San Jacinto State Park- Houston, TX

San Jacinto is about 30-60 minutes away from downtown depending on traffic. Depending on what website you look at San Jacinto State Park is in Houston or La Porta, so I've posted them in both.

I had a blast visiting the park and the museum. When we arrived we were greeted by a very friendly woman in a brown building leading into the tallest monument in the US (that would be on the right). We paid our dollar ea. entrance fee and were giving maps of the state park. On the map are numbered significant posts. Each post is made on stone around the park that give key points in the battle of Texas Independence (including Santa Anna's camp, where Houston gets wounded, etc. We decided to drive around before we visited the monument. It was fun. There were even picnic areas and bathroom available if you bring the kids.

Around the monument the history of Texas is written. VERY awesome! It is 15 feet taller than the Washington monument! (EVERYTHING'S BIGGER IN TEXAS!) It's in my TRAVELOGUE. Inside the monument is a small, free museum showing artifacts of Houston, Travis, Santa Anna, etc. Inside you can also view a video Texas about the San Jacinto battle as well as buy tickets to go up the monument. Oh, and there is a gift shop but....not that good!

Outdoors there is the reflection pond and the six flags that flew over Texas: Spain, France, Mexico, Republic of Texas, State of Texas, and the United States.

Across the way the Battleship of Texas exists. You can find this in my next tip as it is completely different from the Texas monument!
San Jacinto Museum of History
Monument Open Daily 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day

San Jacinto Battleground
Park Open Daily 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

From the website:

In March of 1836, things were not going well for Texas revolutionaries. Having declared independence from the official Mexican government, they were now running from the Mexican army, being run from their homes.
Since January 1836, Texas settlers had been abandoning their homes and the lives they’d created on the Texas frontier. Known as the Runaway Scrape, this retreat began as the Mexican government initiated military reoccupation of the newly settled land. The event was marked by sickness, freezing weather, hunger and panic among the citizenry.
On the morning of April 21st, General Houston held a council of war. The majority of his officers voted to await Santa Anna’s attack in order to leverage their position. General Houston let each man in the council plead his case. Then he made a decision, which he kept to himself until that afternoon: they would attack.
Around 4:30 p.m., the Mexican soldiers awoke from their afternoon siestas to the smell of gunpowder and cries of vengeance. Flushed with victory from the siege of the Alamo, Santa Anna had failed to post sentries to monitor the Texans’ activities.
In eighteen minutes the Texians were in control of the Mexican camp.
The Mexican soldiers were far more trained in martial field tactics and strategy than their Texian opponents. But they were unable to organize under the feverish surprise attack. And the short-range unorthodox brawling of frontiersmen with long knives and clenched fists did not work in their favor.
Over 600 Mexican soldiers were killed, and over 700 were allowed to surrender; nine Texians were killed or mortally wounded. Sam Houston was shot in the ankle. Santa Anna was found the next day hiding in the grass and dressed as a common foot soldier.

In the end, the United States would gain not only Texas but also New Mexico, Nevada, Arizona, California, Utah and parts of Oklahoma, Kansas, Colorado and Wyoming.
As a result of the Battle of San Jacinto, almost a third of what is now the United States of America changed ownership.

Here you can see more of the markers, monument, museum, and the Battleship.

San Jacinto State Park, Houston

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San Jacinto State Park, Houston

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Visiting Houston?

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