a small but varied science museum in a small shop, featuring mostly geology but also static electricity demonstrations and exhibits. Austin, about 60 miles south of Fort Hood, is the state capital, and features a large number of art, history, and other museums, and has a wealth of music, film, and other festivals to visit. Only a few of Austin's features are noted here. The Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library and Museum focuses on the life and presidency of this Central Texan. The Museum of the Weird celebrates weird things - Austin is famous for and proud of its weirdness, and this is a place to keep track. The Harry Ransom Humanities Museum collects, preserves, and displays a large number of literary and cultural items from throughout history. Austin is the state capital of Texas, and the Texas Governor's Mansion and Texas State Capitol can be toured. There is a visitor's center nearby to help tourists. The Texas Natural Science Museum / Texas Memorial Museum has extensive fossil, gem and mineral, wildlife, and other natural science displays. The Texas Military Forces Museum is about, not surprisingly, the military history of Texas and Texans since the Republic to fairly recent times. The Battle of Temple Junction is a local Civil War reenactment group event featuring a large skirmish, with cannon. There was no historical Battle of Temple Junction, but that won't get in the way of a good time! Art Museums: The Austin Museum of Art, the Blanton Museum of Art, and Mexic-Arte Museum all feature, well, art, generally fine art of varying types. Austin is also home of several history museums, including the Austin History Center, which features local Austin history; the Bob Bullock State History Museum, which features a broader state history; and the Republic of Texas Museum, which focuses on the Republic of Texas historical period. The George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center is dedicated to African American achievements and heritage. Waco, about an hour north, is about the same size as Killeen, and has about as many museums. Art Center Waco includes a variety of art exhibitions and has an art education program. The Texas Ranger Hall of Fame focuses on the world-famous Texas Ranger law enforcement agency. The Waco Mammoth Site preserves and presents exhibits related to a large fossil find of prehistoric mammoths, camels, saber-tooth cats, and other ancient mammals. The Dr Pepper Museum is all about the Texan drink and items related to it. The Mayborn Museum Complex, on the campus of Baylor University, includes a old-fashioned Cabinet of Curiosities with modern discovery rooms on a variety of subjects.

The Salado Museum and College Park, located at 423 South Main Street in nearby Salado, Texas, houses artifacts, books and papers that document the settlement and heritage of this part of Central Texas and hosts educational programs and special exhibits in its 150-year-old stone building. College Park, located on a picturesque hill just south of the museum, features the historic Salado College ruins, walking trails, gardens, a statue of early Salado pioneer Col. E.S.C. Robertson, and interpretive plaques that tell the story of the college and the town. The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday from 10am to 4pm. Free to the public. Military personnel receive discount prices for special ticketed events held during the year in the museum’s Lucile A. Robertson Center. For more information, visit www.saladomuseum.org.