Sixth Floor Museum

Set in the former Texas School Book Depository overlooking Dealey Plaza, the Sixth Floor Museum tells the story of President John F. Kennedy’s life, assassination, and legacy from the very building at the center of the events of November 1963. It is one of the most significant history museums in Texas, and for families with older kids studying American history, it turns a textbook chapter into something they can stand inside.

What You’ll See

The exhibits walk visitors through Kennedy’s presidency, the day of the assassination, and the national reckoning that followed, using photographs, films, artifacts, and firsthand accounts. Two moments land hardest: the reconstructed corner sniper’s perch, preserved behind glass with stacked boxes arranged as investigators first found them, and the view from the sixth-floor windows over Dealey Plaza itself, which connects everything on the walls to the real street below. Along the way you’ll see Abraham Zapruder’s famous home film of the motorcade and a pair of striking photomosaics: portraits of John and Jacqueline Kennedy that, up close, turn out to be built from thousands of tiny images of the other. Upstairs, the seventh floor hosts rotating special exhibitions and offers a near-identical window view one level up. An audio guide, included with admission and available in multiple languages, walks you through at your own pace and does a good job holding older kids’ attention.

Is It Right for Your Kids?

This is the honest question to answer before you buy tickets. The subject is an assassination, handled with care but not softened, so the museum is best suited to older children, tweens, and teens rather than young kids. Families with elementary-age children should think about whether their child is ready for the content. If your kids are studying the 1960s or JFK in school, the visit can be genuinely powerful; for younger children, one of the city’s science or art museums is a better fit. A short conversation beforehand about what they will see helps a lot.

Tickets, Timed Entry, and Hours

• Online tickets: Adult $24, Senior $22, Youth $20.
• On-site tickets: Adult $27, Senior $25, Youth $23. Buying online in advance saves money.
• Children 0-5: free. Youth pricing covers ages 6-18.
• Timed entry: admission is by timed ticket in 30-minute increments, and busy days do sell out, so book ahead online.
• Hours: Wednesday through Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with last entry at 4:15 p.m. Closed Monday and Tuesday.

Planning the Visit

Allow about 60 to 90 minutes for the exhibits and audio guide. The museum is indoors and climate-controlled, and parking is in nearby downtown lots and garages, so budget for paid parking. Afterward, take time to walk Dealey Plaza itself, where markers on the street and the grassy knoll let kids connect what they just learned to the actual location.

Nearby Downtown Stops

The museum sits in the heart of downtown Dallas near several other attractions. Pair it with the hands-on science of the Perot Museum of Nature and Science, a picnic and play at Klyde Warren Park, or the free Dallas Museum of Art in the nearby Arts District.

Exploring downtown Dallas with the family? Browse our full directory of family-friendly attractions across DFW to plan your day.