Old Red Museum of Dallas County History & Culture opened to the public on May 15, 2007 in a day-long public celebration. More than 500 guests were on hand for a noon ribbon cutting ceremony after which the Museum opened to the public free until 6:00 p.m. More than 1300 visitors toured the Museum on its inaugural day.
Festivities included entertainment by local schools and cultural groups, costumed interpreters, the reading of a proclamation from the governor, and a formal ribbon cutting by Dallas County Commissioners and Old Red Foundation Chairman David Biegler.
Dallas County students had the opportunity to be the first to visit The Crystal Charity Ball Childrens Education Center, a fully interactive, hands-on history gallery. The Center is one of only a few history galleries in the United States geared towards children. Students were able to handle real artifacts, see how Dallas County roads developed and play interactive computer games designed by local educators.
The Museums four chronologically arranged galleries were filled with people throughout the day. Response from the public was extremely positive and most agreed that the museum was much more than what they expected. Just beautiful, outstanding, and the best museum in Dallas County were among the many accolades from visitors.
The Museum opened with regular hours on May 16. Hours are Monday through Saturday 9:00 a.m. 5:00 p.m. and Sundays noon 5:00 p.m. Admission is $8 general, $6 seniors and $5 for children sixteen and under.