WASHINGTON ON THE BRAZOS OPEN THANKSGIVING

  

If you’re looking for fun, family-friendly things to do over the Thanksgiving holidays, please keep the 293-acre Washington on the Brazos State Historic Site (WOB) in mind. 

The park and its wonderful amenities are open all week, including Thanksgiving Day!  (The Star of the Republic Museum is the only facility at WOB closed on Thanksgiving Day; it is open the rest of the week).

It’s a great day trip, whether you come this weekend or in the future!

The picturesque Washington on the Brazos State Historic Site gives visitors unique insights into the lives and times of the 59 delegates who met on that very spot to make a formal declaration of independence from Mexico in 1836.   From 1836 to 1846, the Republic of Texas proudly but precariously existed as a separate and unique nation.  Washington on the Brazos is, indeed, “Where Texas Became Texas.”

Here is refresher course on what is available at WOB, located midway between Brenham and Navasota:

This state park offers many amenities and special events so visitors can experience life in early 19th century at its four main attractions: Independence Hall (the site in 1836 where representatives of Texas settlements met to make a formal declaration of independence from Mexico);  Barrington Living History Farm (where interpreters dress, talk, work and farm as did the earliest residents of the original farmstead); and Star of the Republic Museum (collections honoring the history, cultures, diversity and values of early Texans; administered by Blinn College);  and Fanthorp Inn State Historic Site (off-site 19th century stagecoach inn in Anderson—open only on Saturdays and Sundays).

The expansive park grounds along the Brazos River also provide a beautiful setting for picnicking, sightseeing and bird watching, as well as four geocaching sites—two each from TPWD and the Brenham/Washington County Chamber & CVB. 

The site’s Visitor Center features interactive exhibits which present a timeline of the Texas Revolution and highlight the historic attractions located within the park.  The center also houses the spacious Washington Emporium Gift Shop, which offers snacks and a wide range of Texas-themed items and keepsakes.

And remember, entrance to the park and parking is always free. Leashed pets are allowed in park, but NOT ALLOWED onto farm site or in Museum.

The park grounds are open from 8 a.m. to sundown; the Visitor Center is open 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Independence Hall is open 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (tour times vary); Barrington Farm is open 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; Star of the Republic Museum is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (except on Thanksgiving Day); Fanthorp Inn is open Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

LOOKING AHEAD:  The historic Christmas traditions of Texas in the 1800s will transport visitors into the past at the day-long Christmas on the Brazos celebration at WOB on Saturday, December 13, 2014.  Free and low-cost holiday activities for all ages include period music, craft making, readings, food samplings and sale of artisan gifts, culminating in the park’s popular Candlelight Christmas event at the Barrington Living History Farm featuring vignettes of Texian frontier festivities with music, musket firing, dancing and a candlelit tour of the farm. 

More information on the park complex and its events is available at the website for the Washington on the Brazos State Park Association—which supports the state historic site and preserves Texas history through programs, education and celebrations—at www.wheretexasbecametexas.org, the TPWD website for the park at www.tpwd.state.tx.us/state-parks/washington-on-the-brazos and the museum website at www.starmuseum.org.

WOB is located at 23400 Park Road 12, Washington, TX, 77880—approximately halfway between Brenham and Navasota, off of State Hwy. 105.   From Hwy. 105, follow either FM 912 or FM 1155 to Park Road 12.   The public can also call (936) 878-2214 for more information.  Story courtesy of Washington on the Brazos.

 

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