San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site Events

June 2023

June 10

Every second Saturday of the month, we open the site two hours early just for cyclists. Come and bike the Birthplace of Texas without worrying about cars.

When: Every second Saturday; 7:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.

Where: Enter through the gates at the base of the reflection pool. There will be places to park your car outside the gates.

Ages: Cycling Saturdays are open to all...

June 10

Stretch your legs and honor the memory of the Texas Revolution with a bike ride at the battleground. Join us for a guided bike tour of the San Jacinto Battleground.

When: Saturday, June 10; 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Where: Meet by the entrance to the San Jacinto Monument; between the reflection pool and the Monument

Activity Level: Easy. Most of the route is flat with two...

June 10

Calling all knitters and crocheters! Join us to celebrate World Wide Knit (& Crochet) in Public Day at the San Jacinto Battleground. You bring the yarn, we’ll provide the water, and we’ll celebrate in the shade at the San Jacinto Battleground.

When: Saturday, June 10; drop in between 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Where: Outside the San Jacinto Monument, under the trees. See below...

June 10

BOOM! Have you ever wondered how to load a cannon or seen one fired? This weekend, visitors to the San Jacinto Monument can learn how to load a cannon and watch regular cannon demonstrations. It will be a blast, literally!

When: Saturday, June 10; 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.; cannon fire will be on the hour and the half hour

Where: Outside the San Jacinto Monument

Ages: All...

June 17

Do you know where General Santa Anna set up his camp during the Battle of San Jacinto or where General Houston was shot? How about where the Surrender Tree was located? Discover the San Jacinto Battleground like you've never seen it before on a staff-led van tour of the battlefield. Tours start shortly after the showing of Texas Forever!!

When: Tours start at 12:45 p.m., 1:45 p.m. and...

June 17

Military historians often fall into the trap of looking at battle from the bird’s-eye view of the commanders. After all, they are the ones making the decisions and often leaving the most detailed accounts. However, this perspective ignores the experience of the rank-and-file soldiers on the ground. In "San Jacinto: The Experience of Battle," renown Texan historian Stephen Hardin uses countless...

June 18

Do you know where General Santa Anna set up his camp during the Battle of San Jacinto or where General Houston was shot? How about where the Surrender Tree was located? Discover the San Jacinto Battleground like you've never seen it before on a staff-led van tour of the battlefield. Tours start shortly after the showing of Texas Forever!!

When: Tours start at 12:45 p.m., 1:45 p.m. and...

June 24

Do you know where General Santa Anna set up his camp during the Battle of San Jacinto or where General Houston was shot? How about where the Surrender Tree was located? Discover the San Jacinto Battleground like you've never seen it before on a staff-led van tour of the battlefield. Tours start shortly after the showing of Texas Forever!!

When: Tours start at 12:45 p.m., 1:45 p.m. and...

July 2023

July 1

The San Jacinto Battleground is home to more than 200 species of birds, and the best time to see them is first thing in the morning. Every first Saturday of the month, we open two hours early so birders and photographers can enjoy early morning at the site. The site is open to vehicles, but we ask that visitors be respectful of those enjoying the wildlife and keep noise to a minimum.

...

July 1

BOOM! Have you ever wondered how to load a cannon or seen one fired? This weekend, visitors to the San Jacinto Monument can learn how to load a cannon and watch regular cannon demonstrations. It will be a blast, literally!

When: Saturday, July 1; 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.; cannon fire will be on the hour and the half hour

Where: Outside the San Jacinto Monument

Ages: All...

July 1

Noah Smithwick described the Texas Army that marched on Bexar in 1835 by saying, “Words are inadequate to convey an impression of the appearance of the first Texas army as it formed in marching order. Nothing short of ocular demonstration could do it justice. It certainly bore little resemblance to the army of my childhood dreams.”

While Smithwick wasn’t with the army at San Jacinto (...

July 2

On an active cattle ranch like the McCormick’s at San Jacinto, the family would have churned butter a couple of times a week. Once the cows were milked, the milk was left to settle so the cream could rise to the top. The cream was then skimmed off and added to a churn, where the constant motion produced butter by separating the yellow fat from the buttermilk.

Join us at our butter...

July 8

Every second Saturday of the month, we open the site two hours early just for cyclists. Come and bike the Birthplace of Texas without worrying about cars.

When: Every second Saturday; 7:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.

Where: Enter through the gates at the base of the reflection pool. There will be places to park your car outside the gates.

Ages: Cycling Saturdays are open to all...

July 8

Stretch your legs and honor the memory of the Texas Revolution with a bike ride at the battleground. Join us for a guided bike tour of the San Jacinto Battleground.

When: Saturday, July 8; 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Where: Meet by the entrance to the San Jacinto Monument; between the reflection pool and the Monument

Activity Level: Easy. Most of the route is flat with two...

July 9

Do you know where General Santa Anna set up his camp during the Battle of San Jacinto or where General Houston was shot? How about where the Surrender Tree was located? Discover the San Jacinto Battleground like you've never seen it before on a staff-led van tour of the battlefield. Tours start shortly after the showing of Texas Forever!!

When: Tours start at 12:45 p.m., 1:45 p.m. and...

July 16

Stop by the San Jacinto Museum for a chance to play with replicas of 19th-century toys, weapons, tools, food, clothing, and much more. Learn all about the battle of San Jacinto and life on the Texas frontier, and imagine yourself in the shoes of a soldier or a frontiersman/frontierswoman.

When: Sunday, July 16; drop in between 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Where: San Jacinto Museum...

July 22

Do you know where General Santa Anna set up his camp during the Battle of San Jacinto or where General Houston was shot? How about where the Surrender Tree was located? Discover the San Jacinto Battleground like you've never seen it before on a staff-led van tour of the battlefield. Tours start shortly after the showing of Texas Forever!!

When: Tours start at 12:45 p.m., 1:45 p.m. and...

July 30

Children on the frontier had to make their own entertainment. Homemade toys like a buzzsaw or button whirligig were popular because they were easy to make and only used common household items. Try making your own buzzsaw toy. We'll provide the materials; all you need is your creativity.

When: Sunday, July 30; drop in between 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.

Where: San Jacinto Museum...

August 2023

August 5

The San Jacinto Battleground is home to more than 200 species of birds, and the best time to see them is first thing in the morning. Every first Saturday of the month, we open two hours early so birders and photographers can enjoy early morning at the site. The site is open to vehicles, but we ask that visitors be respectful of those enjoying the wildlife and keep noise to a minimum.

...

August 6

Stop by the San Jacinto Museum for a chance to play with replicas of 19th-century toys, weapons, tools, food, clothing, and much more. Learn all about the battle of San Jacinto and life on the Texas frontier, and imagine yourself in the shoes of a soldier or a frontiersman/frontierswoman.

When: Sunday, August 6; drop in between 1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Where: San Jacinto Museum...

August 12

Every second Saturday of the month, we open the site two hours early just for cyclists. Come and bike the Birthplace of Texas without worrying about cars.

When: Every second Saturday; 7:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.

Where: Enter through the gates at the base of the reflection pool. There will be places to park your car outside the gates.

Ages: Cycling Saturdays are open to all...

August 12

BOOM! Have you ever wondered how to load a cannon or seen one fired? This weekend, visitors to the San Jacinto Monument can learn how to load a cannon and watch regular cannon demonstrations. It will be a blast, literally!

When: Saturday, August 12; 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.; cannon fire will be on the hour and the half hour

Where: Outside the San Jacinto Monument

Ages:...

August 19

On an active cattle ranch like the McCormick’s at San Jacinto, the family would have churned butter a couple of times a week. Once the cows were milked, the milk was left to settle so the cream could rise to the top. The cream was then skimmed off and added to a churn, where the constant motion produced butter by separating the yellow fat from the buttermilk.

Join us at our butter...

August 20

Do you know where General Santa Anna set up his camp during the Battle of San Jacinto or where General Houston was shot? How about where the Surrender Tree was located? Discover the San Jacinto Battleground like you've never seen it before on a staff-led van tour of the battlefield. Tours start shortly after the showing of Texas Forever!!

When: Tours start at 12:45 p.m., 1:45 p.m. and...

August 26

Do you know where General Santa Anna set up his camp during the Battle of San Jacinto or where General Houston was shot? How about where the Surrender Tree was located? Discover the San Jacinto Battleground like you've never seen it before on a staff-led van tour of the battlefield. Tours start shortly after the showing of Texas Forever!!

When: Tours start at 12:45 p.m., 1:45 p.m. and...

September 2023

September 2

The San Jacinto Battleground is home to more than 200 species of birds, and the best time to see them is first thing in the morning. Every first Saturday of the month, we open two hours early so birders and photographers can enjoy early morning at the site. The site is open to vehicles, but we ask that visitors be respectful of those enjoying the wildlife and keep noise to a minimum.

...

September 9

Every second Saturday of the month, we open the site two hours early just for cyclists. Come and bike the Birthplace of Texas without worrying about cars.

When: Every second Saturday; 7:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.

Where: Enter through the gates at the base of the reflection pool. There will be places to park your car outside the gates.

Ages: Cycling Saturdays are open to all...

September 30

“There's a yellow rose in Texas that I am gonna see, Nobody else could miss her, not half as much as me.” The lyrics of “The Yellow Rose of Texas” are familiar to any Texan, but the true story behind the song is lost in myth and legend.  Learn how the “Yellow Rose of Texas” became the unofficial state anthem and how grit and determination brought a free Black woman from the abolitionist riots...

October 2023

October 7

The San Jacinto Battleground is home to more than 200 species of birds, and the best time to see them is first thing in the morning. Every first Saturday of the month, we open two hours early so birders and photographers can enjoy early morning at the site. The site is open to vehicles, but we ask that visitors be respectful of those enjoying the wildlife and keep noise to a minimum.

...

October 14

Every second Saturday of the month, we open the site two hours early just for cyclists. Come and bike the Birthplace of Texas without worrying about cars.

When: Every second Saturday; 7:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.

Where: Enter through the gates at the base of the reflection pool. There will be places to park your car outside the gates.

Ages: Cycling Saturdays are open to all...

October 14

You are cordially invited to experience the vibrant spirit of the 1830s at the San Jacinto Fall Fandango on October 14, 2023, from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.! In a frontier world where neighbors lived miles apart, social gatherings like a fandango were essential for socializing and forming tight-knit communities.

Try your luck in authentic historical games, experience period music while...

November 2023

November 4

The San Jacinto Battleground is home to more than 200 species of birds, and the best time to see them is first thing in the morning. Every first Saturday of the month, we open two hours early so birders and photographers can enjoy early morning at the site. The site is open to vehicles, but we ask that visitors be respectful of those enjoying the wildlife and keep noise to a minimum.

...

November 4

Before an army could fight, it had to be fed! Soldiers in the Texas Army were usually supplied with the basic ingredients and had to make their own food out of what was provided.

In his memoirs of the Texas Revolution, Dr. Labadie wrote that the day before the Battle of San Jacinto, he “secured a small tin pan full, and having made it into dough, I threw it on the hot embers, and in...

November 11

Every second Saturday of the month, we open the site two hours early just for cyclists. Come and bike the Birthplace of Texas without worrying about cars.

When: Every second Saturday; 7:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.

Where: Enter through the gates at the base of the reflection pool. There will be places to park your car outside the gates.

Ages: Cycling Saturdays are open to all...

December 2023

December 2

The San Jacinto Battleground is home to more than 200 species of birds, and the best time to see them is first thing in the morning. Every first Saturday of the month, we open two hours early so birders and photographers can enjoy early morning at the site. The site is open to vehicles, but we ask that visitors be respectful of those enjoying the wildlife and keep noise to a minimum.

...

December 9

Every second Saturday of the month, we open the site two hours early just for cyclists. Come and bike the Birthplace of Texas without worrying about cars.

When: Every second Saturday; 7:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.

Where: Enter through the gates at the base of the reflection pool. There will be places to park your car outside the gates.

Ages: Cycling Saturdays are open to all...