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Five Things To Know As The Bush Center Opens

George W. Bush Presidential Center

A steady crowd is expected as the doors of the new George W. Bush Presidential Center swing open to the public at 9:00 a.m. Wednesday.    Officials there are urging visitors to do a little planning so they aren't inconvenienced.  

TICKET AVAILABILITY

The museum is urging visitors to buy tickets online before they make the trip.   Tickets are stamped with the hour you are supposed to enter- 300 tickets per hour.   An additional 50 "walk-up" tickets are available each hour for visitors who purchase them at the museum.   The 9:00 am and 10:00 a.m. hours are sold out for opening day, but as of  midday Tuesday tickets were available for the rest of opening day and beyond.  

Museum hours are: 

  • 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Monday - Saturday
  • 12:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m., Sunday

TICKET PRICES

An adult ticket costs $16 and children age four and under are free.  Prices for other age groups vary and there are discounts for students, military and SMU employees.   The George W. Bush Presidential Center website has more details. 

SECURITY

Visitors must pass  through a metal detector when they enter.  Food, drinks and  extremely large bags will not be allowed in the  museum.

PARKING

You can park in a lot across from the museum for  $7  but be aware there are only 200 spaces.   A free, convenient option is to  park at the nearby Mockingbird DART Station and hop a courtesy  shuttle to the museum.  Shuttles  run every 15 minutes.  

FOOD

The Presidential Center's Cafe 43 will open Friday, May 3, but there will be no food available at the Center for the first two days it's open.  Visitors may not bring food or drinks into the museum. 

Former KERA staffer Shelley Kofler was news director, managing editor and senior reporter. She is an award-winning reporter and television producer who previously served as the Austin bureau chief and legislative reporter for North Texas ABC affiliate WFAA-TV.