Amphicar

Former President Lyndon Johnson.

Lyndon B. Johnson had something that was called an Amphicar.

By the way, Lyndon Johnson, I think...

Could be misremembered.

Lyndon Johnson.

Here, I'll show you a picture of it.

He had an Amphicar, a car that could drive in water.

It looks like this.

Animal Kingdom.

Right? And the Boathouse, which is open 11 years and features Amphicars.

And so we like to say that we're entertainment focused, number one.

And people think because you're entertainment focused that you're not food focused, but that's hunk, that's bull.

The success, of course, is due to Steve's creativity and his ability to create experiences that are very transformative.

I've met Steve over 22 years ago.

And even back then, about 15 years ago, he had the seed of the Amphicars.

He fell in love with them.

It was monstrous, dude.

Did you see this? The Boathouse debuts Amphicar Christmas ornaments.

That's pretty cool.

You see these? Boathouse's signature Amphicars are trained in the waters for Christmas tree branches with new collection ornaments.

We got to go on this one time when y'all are down here.

Yeah.

I'd really like to see if the damn thing would float.

Is that like the second Amphicar in the collection?

Maybe we can try to take that one out on Total Creek Lake next year.

I think it might involve a little wine before you got there.

[laughs] I sure would.

Number nine, the Amphicar 770.

This was a car and a boat.

Not theoretically.

You could actually buy one.

The Amphicar launched in 1961.

You drove it down the road, drove it into the water, switched over to the propellers, and just kept going.

Close to 3,900 were made.

In which case-

Unless you're in an Amphicar-

[laughs]

... or attempting to, uh, rob Paddlefish.

Johnson was deeply proud of his Texas roots, and the ranch was his way of proving he was still a country boy despite running the country.

He wore cowboy hats, drove visitors around in his Lincoln Continental, and famously owned an Amphicar, a car that could drive into the river and float.

He loved terrifying guests by driving toward the water and pretending the brakes had failed.

The ranch was a working cattle operation, and Johnson took it seriously.

His wife, Lady Bird Johnson, stayed at the ranch until her death in two thousand and seven.

After her death, the property was fully transferred to the National Park Service, and it's now the Lyndon B. Johnson National Historical Park.

You can tour the ranch today, see the house, the Amphicar, the cemetery, and the airstrip Johnson installed so he could fly in and out whenever he wanted.

The ranch ranks high for authenticity and personality.