Texas A&M: The Bush Library Grounds

On Texas A&M's West Campus, the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum anchors a 90-acre complex that also includes a school of government and a conference center. This short loop takes in the museum, a seven-ton bronze of horses leaping the fallen Berlin Wall, and the locomotive that pulled the 41st president's funeral train. It also passes the family gravesite, which is open during museum hours. The museum charges admission, but the outdoor sculpture and grounds can be enjoyed on foot.

Few college campuses hold a presidential library, and Texas A&M's West Campus makes the most of it. This short loop explores the life and legacy of George H.W. Bush, the 41st president, on the 90-acre grounds of his library.

The George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum, dedicated in 1997 and operated by the National Archives, follows Bush from his days as a World War II pilot to the presidency, and visitors can take a seat at the desk in its replica Oval Office. Outside, Veryl Goodnight's The Day the Wall Came Down sends five bronze horses leaping over genuine slabs of the Berlin Wall; the roughly seven-ton sculpture has a twin in Berlin, in what was once the American sector.

Train fans should not miss the James A. Baker III Pavilion, which opened on June 13, 2024, the 100th anniversary of Bush's birth. It shelters Union Pacific No. 4141, the Air Force One-styled locomotive that hauled his funeral train to College Station in December 2018, along with a retired Marine One helicopter. The mood turns quiet at the family gravesite, where George and Barbara Bush rest near their daughter Robin; it is open during museum hours, and visitors are asked to keep voices low.

It's a rewarding stop for history lovers, rail fans and families alike.