Salado Museum (Salado, TX) -- October 2018

 As you drive down Interstate 35 you'll see a sign for Salado.  Don't blink, because otherwise you'll miss it.  Like many smaller communities, when the interstate was built, it bypassed the town so you don't see it anymore.  But while Round Rock expanded to cover both sides of the highway, Salado hasn't done so.  Thus you can still travel down Main Street and see a historical area.  While there is a nice park area nearby (Pace Park), the main attraction of the area is the Salado Museum.

In an old stone building is the museum, which also services as the visitor's center.  The museum only takes up a couple rooms, but gives some interesting local history, including a number of houses which are worth driving by for the architecture.

When you visit the area, plan on driving up north on Main Street to see all the small businesses which are there.  One which is worth your time is the Old Fashioned Burgers & Ice Cream (as it's pretty clear what you'll get from there).  And then for an elegant lunch, be sure to check out the Stagecoach Inn.

George H.W. Bush Presidential Library (College Station, TX) -- October 2018

 Here's one of things which was pretty close by, but I didn't realize it.  Looking for new things to do outside of Austin, I stumbled upon the fact there was a Presidential Library just a short drive away in College Station.  Whenever you have a chance to visit a Presidential Library (no matter who the Chief Executive was), you should always do so, as these are important caches of our country's history.  Because this was located on the campus of the Texas A&M University, that might've been a reason why I never looked at anything that way, when in reality I just overlooked it.

Like all Presidential Libraries, this has various displays showing the life of our 41st President was when was growing up, and in his formative years.  During his pre-Presidential career, Mr. Bush was a member of Congress, ambassador to the United Nations, and director of the CIA.  Of course, while I'm learning about history I had to have some fun with his podium (which Mum pointed out I was imitating Nixon), and sitting at his Oval Office desk (which was something which can't be done in most other Presidential Libraries).  The replica of his office at Camp David was really nice too, as there was a piece of the Berlin Wall nearby.

One of the major galleries was devoted to the (first) Persian Gulf War.  The flags of all the nations which participated in Desert Shield were present, as well as the Patriot Missile (which became part of everyone's lexicon during that time).  A huge map displayed the history and geography of the events, which culminated in Desert Storm.  That important piece of history was worth the price of admission right there.

Behind the complex was a small pond, with a pathway which took to the opposite side.  This brought you to resting place of the former First Lady and a small child the couple had which died in infancy.  When we visited, there was ample space set aside, as the 41st President would be interred there when he passed.  This was a great way to spend an afternoon, and highly recommended.

Texas Sports Hall of Fame (Waco, TX) -- October 2018

 It's great when you're heading to one location and you discover something else along the way.  After spending the morning checking out the Mayborn Museum (which was just a few blocks away), we spent the afternoon here.  The most interesting part of the Hall of Fame was the museum section which had various displays of Texas athletes.  Many of the displays had jerseys, baseball cards, and other associated memorabilia to give you a sense of the history that you were looking at.

While it was expected to have both college football and NFL players (as represented by Ricky Williams and Troy Aikman, respectively), it also covers other sports athletes.  Some of my favorite ones were Mike Modano (NHL -- Dallas Stars) and Mia Hamm (Soccer).  Some of the treasured pieces of history are a signed hat from Tom Landry, soda with the image of Roger Staubach (NFL -- Dallas Cowboys) on it, and trophies won by George Foreman (Boxing).  This covered not only people who played for Texas teams, but were also from the Lone Star State, like Pittsburgh Steelers legend Mean Joe Greene.  In area there was a display of the all Wheaties boxes any of these athletes had ever graced.

There's also a theatre named after Tom Landry which showed various sports highlights of the athletes represented here.  The sports hall of fame was built in 1951, and Texas was the first state to have such a collection like this.  In addition to the historical aspects, there's also a wing dedicated to various college-level sports from the state, and a banquet hall which hosts gatherings.  It'll take a couple hours to explore this, but it is worth your time to do so.