Calendar & Events | Visit San Jacinto Museum & Battlefield

EventTales from the Tombstone: Candlelight Graveyard Tours

ClosureMuseum and Site Closed to Prepare for Fields of Honor

The Museum and Site will be closed on December 2 as volunteers and staff work to prepare and set up for Fields of Honor: A Luminous Tribute at San Jacinto.

ClosureMuseum Closed for Thanksgiving

The San Jacinto Museum and the San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site will be closed for the Thanksgiving holiday. Both will be open on the following Friday.

EventScenes From San Jacinto

Bring the San Jacinto of 1836 back to life by making your own homemade diorama. We’ll provide the materials; you just need to bring your imagination.

EventDemonstration Day - Butter Churning

Join us for a butter-churning demonstration and make your own butter! Yum!

EventDemonstration Day - Haversack Packing

Recurring EventPicture Yourself at San Jacinto

Receive a complimentary instant photograph of yourself or your group in front of the historic San Jacinto Monument. Learn about its rich history and explore a pop-up gallery showcasing visitors’ photos throughout the years.

Recurring EventSpinning and Weaving

Learn more about traditional spinning and weaving at a demonstration from the Bay Area Weavers and Spinners every third Saturday at the San Jacinto Museum.

EventCareer Day - Educator

Explore the fascinating world behind the exhibits and discover the diverse career opportunities within the museum industry.

Event2024 San Jacinto Day Celebration

Join us for a day of fun, history, and reenactments celebrating the anniversary of the Battle of San Jacinto. Reenactors dressed in period clothing make the epic events of April 1836 come alive, and reenactments throughout the day will recreate the dramatic events that led to the battle.

LectureLecture: Myths, Mistakes, and Misunderstandings

What are some of our popular misconceptions about the Battle of San Jacinto? Find out from James E. Crisp in this History Under the Stars talk on March 16, 2024.

EventWho Was the Yellow Rose?

Learn more about the real story of Emily West and make your own yellow rose out of tissue paper in her honor.

EventCareer Day: Curator

Learn what a curator does and ask questions about artifact handling, exhibit design, and more.

EventButter Churning

Try your hand at churning butter using both a dash churn and a shake jar. You’ll even get to take your butter home with you!

EventThe Threads of Revolution

Learn more about the clothes worn by the soldiers fighting in the Texas Revolution and the civilians fleeing in the Runaway Scrape and make your own Texas Revolution paper doll.

EventCome and Give It!

Did you know that Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center needs 1000 donations a day to meet the needs of our community? Carry on the Texan spirit of friendship and camaraderie by donating blood!

EventQuill and Ink

Writing two hundred years ago required tools very different from the pens and pencils we use today - quills and ink! Come try your hand at writing with a quill and ink.

EventCamp Life: Laundry

Learn how laundry was done in the 1830s and help us clean some bandanas with an old-fashioned washtub and washboard. You might even get to take your bandana home with you once it’s dry!

EventFlags of the Texas Revolution

The Texians created and used multiple flags throughout the Texan Revolution. Discover what our six flags represent and learn about the study of vexillology while creating your own flag.

EventDemo Day: Tortilla Making

Women, at home and following the Mexican army, made tortillas every morning. Come and see how tortillas would have been made in the 1830s.

EventSpring Break Programs

Head to the San Jacinto Battleground March 13th through 16th for family fun outdoors.

LectureLecture: Gender and the Runaway Scrape

In the waning moments of the rebellion, fear of defeat prompted larger questions of what it meant to be a man and woman in a period of war and retreat.

EventFire! Arms Demo

Experience some of the thunderous sounds of battle as staff demonstrate how to fire a musket and rifle, weapons both the Mexican and Texian armies utilized.

EventCandle Making

See a demonstration of the candle-making process frontiersmen and women used to create light for their homes.

EventExperience San Jacinto

Experience San Jacinto is a three-day summer camp program that immerses the participant in history through a variety of living history activities and demonstrations.

EventLa Porte Free Thursdays

Free admission to La Porte residents with proof of residency on Thursdays in June and July.

EventFrontier Toy Touch Table

Have fun with toys of the past and learn about frontier childhood.

EventFlag Day Flag Making

Learn something new about the United States and Texas Revolution flags and the symbols that show their country's ideals, values, and features.

EventPicnic at the Park Day

Enjoy picnicking at one of the numerous beautiful spots at San Jacinto on International Picnic Day.

EventDemo Day: Drop Spindle Spinning

Hardworking frontierswomen spun cotton, flax, or wool into thread. Learn about the history of textile spinning and witness a live demonstration of thread spinning on a drop spindle.

EventDemo Day: Ink Making

Frontier settlers could create their own ink, using oak galls, berries, cloves, bark, and more - learn how some real 19th century ink recipes were made.

EventTalk in an Elevator Day

Strike up a conversation and share knowledge in the elevator to the observation deck 489 feet in the air on Elevator Day.

Recurring EventFire! Arms Demo

Experience some of the thunderous sounds of battle as San Jacinto Battleground staff demonstrate how to fire a cannon and a musket, weapons both armies used on the fateful day that won Texan independence.

LectureLecture: The Texas Navy and San Jacinto

One factor that shaped the victory on April 21, 1836, wasn’t anywhere near San Jacinto that day: the officers and crews of the Texian Navy.

EventNational Coloring Book Day

Celebrate National Coloring Book Day with San Jacinto Monument and Texas history coloring sheets and a plethora of markers, crayons, and colored pencils.

EventNational Sons and Daughters Day

Learn more about the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, their relation to the San Jacinto Museum and Battleground, and their important historical work.

EventDemo Day: Battlefield Medicine

EventCamp Life: Breadmaking

Soldiers in the Texian Army were usually supplied with the basic ingredients and had to make their own food out of what was provided. Try making your own campfire bread, just like the Texian soldiers did.

EventCorn Husk Angels

Kids had to make their own toys on the Texas frontier, and a corn husk doll was a staple of a Texas childhood in the 1830s. Make your own holiday corn husk angel to take home.

EventWorld Letter Writing Day

Written correspondence was an essential practice to stay connected to other people in the 1830s. To celebrate this holiday, try your hand at writing a letter with a quill and India ink.

EventDemo Day: Battle Beats

Specialized battlefield bands would use drums, fifes, and horns to send musical messages to convey information. Learn about the instruments and people who helped the Texians prevail at the Battle of San Jacinto.

EventRead a Book Day

Calling all bookworms! To celebrate Read a Book Day, grab a book and visit the battlefield to spend the day reading. Get some some staff-picked recommendations at the Read a Book Day display.

EventArcheology Info Table

Get “hands on” with archeology by making pinch pots and learn about archeology.

EventDemo Day: Camp Kitchen

Witness a real-life camp kitchen in action and experience the sights and smells of the frontier. Learn about rations and food preservation, and eat like a Texian soldier.

EventDemo Day: Fire Making

Watch as San Jacinto Battleground educators demonstrate how to use a flint and steel to prepare a fire, and learn how to make your own char-cloth. Learn how to create your own Texian fire making kit!

EventMosquito Protection

Learn how to protect yourself from one of humanity's deadliest predators from Harris County Mosquito & Vector Control Division.

EventTexian Navy Day

Sons of the Republic of Texas invite the public to join the commemoration of Texian Navy Day, honoring the vital contributions of the Texas Navy during the fight for Texas Independence.

LectureLecture: San Jacinto and the DRT

The movement to designate the San Jacinto Battleground as a patriotic shrine began with a group of Texas veterans who passed the baton to a group of dedicated women. Learn more!

EventMember Appreciation Night

This member-only exclusive event celebrates our valued museum members with an engaging evening for all who love Texas history.

EventThe Yellow Rose of Texas: Myth and Fact

Come to this interactive program to answer your questions about the Yellow Rose and learn the truth behind the legend.

EventBulletmaking

Soldiers in the Texas Revolution did more than just fight. Learn how bullets were made and how ammunition worked during the Texas Revolution.

EventPocket Portraits

Learn about the significance of pocket-sized portraits for travelers and military personnel.

EventMake a Monument

Learn about the construction of the San Jacinto Monument and its status as a National Civil Engineering Landmark,and create a 3D model of the monument.

EventMedicine Making

Learn more about medicinal practices of the early 19th century and make some medicine by grinding herbs in our mortar and pestle.

EventBadges, Buckles, and Buttons

Learn about the various types of military insignias worn by Mexicans and Texians during the battle of San Jacinto. Make military insignias using gold-foiled cardboard sheets and button-making machines.

EventScenes of San Jacinto

Bring the San Jacinto of 1836 back to life by making your own homemade diorama. We’ll provide the materials; you just need to bring your imagination.

EventMake a Shako

The shako – a tall, cylindrical military cap with a visor – was an important part of military uniforms. Learn more about this style of hat and decorate your own shako to take home.

EventTake Home Shellstone

Learn about the fossils of creatures in the stone walls of the San Jacinto Monument, its construction, and about the history of the land that is now Texas.

EventSan Jacinto Day Celebration

The epic events of April 1836 come alive, in a recreation of the dramatic events that led to one of the most decisive and impactful military victories in the history of North America.

EventSan Jacinto Texas Independence Fun Run

Run the Battlefield and experience the historic grounds where Texas won its independence, with your choice of a 10K run, 5K run, 5K walk, or a 1K Kids Run.

EventBattle Beats: Music of the March

March to the San Jacinto Battleground to listen and learn about 19th century battle music. A SPARK! program.

EventSPARK!: Picture Yourself at San Jacinto

Focus on photography: view and discuss archival images of the San Jacinto Battleground and snap a few new photos. A SPARK! program

Threads of the Revolution: UniformsThreads of the Revolution: Uniforms

Take a look at the colorful world of 1830s uniforms, and design your own. A SPARK! program

EventFrontier Fun: Games of the Frontier

Have some historic fun with classic frontier games like draughts, dominoes, faro, pick up sticks, and other merriments. A SPARK! program.

EventTake it With You: Haversack Packing

Look into an 1830s soldier's haversack and view some 19th century personal artifacts. A SPARK! program.

EventScenes From San Jacinto: Dioramas

See the signts, smells, flora, and fauna of the San Jacinto Battleground from the comfort of the Jesse H. Jones Theatre. A SPARK! program.

EventUntil the Sun Set

The Battle of San Jacinto was a dramatic victory that could not be won without a heavy cost. Step into the shoes of a Texian soldier and focus on one of the battle's most difficult aspects.

EventMembership Luncheon

Museum members: connect with fellow history enthusiasts, celebrate Texas heritage, and show your support for the San Jacinto Museum.

EventLecture: Undertold Texas

Take an eclectic journey through Texas history as Mike Vance, Texas author and filmmaker, guides us through forgotten events that have shaped our modern state.

EventLecture: Brave Boy and a Good Soldier

The story of 14 year old John C. C. Hill's capture and subsequent adoption by President Antonio López de Santa Anna is one of the most fascinating to come out of the Texan Mier Expedition.

EventMemory and the Battleground Van Tour

Take a focused battleground van tour looking at was preserved in stone contrasted with what was enshrined only in archives and memory.

EventBlack Powder Weapons Touch Table

Learn about and touch non-firing replicas of some of the gun models used at the Battle of San Jacinto.

EventFrontier Medicine Touch Table

People in the 1830s got sick, just like we do today, but they had very different ways of treating illness. Learn about historic medicine at this hands-on program.

EventSan Jacinto School Day

Teachers, bring history to life for your students and help them engage with and learn from history!

LectureLecture: Weapons and Wounds of the Texas Revolution

Join Dr. Richard Bruce Winders for an in-depth exploration of the weaponry used during the Texas Revolution.

Recurring EventCycling Saturdays

Every second Saturday of the month, the San Jacinto Battleground State Historic site opens two hours early just for bicyclists. Free, and open to all ages.

Recurring EventBird Watching at the Battleground

The native prairie, tidal marsh, and bottomland forest are home to more than 200 species of birds. The grounds open two hours early so birders and photographers can enjoy early morning at the site, from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m.

EventThank You, Veterans

Free admission for military veterans on the weekend before Veterans Day.

Exhibit Opening - After the Battle of San Jacinto

EventSan Jacinto Ceremony

The official celebration of the Battle of San Jacinto, complete with the reading of General Houston's report of the battle and a black powder salute.

Recurring EventFamily Day

Family Day takes place on the first Saturday of every month. Children enter for free when accompanied by an adult family member who purchases a ticket. Living history programs make the day fun and educational for all.

Recurring EventCandy Cartridges

Recurring EventBattleground Bike Tour

EventSan Jacinto Celebration 2023

Join us for a day of fun, food, history, and reenactments celebrating the anniversary of the Battle of San Jacinto. Reenactors dressed in period clothing make the epic events of April 1836 come alive, and reenactments throughout the day will recreate the dramatic events that led to the battle.

Recurring EventBattleground Van Tour

Discover the San Jacinto Battleground as you've never seen it before on a staff-led van tour of the battlefield.

EventFeeding an Army

It's said that an army travels on it’s stomach, and that was no less true for the Texian revolutionaries in 1836. Try making your own campfire bread, just like the rebel soldiers did 187 years ago!

Recurring EventMusket and Cannon Demo

Experience some of the thunderous sounds of battle as San Jacinto Battleground staff demonstrate how to fire a cannon and a musket, weapons both armies used on the fateful day that won Texan independence.

Recurring EventBoom: Cannon Demonstration

Learn how to load a cannon and watch regular cannon firing demonstrations.

EventMake a Cup & Ball Toy

Perfect your technique with your own homemade cup and ball. Join us this Saturday to make your own. We’ll provide the materials; you just need to bring your imagination!

EventKnit in Public Day

EventLecture: San Jacinto - The Experience of Battle

EventTexas Revolution Touch Table

Come 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 pioneer.

EventMake a Buzzsaw Toy

EventLecture: The Yellow Rose of Texas

The lyrics of “The Yellow Rose of Texas” are familiar to all Texans, 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 of Connecticut to the thick of a bloody Texas revolution.

EventAmmo of the Texas Revolution

Learn how bullets were made and how ammunition worked during the Texas Revolution. Kids can also help make a wax bullet to take home. Suitable for kids aged 5 and up, this activity is free and takes place outside.

EventJoin the Texian Army!

At the Join the Texian Army spring break program, you can watch cannon demonstrations, participate in living history demonstrations, and enjoy some arts and crafts activities. It’s fun for the whole family!

EventThe Past, Present, and Future of San Jacinto

EventForaging San Jacinto

Event2024 San Jacinto Texas Independence Fun Run

Are you ready for the annual San Jacinto Texas Independence Fun Run? There will be 10- and 5K runs, a 5K walk, and a 1K Kids run.

EventLife on the Frontier: Butter Churning

Join us this Family Day for a butter-churning demonstration and make your own butter! You even get to take your homemade butter home with you! Yum!

EventLecture: Houston Deco

EventSurviving the Runaway Scrape

Join us in the San Jacinto Family Day program to hear real stories of the Runaway Scrape and see if you can make it to safety in the “Surviving the Runaway Scrape” game!

EventCelebrating the Lone Star

Celebrate the Lone Star flag of Texas by learning more about how it came to be and some of the Revolutionary flags that pre-dated it. Kids (and crafty adults) can try their hand at making a flag, either from history or their own imagination

ClosedMuseum Closed for Thanksgiving Holiday

EventMake Your Own Corn Husk Doll

EventLecture: Houston, Military Traditions, and San Jacinto

EventFall Fandango - Cancelled

Special ExhibitSpecial Exhibit: A Monumental Experience

Lobby ExhibitLobby Exhibit: The Texas Navy

Lobby ExhibitLobby Exhibit: The French in Texas

ExhibitAfter the Battle of San Jacinto

The nearly ten year period when Texas was a Republic brought conflict, challenges, and growth to the new nation.

EventLife on the Frontier: Spinning and Weaving

Learn more about traditional spinning and weaving at a demonstration from the Bay Area Weavers and Spinners every third Saturday at the San Jacinto Museum.

EventTexas Revolution Hats

During the Battle of San Jacinto, the Tejano soldiers tucked cards into their hatbands to distinguish them from the Mexican soldados. Join us and make your own hat from the Texas Revolution!

EventLife on the Frontier: Medicine Making

Learn about historic medicine and try making your own by grinding cinnamon bark in a mortar and pestle at our September life on the frontier program.

EventMake a Cartridge Box

Industrialization in the early 19th century lead to mass-produced musket cartridges. Soldiers would carry these cartridges to battle in their own cartridge boxes.

EventA Yellow Rose in Texas

EventDirt Detectives

In honor of Texas Archeology Month, we’ve created puzzles using images of real artifacts found during archeological excavations at the San Jacinto Battleground. See if you can put them back together, and figure out what the object is and what it was used for, just like a real archeologist!

EventSan Jacinto Fall Fandango

Immerse yourself in the vibrant spirit of the 1830s at the San Jacinto Fall Fandango. In an era when neighbors lived miles apart, social gatherings like a fandango were essential for bringing communities together. This event is free.

LectureLecture: The Road to San Jacinto

The often-unpopular decisions Houston made on the road to San Jacinto eventually led to his victory at San Jacinto. Without knowing how the Texas Army reached the fields at San Jacinto, Houston’s true skill as a military leader cannot be understood. In “The Road to San Jacinto,” author Dave Dyer retraces Houston’s route east based on extensive primary and secondary research, bringing each one back to life.

EventFields of Honor: A Luminous Tribute at San Jacinto

Fields of Honor: A Luminous Tribute at San Jacinto will take place on Saturday, December 2, 2023, to commemorate the sacrifice of the over 21,500 Texans who have given their lives in armed conflict. Volunteer groups are being sought to participate by placing and picking up 21,500 candles on the San Jacinto Battlefield to visually depict what President Abraham Lincoln called “the last full measure of devotion.”

Texas Revolution Paper Dolls

Jesse H. Jones TheatreTexas Forever!! The Battle of San Jacinto

Watch this award-winning, 35-minute multimedia production vividly depicting the events of the Texas Revolution and Battle of San Jacinto. Showtimes: Every hour, on the hour.

Calendar

Featured Events

EventCycling Saturdays

EventLecture: James Monroe Hill - Why is He in the Painting?

EventLecture: The Coming and Fighting of the Battle of San Jacinto

EventLecture: Retributive Justice and the Myth of Texas Independence

EventLecture: Brazen Women: Challenging Gender Expectations in a Time of War and Chaos

EventFamily Day

EventPicture Yourself at San Jacinto

EventSpinning and Weaving

EventBird Watching at the Battleground

EventFrontier Toy Touch Table

EventFlags of the Texas Revolution

EventThe Yellow Rose of Texas: Myth and Fact

EventCorn Husk Angels

EventForaging San Jacinto

EventPocket Portraits

EventThreads of the Revolution: Uniforms

EventLecture: Brave Boy and a Good Soldier

EventMemory and the Battleground Van Tour

EventFrontier Medicine Touch Table

EventSan Jacinto Day Celebration

EventMedicine Making

EventSPARK!: Picture Yourself at San Jacinto

EventLecture: Weapons and Wounds of the Texas Revolution

EventTales from the Tombstone: Candlelight Graveyard Tours

ClosureMuseum and Site Closed to Prepare for Fields of Honor

ClosureMuseum Closed for Thanksgiving

EventScenes From San Jacinto

EventDemonstration Day - Butter Churning

EventDemonstration Day - Haversack Packing

Recurring EventPicture Yourself at San Jacinto

Recurring EventSpinning and Weaving

EventCareer Day - Educator

Event2024 San Jacinto Day Celebration

LectureLecture: Myths, Mistakes, and Misunderstandings

EventWho Was the Yellow Rose?

EventCareer Day: Curator

EventButter Churning

EventThe Threads of Revolution

EventCome and Give It!

EventQuill and Ink

EventCamp Life: Laundry

EventFlags of the Texas Revolution

EventDemo Day: Tortilla Making

EventSpring Break Programs

LectureLecture: Gender and the Runaway Scrape

EventFire! Arms Demo

EventCandle Making

EventExperience San Jacinto

EventLa Porte Free Thursdays

EventFrontier Toy Touch Table

EventFlag Day Flag Making

EventPicnic at the Park Day

EventDemo Day: Drop Spindle Spinning

EventDemo Day: Ink Making

EventTalk in an Elevator Day

Recurring EventFire! Arms Demo

LectureLecture: The Texas Navy and San Jacinto

EventNational Coloring Book Day

EventNational Sons and Daughters Day

EventDemo Day: Battlefield Medicine

EventCamp Life: Breadmaking

EventCorn Husk Angels

EventWorld Letter Writing Day

EventDemo Day: Battle Beats

EventRead a Book Day

EventArcheology Info Table

EventDemo Day: Camp Kitchen

EventDemo Day: Fire Making

EventMosquito Protection

EventTexian Navy Day

LectureLecture: San Jacinto and the DRT

EventMember Appreciation Night

EventThe Yellow Rose of Texas: Myth and Fact

EventBulletmaking

EventPocket Portraits

EventMake a Monument

EventMedicine Making

EventBadges, Buckles, and Buttons