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.
2027 Family Day Schedule
San Jacinto Family Day: Threads of Revolution: Paper Dolls
January 2, 2027 - 11:00 am to 3:00 pm
Lacking an official uniform, Texian soldiers’ attire ranged from buckskins and coonskin caps to ready-made clothes for wealthy planters. Meanwhile, on the other side of the battlefield, the Mexican army’s outfits were also in disarray. While the Mexican army had formal uniforms, supply shortages meant that soldiers wore whatever was available, regardless of whether it matched the rest of their unit.
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.
San Jacinto Family Day: Our Colorful Past: Exploring Natural Dyes
February 6, 2027 - 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 during the Texas frontier. Participants will get the chance to hand-dye some cotton to take home.
San Jacinto Family Day: Make a Monument
March 6, 2027 - 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.
San Jacinto Family Day: Make a Cannon
April 3, 2027 - 11:00 am to 3:00 pm
Discover how cannons and their ammunition were used during the Texas Revolution and at the Battle of San Jacinto in this hands-on program for children and families. Participants will learn about the three cannons used at the Battle of San Jacinto—the Twin Sisters and El Volcan—and explore how different types of ammunition, like canister shot and solid shot, served different purposes in the various battles of the Texas Revolution.
You will build and fire your own cup cannon using pom-pom ammunition and test your skills on a variety of targets!
2027 Family Day Schedule
San Jacinto Family Day: Medicine Making
May 1, 2027 - 11:00 am to 3:00 pm
How do you think people treated illnesses long ago? They had medicine too! Although modern medicine was in its early infancy, physicians leaned on various treatments and remedies for the illnesses of the day – some effective, some not. Learn more about medicinal practices of the early 19th century and make some medicine by grinding herbs in our mortar and pestle.
San Jacinto Family Day: Take Home Shellstone
June 5, 2027 - 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.
2027 Family Day Schedule
San Jacinto Family Day: Corn Husk Angels
July 3, 2027 - 11:00 am to 3:00 pm
Learn how to make the must-have toy of 1836: the corn husk doll!
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. Join us to learn about dolls on the frontier and make your own holiday corn husk angel to take home.
San Jacinto Family Day: Monument Memories
August 7, 2027 - 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.
2027 Family Day Schedule
San Jacinto Family Day: Badges and Buttons
September 4, 2027 - 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.
San Jacinto Family Day: Blacksmithing
October 2, 2027 - 11:00 am to 3:00 pm
Blacksmithing played a vital role in establishing communities along the Texas frontier, but also during war when soldiers must maintain and repair their own equipment (such as wagon wheels, horseshoes, and cannons). Visitors will have the opportunity to learn some blacksmithing history, handle reproduction pieces of the era, and participate in a smithing exercise. Participants will be able to learn various techniques by manipulating 'air-tempered' clay (as a substitute for crude steel and iron) with traditional trade tools on an anvil, cultivating greater insight and appreciation for this heritage craft.
2027 Family Day Schedule
San Jacinto Family Day: Mapping the Battlefield
November 6, 2027 - 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: Candy Cartridges
December 4, 2027 - 11:00 am to 3:00 pm
During the Texas Revolution, Mexican soldiers fired pre-made cartridges filled with black powder and a musket ball wrapped in paper. Texian soldiers had to hand roll their ammunition between battles. Learn how they worked by making your own replica cartridge using candy in place of the bullet and gunpowder.