Just off Dealey Plaza, the Sixth Floor Museum houses exhibits and artifacts pertaining to John F. Kennedy and his assassination on 22 Nov 1963. The entrance to the museum is on Houston Street and is well-marked. A handicapped-accessible entrance is to the right and around the corner of the building, where the museum shop exit is.
On the first floor of the building, often known as the Texas School Book Depository building, although the Texas School Book Depository Company has not used it since 1970, the entryway contains an exhibit of Dallas from its early days to the present. Photographs and drawings of early movers and shakers as well as letters written by them and journal entries of travelers depict the development of the city.
After looking at the Dallas history exhibit, turn to the right to find the admissions counter. Adults 19-64 are $10.00; Seniors, $9.00; Youths 6-18, $9.00; Children 0-5, Free.
I got an audio tour, which I'm glad I did, but the displays in the museum are detailed enough that you don't need to if you want to save the $3.50. The audio tour lasts about forty-five minutes and you can pause, rewind, and fast forward as you like, so you needn't worry about missing information. Several five and ten minute movies add to the tour, so give yourself at least an hour and a half to see everything.
After security, elevators are to the right and they will take you to the sixth or seventh floor. The sixth floor has the permanent exhibit. The seventh floor currently has "Voices from History: Dallas Law Enforcement" through 05 Aug 2007.
The elevator opens on the opposite side from where you got in. The presentation is chronological, starting with the late fifties and early sixties to give you a sense of the time John F. Kennedy lived in, and continuing on to his campaign, how people spoke of him-both critics and supporters-and how the people of Dallas received him on his arrival. A large portion of the exhibit is devoted to the actual assassination, with police reports, photographs and films shot by witnesses, and artifacts.
Walk up to the windows on the side of the building overlooking Elm Street and the spot where Kennedy was shot. The view is impressive even today and it is surprising to think that there were not more people in the building watching the procession.
The last bit of the presentation covers the aftermath-the funeral, the capture of Lee Harvey Oswald and his subsequent execution by Jack Ruby, and the evidence gathered by the Warren Commission. Conspiracy theorists will enjoy this section as it presents varying points of view and explains the interpretations of various bits of evidence by different groups. If you haven't made up your mind about who killed Kennedy, you could walk out of there with your head spinning.
Go up the stairs, or take the elevator to the seventh floor, and check out "Filming Kennedy: Home Movies from Dallas". This temporary exhibit contains films of Kennedy made by amateur filmmakers between 1960 and his death in 1963. Some have never before been displayed.
Previous exhibits on the seventh floor have included "Voices from History: Dallas Law Enforcement", featuring personal effects, video, and voice recordings of the officers involved in the search for suspects and the investigation that followed. Parts of it were quite moving.
When you are finished looking around the sixth and seventh floors, get back in the elevators to go to the first floor. The exit is through the gift shop where they offer an array of books and knickknacks.
411 Elm Street, Suite 120
Dallas, TX 75202-3308
Phone: 214-747-6660
Fax: 214-747-6662
Email: jfk@jfk.org
Website: Sixth Floor Museum
