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Texas folks: have you done a tour of the history of TX?


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We did this many years ago, although we don't live there, we are TEXANS through and Through.

 

We couldn't see every thing but we hit a few highlights in Houston and SA.

 

THE ALAMO IS A MUST.

The San Jacinto Monument and the USS TEXAS

George Ranch

 

The other missions in SA.

 

Shoot can't remember what else we saw now.

 

Also there is a great boys book Piper's Ferry about the Alamo-/TEXAS fight for independence. By G Clifton Wisler.

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We live near many of the early Texas history sites, so we visited many while we were studying TX history. We did most of these over the period of a year. My kids probably would not have enjoyed it so much if we did them all in one short period.

 

Some to see:

 

San Jacinto Monument http://www.sanjacinto-museum.org/

They have reenactments every spring (?). The Battleship Texas can be toured at this same location.

 

Jane Long's (the Mother of Texas) gravesite is in Richmond (not VA!) TX

Morton Cemetery There was another important Texas historical figure buried near her, but I cannot remember who it was.

 

There is a large statue of Stephen F Austin off Hwy 288 just south of Angleton (south of Houston)

 

There is a huge statue of Sam Houston by Huntsville. There is a small museum worth a visit as well.

 

You will want to go to Washington on the Brazos: http://www.birthplaceoftexas.com/ Again they have reenactments.

 

Austin for the capitol and the Bob Bulluck Museum and the Texas State cemetery.

http://www.thestoryoftexas.com/

http://www.cemetery.state.tx.us/

 

Don't forget San Antonio - the Alamo and the missions (although one was enough for us, you might be interested in visiting more)

 

We also rode the Texas State Railroad (Rusk-Palestine)

http://www.texasstaterr.com/ On our way to the train, we stopped by the Caddoan Mounds State Historical Park which is worth the time and trouble.

 

Other side trips

 

Galveston - If you are coming soon, there is a special exhibit at the Houston Museum of Natural Science "Forgotten Gateway: Coming to America Through Galveston Island" through Feb 2011. It is fun to either leave or enter Galveston via the Bolivar Ferry. The ferry is free. We've seen dolphins in the gulf from this ferry. I don't know if there are any historical spots in Galveston proper.

 

Varner-Hogg Plantation in West Columbia http://www.visitvarnerhoggplantation.com/index.aspx?page=19

 

George Ranch south of Houston http://www.georgeranch.org/

 

This really isn't specifically Texas history, but my kids enjoyed it. In League City, they have a one room schoolhouse. They offer field trips where they reproduce a day in the life of one room schoolhouse - complete with school marm. It is fun to see it with a wide variety of ages in a homeschool group as you get a real feel for how it worked. http://www.oneroomschoolhouse.org/

 

There is probably more. Texans are real proud of their history!

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Thanks for the links! I really wasn't wanting to have someone do my research for me, but I surely appreciate some of those. A few I had forgotten about.

 

I guess I was more interested on the personal aspect..like was it too much in one big trip...places you thought really weren't worth stopping at, good tips to make it a better trip.

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When I was a teenager we did a spring trip break around Texas during it's Sesquicentennial. We went to Austin, San Antonio, Galveston and Houston. Lots of really great things to see and plenty to do! Hope you have a wonderful time and make sure to enjoy all of the great food Texas has to offer!

 

Diane

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One year when we lived in California we went to all 21 missions. In a week. Tent camping. With an Isuzu I-Mark. From one end of California to the other.

 

It was dreadful. :tongue_smilie:

 

So if I were going to do it again, I'd either stay in hotels along the way or try to take a larger vehicle, like a camper.

 

Also, we were traveling at the end of May...Memorial Day weekend, in fact, so we couldn't make reservations for Saturday night (we pitched our tent in a parking lot at a camp site). And there was record heat on Monday--over 100 in the middle of the Redwoods. Ack. We probably should have gone earlier in the month or waited until fall.

 

It would be good to check some of your destinations to see if they have special festivals or events or whatnot. Sometimes those are wonderful, sometimes they're not; you just need to know ahead of time.

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