2026 Family Day Schedule
San Jacinto Family Day: Take Home Shellstone
January 3, 2026 - 11:00 am to 3:00 pm
105 million years ago, the land that is now Texas was covered in an ocean. The seashells you see on the walls of the monument are the fossils of creatures from that time. Learn about the construction of the monument and the history of the land that is now Texas, and create your own shell stone with clay.
San Jacinto Family Day: Pocket Portraits
February 7, 2026 - 11:00 am to 3:00 pm
Discover how people preserved memories of loved ones before the widespread use of photography. Learn about the alternatives used during that era, such as portrait art, and about the significance of pocket-sized portraits for travelers and military personnel. Create your own vintage-inspired keepsake to take home!
San Jacinto Family Day: Bulletmaking
March 7, 2026 - 11:00 am to 3:00 pm
Soldiers in the Texas Revolution did more than just fight. They were also responsible for making their own ammunition! Learn how bullets were made and how ammunition worked during the Texas Revolution, and help us make a wax bullet to take home!
San Jacinto Family Day: Make a Monument
April 4, 2026 - 11:00 am to 3:00 pm
In this San Jacinto Monument-focused program, participants will learn about the construction of the San Jacinto Monument from 1936 to 1939. Educators will speak about the monument’s status as a National Civil Engineering Landmark, facts about its construction, and the monument’s international record of being the tallest war memorial in the world. As the educators share this information, they will help guide participants in creating a 3D model of the monument from paper and tape.
2026 Family Day Schedule
San Jacinto Family Day: Our Colorful Past: Exploring Natural Dyes
May 2, 2026 - 11:00 am to 3:00 pm
In the early 1800s, much of the clothing were not ready-made pieces, but handmade clothes. People not only made their own clothes but dyed them a variety of bright colors through the use of natural dyes. Join us at the monument where our educators will guide visitors through some of the natural dyes used at the times of the Texas frontier. Participants will get the chance to hand-dye some cotton to take home.
San Jacinto Family Day: Flags of the Texas Revolution
June 6, 2026 - 11:00 am to 3:00 pm
The Texians created and used multiple flags throughout the Texan Revolution to represent their cause, six of which we fly daily at the San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site. All flags send a visual message, and the Texian army had a lot to say! From the crystal-clear invitation to “Come and Take It” on the Gonzales flag, to the symbolic Liberty flag flown at the battle of San Jacinto, these flags proudly display the goals and intentions of the Revolution.
2026 Family Day Schedule
San Jacinto Family Day: Declaration Documents: Quill and Ink
July 4, 2026 - 11:00 am to 3:00 pm
In their own pursuits of freedom, representatives of the United States, Mexico, and Texas each penned their grievances and intentions to leave their countries of origin in declarations of independence. In recognition of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the U.S. Declaration of Independence, educators will guide visitors through the similarities and differences in the declarations of independence of the United States (1776), Mexico (1821), and Texas (1836).
In doing so, educators will also invite visitors to sample writing with quill and ink, the same tools used to write the declarations of independence explored in this program.
San Jacinto Family Day: Badges and Buttons
August 1, 2026 - 11:00 am to 3:00 pm
Learn about the various types of military insignias worn by Mexicans and Texians during the battle of San Jacinto. Educators will talk about the history of accessorizing uniforms for battle, the various meanings of Texas Revolution-specific insignia designs, and the larger importance of symbolism both during and after the battle of San Jacinto. As the educators speak to visitors, they will demonstrate how to create military insignias using gold-foiled cardboard sheets and button-making machines.
2026 Family Day Schedule
San Jacinto Family Day: Monument Memories
September 5, 2026 - 11:00 am to 3:00 pm
The cornerstone of the San Jacinto Monument dedicates the monument to “the heroes of the battle of San Jacinto and all others who contributed toward the independence of Texas.” As a memorial, visitors come to the museum not only to learn about this history of the Battle of San Jacinto, but also to remember the lives and circumstances surrounding the war for Texas Independence.
Educators will explore the topic of memorialization while encouraging participants to create their own memories at the monument. Participants will receive a coloring page to decorate with the various stories, artifacts, names, etc., to remember from their visit to the monument that day.
San Jacinto Family Day: Rope Making
October 3, 2026 - 11:00 am to 3:00 pm
Ropes were a vital tool with several purposes for life on the Texas frontier. For our Rope Making program, visitors will learn more about rope – what it was used for, how it was made, and what it was made of – as they make their own length of rope using the techniques and similar materials used by the various populations of 19th century Texas.
2026 Family Day Schedule
San Jacinto Family Day: Mapping the Battlefield
November 7, 2026 - 11:00 am to 3:00 pm
In November of 1891, a group of seventeen women founded the Daughters of the Republic of Texas, making the preservation and care of the San Jacinto battleground a cornerstone of their mission. After successfully working with the state to secure rights to the land, the women moved on to the next project of transforming these rolling acres of prairie to a battleground memorial. This program recognizes the efforts of the DRT to use historical records and veteran accounts to map the battleground, marking significant sites with the large granite stone markers that remain standing to this day.
Participants are invited to step into the role of these early DRT members to assemble a puzzle of the battleground, which they can later take home! Using the historical descriptions of the battleground and the surrounding landscape, participants will gain a better understanding of the battleground and the process of identifying and mapping the points of interest relevant to the history of the Battle of San Jacinto.
San Jacinto Family Day: Historic Weaving
December 5, 2026 - 11:00 am to 3:00 pm
Basketry is a skill that would have been commonplace for historic settlers and other communities. For our Historic Weaving program, educators will teach about baskets and basketry, as well as present the opportunity for participants to practice some of these historic skills to make a woven ornament to take home.