My wife and I made a special trip to see the Texas Parks and Wildlife Art exhibit located in a converted historic jailhouse in a small west Texas cowtown. I must say that this middle of the tumbleweeds art gallery was astounding, rivaling its Dallas-Fort Worth counterparts. We have been to other Jailhouse museums which were quaint, but this one was most suited for such an important art exhibit. We plan to make more stops here on our way to San Angelo to visit family.

The art center is impressive for a small town. I enjoyed the video about Bob Nail Jr. The Asian display is very interesting.

This museum is well worth going out of your way to see its outdoor sculpture garden and its exhibits.

If you visit Abilene, it is worth the short drive north to Albany to visit this old jail/museum. Not only is it centered around a historic jail with an original space including a cell with heavy steel door, barred windows, etc, and an area with local family heirlooms and photos, but the art collection is also good. I know there is a LOT of oil money in the area, but works by Klee, Modigliani, Renoir, etc., were unexpected. There is a nice exhibit of Asian artifacts, and a temporary exhibit of trompe l’oeil pieces by two very different contemporary artists that was amazing. The sculpture garden was also intriguing.

The old jail museum is a remodeled over 100 year old Shackelford county jail and has a fantastic variety of European art Asian artifacts. Admission is free but well worth a generous donation.