I don't recall ever reading any O Henry story. Yet, there is a free museum, the home in which William Sydney Porter and his family lived while in Austin. It's small. The folks there are happy to tell you all about the writer who wasn't always a writer. It's a pretty neat place to look around. Next door is a museum for the Lady of the Alamo, Susanna Dickinson. read more

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I loved seeing the museum. I highly recommend it. My issue was with the tour guide. I came with a senior group on a bus. I am handicapped. The bus did not have a lift, so I had to hold onto the bars on the bus to climb up the steps. Because of that, I could not carry my walker up or down the steps, as I cannot walk on steps without holding onto bars or rails. So I had to wait until everyone got out before the bus driver could carry my walker down for me. The tour guide began her presentation without me, and I was fine with that because I thought I would be allowed to ask questions about anything I missed. Boy, was I wrong. I felt highly insulted by her when I tried that. I understand her to be a member of the Texas Historical Society, though I am not sure about that, but accessibility should include being given the same information. When I came in, I told her I was not able to come in with the others, so I missed the presentation. She said, "Next time, maybe you won't miss my presentation with whatever it was that you felt was more important." Not falling and seriously hurting myself is what I thought was more important. I ignored her, but she did not stop. I asked a question, and she continued in a rude, huffy tone and made it clear that she considered me separate from the group. I know this person obviously discriminates against those with mobility disabilities, and I am sure she will for the remainder of her life. But it would be good if she would hide that while doing tours, as it is a form of non-accessibility, and I do not think the City of Austin, the Texas Historical Commission, or whoever supports this museum should be supporting that discrimination. read more

I visited the O. Henry Museum this afternoon, and a friendly, humorous guide gave me a great introduction to the house and to O. Henry himself. It's a small but charming place. I first read The Gift of the Magi back in middle school, but I didn't realize O. Henry was such a party animal--he loved socializing, played poker, and enjoyed music. I also had no idea he was in a band or that he was such a talented illustrator. Some of his drawings are on display, and I really enjoyed looking at them. Admission is free, and since it was a weekday, it wasn't crowded at all. We arrived around 2:30 p.m. and were actually the first visitors of the day. read more

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I came here when it was still not opened. I was so happy I could go in and a poet docent told so many interesting stories about O Henry and his family lived in Austin. House was so cozy, piano and all. I could feel his life when he started a family and started to work and write. Docent mentioned often O Henry's twisted ending short stories. He made so much money but in the end he lived in hotels in lots of places till he died. This house must be his happiest time in his life. Great docent who told me many stories, I thank him so much. read more

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I loved reading O Henry in school, so I was so pleasantly surprised to learn that he had resided in Austin when I moved here. I attended this year's 40th O Henry Pun Off and it was so much fun! But, the highlight was being able to tour O Henry's house and learn a little bit more about his personal history. The house tour is free and they have a lot of original items, including some of O Henry's personal effects. If you are a tourist, native Austinite, or just a nerd like myself, I highly recommend stopping in and checking out this historic house as well as next year's pun off! read more

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Interesting place, fun to learn about O Henry and it is part of a self guided tour if you want more to do. There are several rooms and items tied to O Henry and his past. They have a person there if you have questions. It runs on donations so try to have some cash on you. They have audio recordings, pictures, knick knacks, all with the stories presented. If you like O Henry or history it is a good way to kill time. read more

I enjoyed visiting the O. Henry Museum. It is nice to visualize the house that the author rented between 1823-1825. The furnitures were well kept. Information were also available as you walk through the house. read more

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Free to visit, donations are encouraged. Walked around and found out a little bit more about the house and its owner. There were two people there who were able to answer any questions that we had. read more

When I confirmed I was headed to Austin, the O. Henry Museum was #1 on my list of fun things to do. As a frequent visitor to historic homes, and author homes in particular, I admit that my first observation of this one is that it's small, both in size, in collection, and in connection to the author in question. Still, I had a great time and it was more than worth the free admission. When I went, they had a display of an unpublished manuscript from O. Henry ("As Others See Us") and I took the time to read it - it's absolutely one of his best. Those that intend on visiting really should make sure to read (or re-read) a few O. Henry stories first to really get something out of the experience of visiting his former home. I'd recommend "The Gift of the Magi" and 'The Ransom of Red Chief." It's a cute little house, and a visit can probably be done in 10 minutes if that's all you have. William Sidney Porter's time in Austin really made him become O. Henry (yes, in a sort of negative way) so this really is a gem and it's fantastic the city has preserved it. Incidentally, our guide was very low-key and not over the top or obsessive as other reviews here indicate. Also, the place is literally next door to the Susannah Dickinson House, so you can easily squeeze both in on one trip. read more

O Henry Museum - Historical marker outside of O. Henry Museum. - Museums Near Me - Austin, Texas

One of three free historic museums located at Brush Square (one of Austin's four original parks). Definitely a mecca for us historic literacy nerds. This museum is located in the original home of William Sydney Porter. It was relocated to it's current location from a couple of blocks away, restored, and opened as a museum in 1934. William Porter is better known as O. Henry, an author of short stories. William Porter lived in Texas for a total of 16 years, the majority of that time in Austin, and almost three of those years in this house with his wife Athol Estes and daughter Margaret. This was his early years prior to his life as an author. This museum houses a unique collection of William Sidney Porter artifacts; not only complete first edition works, but also a majority of his original furniture. The house is also thought to be haunted as William Porter's wife died here in the exact same bed. The museum is small, but very interesting. The volunteer on staff the day I visited was very friendly and gave me a very informative brief tour of each room. I loved hearing the rare recording they had of William Porter's voice, and reading the unpublished dark tale written under a different pen name. You can take pictures of anywhere in the house except for the room housing the unpublished story. read more

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O. Henry was an old drunk who did some time in the joint and had the DTs before noon every goddamn day. He died alone. He had a bunch of weird hats he liked to leave at parties. His little house is sad, rustic, American West old school: a reminder of the struggles of what was basically impoverished frontier life. Well water. Open stoves. Freezing temperatures. His wife died of tuberculosis on that mattress in the bedroom. Are you a self-identified lit nerd? Good; go pay homage, go worship at mecca, go quote "The Gift of the Magi" to anyone who will listen. Go and breathe the hallowed air of the little wooden house, Instagram it, Facebook it, meet me here on Yelp. We can compare notes on the dead man's house. read more

Are you a huge fan of O. Henry like so many kids these days are? Oh man, if you are, this place is going to blow your freaking mind. I don't care how much you like the guy, the dude working here the day I walked in loves him more than you will ever understand and would be so happy if you walked in. Are you less of an O. Henry fanatic and more just a fan of writing and historical buildings like me? Then you'll probably find this place interesting, but may find the quiet excitement of the caretakers a tiny bit much. Don't get me wrong, it's not like you're going to be accosted by the equivalent of a screaming Bieber fan. However, when they ask you, "Are you a fan of O. Henry's writing?" you can tell that deep down, they really really hope you're going to say yes so they can share a moment with you. If you are a huge O. Henry fan, then absolutely make the trek out to this house, find a kindred spirit here, and have the best afternoon of your life. Otherwise, if you're in the area and walking past and want to check out a neat old house and learn about an interesting man and have a fun but a little bit awkward twenty minutes or so, check out the O. Henry Home. It's still worth your time. read more

We stopped by this cute little home on free museum Sunday in Austin. They had three guides in the home willing to answer any questions and give a brief back ground on William Sydney Porter. It is free any time. If in the downtown area I would stop by and soak in a bit of history. read more

This is the former residence of a writer who wrote stories under the O'Henry name. Before he moved to New York he lived here with his wife. It is a small home filled with period furniture and includes docent led tours around the house and garden. Once a year they have an O'Henry festival with the famous "pun-off contest." I haven't seen it, but Ive heard its good for a laugh. Verdict: Place for tourists? read more

The thing about O. Henry is, he got his start writing in Austin, Texas. Or so Austin, Texas really REALLY wants you to believe. Everybody's gotta have a hometown hero, even if he was an embezzler! Okay, so the embezzlement is perhaps suspect (he was apparently tried twice for the same crime - how illegal is that?!), but whatever the case, I would suspect that living in Austin, Texas was probably not the highlight of Sidney Porter(aka O. Henry)'s life, as he was sentenced to prison for a crime he may or may not have actually committed. Not a great way to remember the city, am I right? But if you are into O. Henry's infamous twist-ending stories (who isn't?) or looking for a local literary pilgrimage, you will definitely want to check this place out. You will find some very enthusiastic docents giving tours of this small home that Porter once rented, along with a few unique O. Henry artifacts like his hat and the wicker chairs that inspired his best-known piece, "The Gift of the Magi." The museum also hosts discussions of O. Henry's stories on a monthly basis, offers a children's reading program, and holds an annual Pun-Off in May for modern-day wordsmiths to bust out their best neologisms in hopes of taking home the coveted "Punster of the Year" crown. The museum tour is brief, free, and definitely an "only in Austin" experience. read more

I LOVE houses like this! Makes me feel like I'm going back in time to 19th century Austin. I went to see the house (and because it was free) but ended up staying for the tour...O. Henry's story is fascinating! Tour was about 15 minutes, could have been longer or shorter, docents offered length based on interest. The docents were kind and informative, not pushy at all. Whether you like historic buildings, stories about famous people, or just passing by on your way to 6th street, totally recommend for everyone (kids would probably be more interested in the house and period furniture then O.Henry's story, for all you parents out there) read more

10 min tour. 10 Lessons learned from the tour. 1. O'Henry is the best writer EVER. 2. He invented the term Banana Republic and many other words but you probably need to come back to get more words as we were not given them on this tour. 3. The Saturday Evening Post paid DEARLY for not recognizing his amazing talent sooner. They felt pretty stupid. See lesson 1. 4. Everything in the parlor is period to the time O'Henry lived in the house which means he must have been able to travel into the future to get 1906 magazines and paintings of himself as an older man. 5. The previous curator screwed everything up but you MUST look at the swatches of wall paper she framed before we will continue the tour. 6. Margaret had no room of her own but she did have cool toys (doll furniture and kitchen). They are nothing like any toys kids play with today. Because you have never seen anything like them be sure reference lesson 5. 7. The whole family was very artistic, so artistic that Athol, a great seamstress, sewed her own remembrance sampler after she died. Look at the sampler. See lesson 5. 8. O'Henry stole a hat and that means he probably stole the bank money too. You must look at the hat. See lesson 5. 9. Waffle irons really have not changed much but still must be pointed out. Same with tea kettle. See lesson 5 10. At the O'Henry house lithographs are called paintings. Zoë's kid's view review "When you go there you will see another house/museum next door about Susannah Dickinson, survivor of the Alamo. That gets three stars." read more

Provides an intimate glimpse into the life one of Americas foremost short story authors. Known for his wit and his compassion for the struggles of everyday people make William Sydney Porter a true American original. I highly recommend this museum. read more

I didn't know O Henry ever lived here before I came to Austin. I was delighted to find there's his house converted to a museum in the downtown. On entering a house, the museum guide quickly gave me a tour of the house. She described the writer's life when he lived in Austin and how he was convicted of embezzlement. The house was small but I spent a lot of time here moving between rooms and reexamining the stuffs that might as well have shaped up the storytelling in later stages of his life. read more

The place is a really fun to visit. It is small so it won't demand an hour of your time but rest assured you can engage the staff for as much information as you want. It is also weirdly close to the rest of downtown Austin. I would also recommend checking out the Susanna Dickinson museum next door. Afterwards you can hop to other museums around Austin. I would suggest reading a few short stories by O. Henry before you go. I didn't and regret it. read more

My friend Fernando and I stopped into the museum during SXSW and it was the highlight of our week. Grant gives amazing tours and can recite several O. Henry stories from memory. Ask him to tell you the one about the girl who gets whipped for eating strawberries, and to show you the weird definitions in O. Henry's dictionary. Look out for the talking O. Henry in the room with his wife's piano. read more

My husband was in meetings and I had several hours free in Austin. Went to lunch at a great little French restaurant, Chez Nous, on Neches just off 6th Street's blocks of bars, etc. While eating, pulled out my iPad and looked at the map of the surrounding area, finding I was about a block from the O. Henry Museum (I didn't realize he had anything to do with Austin). Great little house, free and a wonderful guide. I've always liked O. Henry's stories, but didn't know much about his life. Now I do, including that he lived in Austin several years in the late 1800s and married and had a daughter there. Other parts are less savoury. The guide, a young man who's a writer, knew LOTS and was excited to share it. I'm a real sucker for a good guide who loves his subject, and for good reason. I ended up spending over an hour there, and at the guide's suggestion, read the manuscript of "As Others See Us," about a hard drinker who thought others never saw him as such. It's a lately discovered and unpublished O. Henry story. Great little piece with the usual twist ending ... And sad in that it may well be partially autobiographical. I visited three small Austin museums in the vicinity that afternoon, and this was by far the best. If you're a one-time American lit student, a short story lover, or someone who has always carried a little bit of "The Gift of the Magi" in a hidden corner of your brain, take the time to visit. Free, but I gave a nice donation ... one that was well deserved. read more