Since Tuesday is a day off for me, I went exploring in the city of Beaumont, Texas.
I started out at the Babe Didrikson Zaharias Museum, conveniently located near I-10 on the north side of Beaumont. As an added bonus, admission is free, and gift shop items are inexpensive. The rotunda-style building, built in 1976, is small and non-descript, but the contents of the museum are inspiring. The museum uses a combination of modern signage, a touchscreen video player, and artifacts to tell the life story of phenomenal all-around athlete Mildred "Babe" Didrikson Zaharias, who seemingly excelled in every sport she tried.
Her most notable achievements were as an All-American amateur basketball player, an Olympic track & field athlete, and a professional golfer who helped found the LPGA.
Although no longer playing in the museum, this documentary is a great overview of her life.
Besides retelling the remarkable story of her life, the museum has a curated collection of memorabilia, including Olympic medals, trophies, and "Keys to the City".
The one complaint about this museum is size. Although the collection is well displayed in the space provided, and the circular shape of the building makes for easy navigation, Didrikson Zaharias' life was so interesting that it easily could have filled a space multiple times the size of the current museum. Expect to spend 1 hour in the museum, and several hours more reading up on her story.