Washington-on-the-Brazos State Historical Park

Well marked and maintained trails. Along the trails, information about the history make it interesting and useful for discussing history with children. Great family activity.

Washington-​on-​the-​Brazos State Park is a beautiful state park nestled in Washington County. It’s wonderful not only for its beauty but also for its immense, rich history.
Entrance and parking is free, so simply pick a pretty day and drive here to see where Texas truly began; walk amongst the oaks and the flowers and revel in the history.
This is what is called «The Birthplace of Texas.» You’ll find Independence Hall here, which is where the Texas Declaration of Independence was signed. The Brazos River twists and turns at the edge of the park, and you can just imagine the early Texans navigating their way down that waterway to this location to forge the beginnings of this great state.
Beautifully maintained, the early spring is also a lovely time to visit. There are numerous wildflowers to see on the park grounds. Park benches are available for your pleasure, along with a huge playground for your little ones.
A lovely Visitor’s Center is located at the main entrance. Make sure to stop there and take a good look around. You’ll learn a great deal about Texas and Texans within those walls.
A trip here via The Texas Independence Trail also makes for a special historical treat. A glorious way to spend a day — and learn something too!

Washington on the Brazos was beautiful, plentiful and very well maintained.
It is a very exciting place to visit as a Texan, the museum explains very in depth Texas history, good and bad.
The wild flowers are gorgeous and it was well maintained, as stated.
My only complaint and why it was not
5 stars was the attitude of some of the historical reenact-​ors. We had four children under the age of 10 with us and they did not maintain a patient and professional demeanor. One woman was fantastic, allowing the kids to push a wheelbarrow.
However, there was one man who lazily and unenthusiastically explained his historical method and then yelled at a four-​year-​old child, without proper age appropriation. I would suggest screening the actors on understanding of young children.
Other than that a great way to spend our afternoon!

This is a great state park! There are several walking trails, a well-​curated museum, a living history farm, plus a playground and several picnic areas. The visitor’s center has clean bathrooms and a fun gift shop.
This is a great day trip from Houston. There is almost too much to do in 1 visit with little kids, which is great for me — gives me a reason to come back another time!
Grounds: Parking is convenient. I like to park by the visitor center and make that the «epicenter» of the day’s activities. This is great if you’re bringing a cooler for lunch.
The trails are mostly gravel and well cared for with slight inclines/​declines, so I estimate that they’d be fairly stroller friendly. I enjoy walking and feel that everything in the park is easily accessible by foot. During the busier-​than-​normal Texas Independence Day celebration, we were able to get from the Farm to the Independence Hall with a bunch of school-​aged kids with no one complaining about the distance.
The playground is large and in good condition, giving kids plenty of space for climbing. Nearby is a covered picnic area, a great spot for the grownups to relax and keep an eye on their kids in the play area.
Museum: The museum was a pleasant surprise during my first visit here. For starters, the building is in a unique star shape. My kids enjoyed doing the museum trivia worksheet that was available, and I enjoyed the nice vista from the 2^nd story roof area.
This park has it all — natural beauty, local history, and great facilities to make for a comfortable day out with friends and family.

The facilities were clean and the park rangers were very knowledgeable. They have a penny machine that my wife collects. The area is very well taken care of and it is easy to walk around and read the descriptions on the founding of Texas. We found this to be very educational.

I have never been drawn to this area of Texas. There’s no caves and caverns to visit, no rivers to float, so spring fed waters to swim in. What it does have is a lot of Texas History. A history nerd will enjoy the visitor center and museum. Everyone else will enjoy walking through the old town and seeing Independence Hall. I can’t recommend that you get in your car right now and come here, but you combine this with a visit to Independence, TX and Blue Bell creamery and you have yourself a nice little Texas road trip!

Start at the Visitor’s Center for a well-​presented overview of Texas history, starting with a Spanish territory, to a Mexican state, then an independent nation, and finally the 28^th State of the Union.
Enjoy a picnic lunch in the park area. Then take a walk along Ferry Street and visit Independence Hall, the simple building where Texas’ Declaration of Independence was signed. For years, the site was forgotten, but now Independence Hall stands once again. Independence Hall has been reconstructed as it was during the signing. Continue down Ferry Street to the Brazos River overlook.
For a deeper understanding of this historic site, the park rangers offer guided walking tours to Independence Hall. The tour packs a lot of history into thirty minutes, with a focus on the history of the town of Washington. The ranger provided a wealth of information, from the humble beginnings of Washington as a ferry river crossing with a simple hotel, to its involvement in the fight for independence, through its rise to prominence as a river hub for the cotton trade, to its eventual fall into desolation within twenty years. Now the sleepy town has a park to memorialize the important event that took place in the old Independence Hall.
Admission to the Park and Visitor’s Center is free. You can walk to the Independence Hall on your own. If you attend the walking tour, there is a $ 5.00 fee for adults. If you are spending the day at Washington on the Brazos, consider purchasing the Brazos pass for $ 9.00, which includes the guided walking tour, admission to the Star of the Republic Museum, and access to Barrington Living History Farm, all located within the State park. Children rates are also offered.

Definitely buy the pass for both museum sites (The Star of the Republic Museum and Barrington Living History Farm) if you have school aged children. They also offer tours on the hour (except for 12 noon)

I actually didn’t know that Washington on the Brazos had any significance on Texas Revolution until when I was at Goliad and they mentioned the importance of Washington, this is the place where they signed the Texas Independence.
The park is free to enter, $ 5 for individual tour, I highly recommend the Independence Hall tour, the guide explained the rise and fall of Washington in Texas.
When I was there, It just had a thunderstorm so the trail is bit muddy, but it was doable.
Highly recommended if you are doing the Texas Revolution Tour.
Another two quick recommendations, after you are done here, grab lunch at R Place next door and if you have time, drive from Brazos to Chappell Hill, it is a wonderful drive.

What a wonderful slice of Texas history. This place is really the birthplace of Texas. The historical displays are very informative and the staff is soooo nice. We stopped and were a full half hour early to the visitor center, yet they came over and opened the doors and welcomed us in like old friends! If Texas is a part of your back ground this is a must see and must read to understand and be part of Texas history. This is too cool! Can’t wait to come again and try the Tours!

I dragged my boyfriend to see the bluebonnets, and when we saw the signs for this park, we thought, why the heck not?!
It is FREE to walk around the grounds and see the beautiful wildflowers. They do have a donation box which I recommend putting a few dollars into — most parks (at least where I’m from in California) charge at least $ 5 just to park your car in a park!
There are some museums on site which require paid admission, but prices seemed very reasonable. They also offer tours for history buffs who want to know everything there is to know about the birthplace of Texas.
The people working were incredibly nice and helpful. We followed the trail they suggested and saw some beautiful wildflowers, including bluebonnets!
Know before you go: wear closed toed shoes (the path is gravel perfectly sized for getting stuck in sandals) and bring mosquito repellent! There were a lot of butterflies and other insects flying around, which is good if you are into butterflies, and terrifying if you hate things flying around your face.
Much of the trail is exposed and it was quite toasty so I’d also recommend bringing sunscreen, a hat, and water.
Signs indicate that dogs are allowed on the trails, although we didn’t see any.
The one disappointment: the independence building is a reconstruction of what the original might have been like — not the remains of the real one.

I think this is the first time I have written a review of something in the Birthplace of Texas, and the Capitol of America in the same week, Washington Texas and Washington DC…
Aside from the massive July 4^th fireworks display, free live concerts, free Blue Bell iced cream and BBQ to be found once a year, this is also one of our personal favorite walking trails. While the signs state that the trails are not maintained, nothing could be further from the truth. The trails are maintained beautifully, there is a very nice two mile trek all the way from the Brazos river site of the former Robinson’s Ferry, by a small lake and back. Takes about an hour at a slow pace, as you will be wanting to take a lot of photos of the wildflowers and wildlife to be found. Very peaceful and serene. Here is what their website says;
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Visiting Washington-​on-​the-​Brazos State Historic Site is an enjoyable experience on two levels. First, the expansive park grounds along the Brazos River provide a beautiful setting for picnicking, sightseeing and birdwatching. And secondly, the Star of the Republic Museum, Independence Hall and Barrington Living History Farm, offer the visitor a unique insight into the lives and times of the men who fought and won Texas’ independence from Mexico.
This picturesque park is located on the Brazos River, Washington was the site of the 1836 General Convention which would decide the fate of Texas. Washington-​on-​the-​Brazos State Historic Site is revered as the site of the signing of the Texas Declaration of Independence on March 2, 1836. Washington remained a town of some prominence in early Texas until the eve of the Civil War. The park encompasses the site of the historic town (1836). Washington was the first county seat of Washington County in 1836, the capitol of Texas from 1842 to 1845, and the home of the last president of the Republic of Texas, Anson Jones. Washington-​on-​the-​Brazos State Historic Site, the seat of Texas Independence, is the center each year for the Texas Independence Day Celebration, under the direction of the Washington-​on-​the-​Brazos State Park Association.
Washington-​on-​the-​Brazos in Washington County consists of 293.1 acres. The land was acquired by deed from private owners in 1916. It was transferred to the State Parks Board from the State Board of Control by the Legislature in 1949. Then in 1976 and 1996, more land was acquired by deed from private owners.
Today the park is maintained by Texas Parks and Wildlife. The Washington-​on-​the-​Brazos State Park Association assists the park and the Star of the Republic Museum in this effort. The museum’s administration falls under the jurisdiction of Blinn College in Brenham.
Barrington Living History Farm, home of Anson Jones, last President of the Republic of Texas. Handcrafted reproduction log buildings and cropland demonstrate the working of a Brazos Valley farm, circa 1850. Interpreters in period costume work the farm as it was done long ago.
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Everything in the entire area is fully accessible for everyone.
So there ya go. We have just uploaded about 50 photos from yesterday, do enjoy. Entering the park is free, and it’s open every day until sundown.