WEEKLY FEATURES
History activity program geared toward home-schoolers, learning pods, students with asynchronous schedules and any other school-age children eager to learn about the past in an engaging way. Appropriate for learners in grades K-8, the one hour, educator-led program will begin with a 15-20 minute lesson followed by a hands-on activity.
Being a mother is a tough and important job, and you can see how Texas women did it in a special Mother’s Day Homes Tour — from log cabin to manor house. As you tour our 1800s homesteads, stop at each one and meet "mother" to hear each one's story and learn more about life in 19th century Central Texas.
Included with admission
Looking for something special and a little different to treat mom with this year? We will have tea, served from real china, and tiny cakes set up in historic Wessels Hall to make this Mother's Day extra sweet. $10 per person.
Purchase tickets in advance
Experience 19th century careers such as blacksmith, surveyor, cowboy, farmer, dressmaker, teacher, doctor, and telegraph operator with a stop in our newest exhibit, the telegraph office. Designed for home-schoolers, learning pods, students with asynchronous schedules and any other school-age children eager to explore the past in an engaging way.
Admission $8 per person, $6 if purchased in advance
The first Earth Day was celebrated in April 1970, but 19th century Texans had long been doing the three R’s: reduce, reuse, and recycle. Visit our 1878 Texian Farm to learn about these historic penurious measures and travel the farm on a guided adventure to learn about native trees and make rubbings of bark and leaves.
Free with admission, free for Members
At one of the most unique paranormal locations in Texas, Pioneer Farms has stories — and spirits — dating back hundreds of years. The transplanted historic buildings and homesites all have stories to tell, on this guided tour led by the acclaimed Austin Ghost Tours experts. Gates open at 6:30 p.m.
Girl Scouts can step back in time to discover family life from the 1800s in a special way, by learning to make biscuits in a Dutch oven and make butter in a churn.
Offered in partnership with Girl Scouts of Central Texas. Girl Scouts can register through the Girl Scouts website.
Celebrate bicycle history by bringing your bike to ride our trails, in period attire if you like, with an exhibit of antique bicycles and more.
Admission is $12 per person Members get in for free
A special Lunch ‘N Learn program: The Rise and Fall of Cotton in Texas. Texas Cotton Gin Museum Director, Steph Jarvis, will discuss cotton in Texas from the 1830s to the 1890s and the role of local gins, such as the one she works to preserve in Burton, Texas. The program will be presented in our historic Wessels dance hall.
Mrs. Jarvis will join attendees for lunch after her presentation. Bring your own or order a box lunch. Box lunch orders must be made by Sunday, April 7.
Free with museum admission / Discount advance registration and box lunch reservation
Join us for our Citizen Scientist Sun Party with the fabulous Austin band, Max and the Hotpickin 57s providing live music. Young visitors can also enjoy hands on eclipse related activities including decorating eclipse glasses and a punch-hole craft for viewing the eclipse in a unique way., among others. The eclipse will be in totality from 1:36-1:37 p.m.
Admission $12 per person Members get in for free
A special program focused on the history of eclipses with historical activities, including a seminar by "Dr. Sack" at 10:30 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. and an 1800s medicine show featuring "Dr. E.T. Bushrod" at 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. The Coco East and Sweets food truck will be on site with munchies for sale.
Admission $12 per person Members get in for free
At one of the most unique paranormal locations in Texas, Pioneer Farms has stories — and spirits — dating back hundreds of years. The transplanted historic buildings and homesites all have stories to tell, on this guided tour led by the acclaimed Austin Ghost Tours experts. Gates open at 6:30 p.m.
See the sun rise on Easter in a unique worship service conducted by Holy Word Lutheran Church, in our historic Sprinkle Corner village.
At one of the most unique and active paranormal locations in Texas, this guided tour led by the acclaimed Austin Ghost Tours is sure to intrigue and engage.
Demonatrations of free-flying raptors promises to thrill and amaze, featuring hawks, owls, falcons, vultures and other birds in shows at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m..
Admission $12 per person Members get in for free
“Donkey Parties” were popular among adults in 1800s Texas, and we recreate this quirky history with the young in mind. Join us for Pin the Tail on the Donkey games, donkey crafts and a visit with real donkeys.
Free with admission Members get in for free
Big Bounce America, owners of the “World’s Biggest Bounce House,” brings its massive inflatable playground to our festival grounds, including a 13,000 square-foot bounce house certified by Guinness as the world’s biggest.
Buy tickets now https://thebigbounceamerica.com/event/austin/.
Bubble Parties were popular among adults in 1800s Texas, but we’ve recreates this quirky history with the young in mind. Join us at our historic Bell House for blowing bubbles to your heart's content after you've made your own bubble blowing devices.
Free with admission Members get in for free
A special program for International Womens Day highlights the 1800s protests over the Mother Hubbard dress style that had baseball players wearing the frocks, plus a performance of the "bata de cola" by Flamencura, a local flamenco studio and an exhibit of antique bicycles.
Admission is $12 per person Members get in for free
At one of the most unique and active paranormal locations in Texas, this guided tour led by the acclaimed Austin Ghost Tours is sure to intrigue and engage.
Celebrate Texas Independence Day with festivities featuring Longhorn cattle, dutch oven cooking, black-powder firearm demonstrations and chicken races.
This two-day instruction zeroes in on construction and finishing techniques for wow-level elegant blades. A labor-intensive class with at least one project.
At one of the most unique and active paranormal locations in Texas, this guided tour led by the acclaimed Austin Ghost Tours is sure to intrigue and engage.
A beak-to-tail feather workshop on these fine-feathered friends, enough to get you going in this popular urban farming hobby. This class is conducted online.
Forge a knife from a railroad spike in this specialty class that gives you all the basics, plus you’ll walk away with a one-of-a-kind blade.
Blacksmith-style knives are the ultimate utility knife, known for being hardy and resilient tools designed to get the job done while being quick to make. Forge your own in this fast-paced two-day class.
Bring your kids ages 4-10 to make crafts out of the natural beauty of Texas, a nature discovery hike that ends with a take-home craft. Our December classes will make ornaments to hang on trees or other winter and holiday crafts.
Take your basic blacksmithing training to the next level in this two-day class in our historic smithy in Sprinkle Corner.
A Victorian Christmas celebration featuring a take-home nutcracker activity, a hayride, caroling, an appearance by Santa and not-to-miss 1800s decorations at our history sites. Step back in Texas history to open your holiday season in true Old Lone Star style.
Admission is $12 per person.
Bring your kids ages 4-10 to make crafts out of the natural beauty of Texas, a nature discovery hike that ends with a take-home craft. Our February classes will create Valentine crafts to give or to keep, and our December classes will make ornaments to hang on trees or other winter and holiday crafts.
A basics class for youths with an interest in blacksmithing, with a fast-paced lesson in metallurgy, alloys, and non-ferrous and ferrous metals.
Learn the basics of cooking just like the pioneers once did. As you learn, you can prepare and serve a frontier meal — on real hearth in a real historic log cabin or on a wood-fired stove. This is the only place in the Austin area where you can learn original Texas cooking skills like these, and eat an authentic pioneer Texas meal.
Learn to play the harmonica, a musical favorite of the pioneers, in this fast-paced online class taught by our harmonica expert Thom McNeil. Student harmonica required. Harmonicas are available for purchase from our online General Store.
