Rex Allen Museum

This small museum is packed full of country music history and everything Rex Allen and Rex Allen Jr. From his early childhood years to his most famous singing and acting years, it's got a bit of it all. The movie posters alone could be in their own museum! There are some Nudie suits he wore in concerts and shows as well as his guitars and records. We knew little of Rex Allen's history before coming to the museum but when we left we felt like we knew him from childhood! There's a statue across the street in the little park, perfect opportunity for a picture with Rex! Wilcox is a tiny town with a big history!

We pulled into the Historic District of Wilcox not knowing what to expect. It was pretty deserted and looked like a ghost town until we spotted a colorful storefront with a sign that said Rex Allen Museum. I immediately recognized the name as a singing cowboy from my childhood era. The museum building is one of Wilcox's oldest commercial buildings that was constructed of adobe in the 1890's. We walked in and were greeted by a very friendly lady who welcomed us to the museum and said it would be $2 each for admission. What a bargain. She turned on a disc player with old Rex songs playing and invited us to enter the first area of exhibits and displays. She began to tell us the story of how Rex was born in The Wilcox 12/31/1920. She told us about his parents and grand parents and showed us some interesting memorabilia from that period. She told us about his horse and that it is buried across the street in the park and that the ashes of Rex were scattered about the park after he passed. We heard the story of how the Rex Allen days began in 1951 as an event day for charity and now continue as a four day event of fun every year beginning with the Cowboy Hall of Fame induction. We continued through the museum where rooms are filled with artifacts and memorabilia, walls filled with movie posters, costumes, gun, guitars, comic books(that I remember reading as a boy), Disney wall since he was the voice for 150 cartoon characters, sidekicks who starred with him in films and stage, the Hall of Fame room and a room that is full of memories form his son, Rex Allen, Jr. There is even a small gift shop with souvenirs at reasonable prices. If you grew up in the 40's-50's this place should be of interest when you visit this area. Plan on spending a fun 2 hours.

The Rex Allen Museum is a wonderful time travel trip into the great time of crooning cowboys dressed in oh so fancy clothes with sequins every and such bright colors. The pictures and memorabilia show a man with a 5 star history. To see the people who hew was friends with, and who supported the museum are very very impressive. However if you do not know the era you will be under-impressed and wonder what all the hubbub is about. As I was with people who had listened to Rex on the radio in their childhood, and seen his movies as youngsters, it was eye opening. For the western enthusiast this is a huge nugget of information and memories. So worth the two dollar admission fee.

Absolutely lovely collection and tribute to the man who wrote amazing songs, had a successful acting career, never forgot his hometown and most importantly, really loved his horse. The Nudie Suits alone are worth the trip and the entire little area there is wonderful. The volunteers at the museum are a tribute to the town and the museum is a real asset. Plus you can go wine tasting afterwards!

Chock full of lots of photos and other memorabilia about Rex Allen and other stars in his era. Also told a lot about the Willcox area. Nice little stop.

Arrived at 1 pm thinking we could see the museum but it was closed even though their sign and info on the web says they are open until 3pm. Every store on the street was also closed. Not much to see in Wilcox but boarded up buildings. Disappointed!