ROAD TRIP: Spooky Spirited State Sites

THE WOODLANDS, TX – Within easy driving distance from The Woodlands Township are historical sites fit for each season. As we creep towards Halloween, several of these state sites have – thanks to the Texas Historical Commission – All Hallow’s Eve thrills and chills for all family members.

Ghosts Along the Brazos

Varner-Hogg Plantation, 1702 N. 13th St., West Columbia, TX 77486
October 24, 5:00 - 9:00 p.m.
Just 90 minutes south of The Woodlands, Brazoria County’s most haunted tales take center stage at Varner-Hogg Plantation, where storytellers share spooky accounts written by Catherine Munson Foster. Beware the spooky storytellers, but don’t mind the games and activities. Free admission for those who dare!

Generations of Texas history, commerce, and entrepreneurship encapsulate Varner-Hogg Plantation State Historic Site, which tells the stories of the many families, both enslaved and not, who worked to build Texas. Over its 134-year history, the site hosted sugarcane production, cattle ranching, and oil drilling as it transitioned through the ownership of the Varners, the Pattons, and the Hoggs. 

Fright Night

Fulton Mansion State Historic Site, 317 Fulton Beach Rd, Rockport, TX 78382
October 29 - 31, 7:00 - 10:00 p.m.
Choose your level of spooky at Fulton Mansion’s free Fright Night: explore the haunted basement during a scare-free family hour, or brave the scare actors and animatronics later in the evening. Games and crafts on the mansion lawn offer plenty of fun outside the frights.

A hop, skip, and jump from Corpus Christi, Fulton Mansion State Historic Site is located in the resort area of Rockport-Fulton. The house appears as incredible today as it did in 1877, with its mansard roof and ornate trim. Fulton Mansion is a Recorded Texas Historic Landmark and listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Learn about George Fulton’s engineering skills, take a walk through a garden inspired by Harriet’s love of flowers, and hear the stories of living in a grand Victorian villa.

Mr. Frank’s Creep Show

San Felipe de Austin, 15945 FM 1458, Sealy, TX 77474
October 31 - November 1, 2:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Just over an hour southwest from the Township near Sealy, some of Texas’ creepiest characters don’t need costumes. Join Texas Master Naturalists at San Felipe de Austin for Mr. Frank’s Creep Show, a guided walk featuring nature’s own “vampires,” “zombie masters,” and other spine-chilling critters.

Commemorating the location where, in 1823, Stephen F. Austin established a headquarters for his colony in Mexican Texas, San Felipe de Austin State Historic Site and museum share the stories of early settlers in this region. Today, visitors can walk in the footsteps of these early pioneers at what was the social, economic, and political center of American immigration to Texas before independence.

Special Mention: Dia de los Muertos – Honoring the Navarro Family

Casa Navarro, 228 S. Laredo St., San Antonio, TX 78207
October 30, 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
While not spooky, you can extend the season as you celebrate Día de los Muertos with the Casa Navarro staff as they honor José Antonio Navarro and his family who are buried at San Fernando Cemetery. Participants will have the opportunity to help properly clean and care for Navarro’s headstone and the graves of his family members, then decorate their resting places in observance of this important cultural tradition. Learn proper gravestone-cleaning techniques while discovering more about Día de los Muertos and the Navarro family’s place in San Antonio history. All cleaning supplies will be provided. Guests are also welcome to bring flowers or other appropriate offerings to leave at the graves.

A rancher, merchant, and one of only two native-born Texans to sign the Texas Declaration of Independence, José Antonio Navarro was a leading advocate for Tejano rights. Casa Navarro State Historic Site celebrates his life at his original 1850s adobe and limestone home, a historic jewel among its urban surroundings.