In Midland, an urban Playa habitat meets a range of cultural themes: museums explore the history of the city, the oil industry, and motorsports. For your trip planning, this means you can combine interests in nature and culture or focus on individual topics.
Playa Habitat and Migratory Birds
The I-20 Wildlife Preserve is an 86-acre urban Playa habitat. It is important for local bird populations and native wildlife, as well as for thousands of migratory birds. The trees along the edge of the Playa beside the Sibley's nature trail offer a special seasonal feature: they provide a resting place for migratory birds in spring and fall.
Both the importance of the habitat and the seasonal resting places are part of Midland’s nature offerings. If you are particularly interested in migratory birds, the distinction between the general information about the preserve and the resting periods specifically noted for spring and fall can help you plan when to visit.
Cultural History in Homes and Exhibitions
The Museum of the Southwest campus includes four separate institutions. At the Historic Turner Mansion, three areas explore the history of Midland, the history of the house, and the family’s connection to the Kentucky Derby. This layout brings together the story of the city, the history of a house, and another family theme.
The Bush Family Home has a different focus: It has been restored to its early 1950s condition and uses exhibits and furnishings to convey the life of a young family. While the Turner Mansion presents three themes side by side, the focus here is on a specific era and everyday life at the time. Allow 30 minutes to an hour for a visit; visiting hours are listed as Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Reservations may be advisable.
Oil, Motorsports, and the Starry Sky
The Petroleum Museum features 15,000 square feet of interactive exhibit space covering all aspects of the oil industry. The “Birth of an Industry” exhibit brings a different perspective on regional history to life: It recreates a 1930s boomtown with a general store, a land office, and numerous early artifacts from Midland.
The Chaparral Gallery also tells a specific story from Midland, Texas. It describes how Jim Hall and Hap Sharp founded a small racing team in 1962 and named it Chaparral Cars. The oil industry and motorsports history are therefore distinct themes among Midland’s offerings; when choosing what to visit, you can follow whichever focus interests you more.
The Marian West and William Blanton Blakemore Planetarium offers star talks and dome shows using a Digistar 7 360-degree system. Its program offers a different focus from the historical exhibits: here, the starry sky and the talks and shows in the dome format take center stage.
More Places to Visit and Local Products
The Midland Downtown Lions Club fire museum is located at the east end of the Central Fire Station building. On display are the vintage vehicles Engine #1 and Engine #2. The museum is open daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.; admission is free.
Another option is a factory tour at Susie’s South Forty Confections. Products made there include Toffee, Kickers Pralines, Winners Caramels, Fudge Richey, Texas Trash, and more. Midland’s offerings thus range from nature watching and museum themes to a look at how local sweets are made.
For the general travel overview: Midland.
