San Jacinto Monument and Museum

The Battlegrounds is one of the best kept secrets in the area; with its beautiful picnic grounds, large Spanish moss covered trees, and the monument museum you cant go wrong for an entry fee of $1 per adult (13+) and children free (12 and under). Bring a bike out and ride back into history as you stop and read the sight markers scattered throughout the 1,200 acre park. Or follow Park Road 1836 to the East side where the picnic grounds look out over the Houston Ship Channel and you can see the 146 suspension bridge going to Baytown in the distance. The park is a great place to find a bit of solitude 9am 6pm daily except for Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The Monument Museum (open same hours as the Battlegrounds) has a lot of interesting artifacts and information about the Texan and Mexican armies and comes at no additional cost but if you want to ride the elevator to the top it will cost an additional $4 for adults and $3 for children. Be sure to bring insect spray, but if you do forget they sell insect repellant wipes at the Monument Gift Shop for around $1.50 a piece but they work wonders (trust me, on my last trip I HAD to use them). Pros: Wonderful for history nuts, great for kids, an absolute must for a picnic. Cons: Mosquitoes abound, can get crowded on weekends. more

I just went to this monument with my girlfriend and it's really interesting that not many people know about this place or go to it. The place seemed pretty desolate with only a bus load of school kids and a handful of visitors. You can ride to the top of the monument on a 50 year old elevator. The top has a great view; you can actually see Downtown Houston in the distance, but nearby it's really sad - all petroleum and chemical plants. At the base there is a free one room museum, fairly interesting but out of date. Across the reflection pool sits U.S.S. Texas (I believe) also not a frequently visited place. You can get the feeling that both places don't pull in that many visitors, but still a landmark, and for $3 you can ride to the top of it. Pros: not crowded, inexpensive more

I have grown up around the Battleground area and have visited the facilities several times as a child. At that time, the services were free, but within the past decade or so a fee has to be paid to enter the monument and the battleground. To me that is not free. Free means for nothing, no charge. There are a lot of people that would love to experience the beauty and history that the monument and battleship has to offer but because there is a fee, a lot of people cannot afford the experience, and to me that is pretty sad that we have such a beautiful piece of history here and a lot of people cannot experience it. Therefore I feel that this entry should be taken off of the list for a free place to visit in Houston because its not. more

at a time when there is so much discord, there is no better place to go and be reminded of of heritage and history. There is so much pride to be felt here. kids and adults alike will have a great time. so many things to see, the battleship is awesome. and all the historical artifacts are incredible. going up to the tower is breathtaking. more

The birth of Texas took place in this pretty setting. It is a delight I return to with pleasure. more

If a vistor is coming to Southeast Texas for the first time, this historical marker is the first thing that a vistor should see! They say everything is big in Texas! Well, The San Jacinto Monument & Battleground State Park is BIG! It is a outting for the entire family, you can ride an elevtor to the top of the monument, and you can see EVERYTHING! Including the skyline of Downtown Houston, and everything else! And a vistor can learn about Texas history, and they can also learn on how Texas gain it's independance from Mexico, (March 2,1836) I would strongly recommend that a vistor visit this park first! Pros: Inexpensive, Good parking, Wide spaces Cons: Not near an airport, Hot, humid in Summer, No Restuarants on sit more

This is a wonderful place to bring visitors to Texas. It gives them to chance to see where the battle for Texas was won. It's a clean well-kept part, great for family picnics, while great Texas History education for all. Pros: Inexpensive, Nice Park Picnic area, Texas History Lesson Cons: Hot in the summer more