ROAD TRIP: Memorial Day Weekend at San Felipe

THE WOODLANDS, TX – This weekend is a perfect chance to travel to exotic lands without having to hit the hassle of the airport. Less than two hours away – and only a half a tank of gasoline – you can hit the San Felipe de Austin State Historic Site in Sealy, west of Houston. The site is inviting visitors to enjoy a full weekend of family-friendly programs this Memorial Day Weekend.

On Saturday, guests can try their hand at spoon whittling and learn why so many people enjoyed doing this in their free time and the tools required to make it happen. Then explore the new summer exhibit, Bypassed by Freedom but Building a Legacy, on display through Labor Day.

Sunday brings history to life with a working replica printing press demonstration from 1:00 - 4:00 p.m., where visitors can create and take home their own print. Join us as site experts demonstrate their working replica printing press in their outdoor exhibit. See how the press works and learn about the types of jobs that would be printed in San Felipe de Austin 200 years ago. This includes enlistment forms for joining the Austin Colony militia.

The weekend concludes on Memorial Day with extended hours from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and live log cabin building demonstrations at the Villa de Austin exhibit. Witness a demonstration of how logs are prepped and hewn to become buildings on a miniature scale.

This event is close enough to The Woodlands to hit each day separately, or far away enough to book yourself a nearby bed-and-breakfast and lose yourself in history. Be sure to check out the Texas Historical Commission at thc.texas.gov for more information on this weekend’s events as well as upcoming special events in parks all over the Lone Star State.