Built in 1841, the French Legation Museum is the oldest home in Austin. Commissioned by French Ambassador to the Republic of Texas, Alphonse Dubois, the home was intended to serve as the headquarters for the French Legation in Texas. Dubois, however, never resided in the home and moved before it was completed. Preserved and inhabited by the Robinson family, the home eventually turned museum in 1956. The French Legation Museum offers guided tours around forty minutes in length, during which time you can peruse the early nineteenth century home and get a sense of what life might have been like during that time period. The grounds surrounding the Museum are beautiful and ideal for a picnic.