The flurry of activity in the small cabin was both familiar and foreign. Two men worked together to wrestle fresh cedar boughs into a wreath. Just-strung popcorn garlands hung over the back of a chair, and the smell of homemade cookies filled the air. But whereas my family bakes sugar cookies from store-bought dough around the holidays, this variety (which I would later learn is called Springerle) was square and stamped with delicate designs using an old wooden rolling pin. The cookbook was from 1916 and sat next to an oil lamp, the only light in the room.
Every year in December, reenactors work together to prepare for the annual tree lighting at Sauer-Beckmann farm, a living history museum on the outskirts of Stonewall, in the Hill Country. The ceremony is a tradition that started in 1969, but the origins go back even further, to the late 1800s, when Johann and Christine Sauer and other German immigrants first settled in the town.
The Texas Historical Commission defines “living history” as activities that re-create the conditions of the past, providing a way to “relive our heritage by witnessing the day-to-day enterprise of our ancestors.” In less academic terms, it’s about both the places—the historic structures and the artifacts inside—and the personal experiences of those who lived there.
Our textbooks typically focus on world-changing politicians and events, while regular people and everyday life may get a sidebar or a few paragraphs. Even when there’s a drawing or photograph of what life looked like “back then,” it’s not the same as being able to see, touch, or even taste the same things previous generations did. The enduring magic of living history museums in the modern age is that they make the past relatable and more memorable. I may forget the key dates, but I’m never forgetting that cookie.
Below are nineteen other events and experiences around the state, categorized by era, that are worth traveling (and traveling back in time) for:
Texas Revolution (1835–1836)
A photo in front of the Alamo’s iconic facade is a right of passage for most Texans, but many may not realize that behind the church, there’s a living history encampment. Learn about medicinal practices in the 1830s, see if you would have had what it took to be part of the fortress’s cannon crew, or watch a musket-firing demonstration in the main plaza.
Around the same time Davy Crockett and William Barret Travis defended the Alamo, leaders converged on the tiny town of Washington to sign the Texas Declaration of Independence. Today, Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historic Site details that pivotal moment, but it also offers glimpses into everyday life with tours of a working cotton farm. And it offers Living History Saturday, a series that includes events such as the upcoming Stitching Up Liberty flag-sewing circle. Before you leave, take a look inside the home of Anson Jones, the fourth and final president of the Republic of Texas.
The Battle of San Jacinto marked the end of the war, but it was just the beginning for the San Jacinto Battleground State Historic Site. Take a guided battlefield hike or plan your trip around a seasonal event, such as the candlelit graveyard tour, Tales from the Tombstone, or the San Jacinto Fall Fandango. Held this year on October 19, the fandango features everything from chili-cooking demos to a family-friendly saloon (expect games like the seventeenth-century French card game faro and chuck-a-luck, a dice contest with medieval origins).
The Frontier (mid-1800s)
Several now-defunct military outposts offer living history programming, including Fort Davis and Fort Stockton, both in West Texas. The former is one of the best surviving examples of a frontier military post in the Southwest, while the latter hosts a free Living History Day in October, complete with cavalry drills, an 1800s-style baseball game, and the Texas Camel Corps. Both sites were once home to Buffalo Soldiers, but if you want to learn more about the all-Black Army regiments, the best place is the Buffalo Soldiers National Museum, in Houston. Exhibits highlight the group’s contributions to the armed forces, beginning with the Civil War, and periodic reenactments shed light on the challenges the soldiers overcame.
Of course, the frontier consisted of everyday pioneers, too. On the second Saturday of every month, the Museum of Texas Handmade Furniture, in New Braunfels, cohosts rotating craft demonstrations highlighting common homesteading tools and techniques. Pick up broom making or candle dipping one month; try blacksmithing or hearth cooking the next. Heritage Village at Chestnut Square, in McKinney, hosts similar events, with farm-to-table dinners amid historic buildings, food-preservation workshops, and holiday home tours.
Caddo Mounds State Historic Site, in East Texas, focuses on the Caddo tribe’s experience before and after European settlers arrived. You can tour the tribe’s former village at any time, but Caddo Culture Day, in November, is particularly memorable. Explore a traditional grass house and hear from descendants on a variety of topics, such as ceremonial dance and basket weaving.
The Victorian Period (1837–1901)
The Victorian period refers to the years of Queen Victoria’s reign over England. Nearly five thousand miles away from Texas, her influence is still seen in the ornate architecture of historic landmarks such as the Bonner-Whitaker-McClendon House, in Tyler. It was occupied by the same family for more than a century, and the home is filled with relics of the past: rare books and newspapers, textiles, and personal effects. If you contact the house ahead of time, you can arrange to take a tour with costumed docents who bring the home back to life.
Those fascinated by the macabre won’t want to miss the anniversary of Henry’s and Rachel Fanthorp’s passings. The Fanthorps were English immigrants who petitioned Stephen F. Austin to settle in what was then Austin Colony. They later became well-known innkeepers (Sam Houston was a frequent guest), but both succumbed to yellow fever in 1867. On November 2, the Fanthorp Inn will host a mock funeral that spotlights the “unique and peculiar ways Victorian families mourned the loss of a loved one,” including holding multiday wakes and stopping clocks at the time of death to avoid bad luck.
The Chisholm Trail (1867–1884)
The Chisholm Trail, a route for cattle drives that stretched from the ranches in Texas to the railroads in Kansas, was instrumental in helping the Lone Star State develop as an agricultural hub. The National Ranching Heritage Center, in Lubbock, offers both a formal account of the industry’s beginnings, in the form of a museum, and a nineteen-acre historical park. There are the kinds of structures you might expect (a log cabin, a bunkhouse) and some that could surprise you—a big red barn from the legendary Four Sixes Ranch, a 1920s steam train with cattle cars from King Ranch. Living History Saturdays are held throughout the summer, but the fan-favorite event is Candlelight at the Ranch, in December. Bundle up and mosey between fifteen historic structures, ranging from a dugout to a Queen Anne–style house, all decked out in period-appropriate holiday decor.
Other must-sees for wannabe cowboys and ranching enthusiasts include the two-hundred-year-old George Ranch Historical Park, outside Houston, known for its cattle demonstrations and chuck-wagon breakfasts, as well as the world-famous Fort Worth Stockyards. Even if you’ve seen the twice-daily Longhorn cattle drive down Exchange Avenue before, you may have overlooked the Herd Experience, a free program featuring costumed drovers on horseback. Hear about some of the lesser-known heroes on the Chisholm Trail—vaqueros, female drovers—as demonstrators show off their lasso skills and share the practical uses behind cowboy accessories (turns out a bandanna isn’t just for looks).
Plantation Life and Emancipation (c. 1824–1865)
The portrayal of history can often be one-sided, but in recent years, sites across the state have worked to highlight the experiences of previously overlooked Texans, including the enslaved. South of Houston, the Varner-Hogg Plantation tells the stories of people like Judah Smith, a cook and medicinal herb expert who used teas to treat her peers. Nearby, the Levi Jordan Plantation hosts A Day of Remembrance in November to honor those who were enslaved and worked as sharecroppers. This year, as part of the programming, chef Natalie Wright-Moore Clark will lead a historic foodways demonstration and share recipes passed down over generations.
Twice a month, the Heritage Society at Sam Houston Park partners with Visit Houston to put on From Plantation to Emancipation—The Freedom Experience. During the ninety-minute tour, three houses—designated Sites of Memory by UNESCO—serve as backdrops to actor Khi Stephens’ moving storytelling, which combines song, a Library of Congress narrative, and a script written by a descendent of one of the homeowners, the Reverend Jack Yates. Additional tours are offered around the anniversary of Juneteenth and end with celebratory treats such as tea cakes, red velvet coffee, and iced red punch.
World War II (1939—1945)
Texas supplied a greater percentage of troops than any other state during World War II, with more than 750,000 men and women in uniform. The Museum of the American G.I., in College Station, and the National Museum of the Pacific War, in Fredericksburg, honor their sacrifices.
In March, the annual Living History Weekend at the Museum of the American G.I. features battle reenactments, living history camps, and the chance to ride in a real decommissioned tank. Can’t make it that weekend? The National Museum of the Pacific War offers three types of living history programs throughout the year in its state-of-the-art outdoor facility. The Outpost programs allow visitors to get up close to military artifacts, with talks themed around artillery, vehicles of the Pacific War, war correspondents, and more. Campaign Briefings involve heated live battle presentations (you’ll get a glimpse of an M2-2 flamethrower) and discussions of the tactical decisions that went into key moments, such as ones at the battles at Okinawa and the Marshall Islands. The flagship program, however, is Pacific Valor—each event combines a battle reenactment with the narrative of a real person who was recognized for going above and beyond the call of duty.
