Open Tuesday-Friday for pre-booked field trips and tours. Open Saturdays for General Admission.

Christmas at the Ranch 2017: Discover 100 Years of Texas Christmas Traditions!

Tuesday, December 5, 2017

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE | MEDIA CONTACT: Jennifer Farrell

RICHMOND – Travel back in time to experience a historic holiday season this December at the George Ranch Historical Park! Starting on Saturday, December 2, the living history Park will showcase more than 100 years of Texas holiday customs, traditions and decorations at its annual Christmas in the Park and Campfire Christmas events.

 Christmas in the Park: December 2, 9, 16 & 19-23

Discover more than a century of holiday customs and traditions throughout the month of December during the Christmas in the Park daytime event! Learn about the Yule log tradition and how to decorate using simple greenery like the early Texian pioneers, make Civil War-era homemade ornaments and orange pomanders, explore the extravagant Christmas décor of the Victorian era and see some very special holiday artifacts on display from the archives of the Fort Bend History Association. Santa himself will make an appearance each day during Christmas in the Park for Tree House Storytime at 9:30 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. in the yard of the 1930s George Ranch Home. Cattle-roping and sorting demonstrations will be held at 10 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. All of the above activities are included with general admission.

Holiday craft workshops are also scheduled for each day of Christmas in the Park, and include hands-on activities with take-home projects such as creating advent calendars, baking cookies using an 1860s wood-burning stove and making homemade ornaments. The craft workshops are $5 per person in addition to general admission. Advance reservations are recommended, but are not required.

For more information, visit https://www.georgeranch.org/programs-events/christmas-in-the-park-2017/, email info@georgeranch.org or call 281-343-0218.

Campfire Christmas: December 9 & 16

Journey back into time to Christmases past with this one-of-a-kind immersive nighttime holiday event. Start your evening with a merry greeting at the Visitor Center with hot chocolate and coffee to warm your soul. Afterward, enjoy a classic holiday meal featuring scrumptious recipes from Christmas pasts, including roast goose and plum pudding. After dinner, take a turn on the dance floor to the music of the ever-popular Pat Gavin and the Buckaroo Band, then climb aboard the Park tram that will escort you to three different sites for a look at Christmas Eve celebrations of the 1830s, 1870s and 1890s.

First Stop: Travel back to Christmas Eve 1836 and join the Jones Family as they celebrate Texas independence from Mexico with a Christmas Eve celebration. Explore the family’s log cabin and talk with the newly-independent Texians as they chart a new course for their future.

Second Stop: Visit a cattle camp on Christmas Eve in 1870 and learn about the cattle industry that was booming in Texas post-Civil War. Chat with the cowboys and sing some tunes out on the lonely range while sipping hot coffee and cider by a roaring fire.

Third Stop: On your last stop, call on the Davis Victorian Mansion on Christmas Eve 1893. The Davis family is entertaining and the family children are staging a special Dickens production – just for Campfire Christmas guests!

The Campfire Christmas dinner menu includes roast turkey with gravy, roast goose with cranberry-orange sauce, sage and onion stuffing, mashed and Duchess potatoes, mixed roasted vegetable medley, apple sauce and fried apples, yeast rolls, plum pudding with hard sauce and blackberry and peach cobbler.

Reservations are required; tickets are $50 for adults and $45 for children, seniors and groups of 10 or
more. Reservations can be made by calling 281-343-0218 or by going online at: https://www.georgeranch.org/event/campfire-christmas-2017/. Please note that Campfire Christmas is held regardless of the weather and tickets are non-refundable. Campfire Christmas is recommended for ages 8 and up.

Children’s Campfire Christmas: December 15

A special Children’s Campfire Christmas will take place on Friday, December 15 from 6 to 8 p.m. Children’s Campfire Christmas is a family-focused event that includes lots of activities for the little ones, including fun Christmas crafts, a hayride through the Park and Christmas songs around the campfire. A light dinner is also included in the ticket price.

Reservations are required. Tickets are $30 for adults, $25 for children ages 5-15, seniors and groups of 10+, and $10 for children ages 4 and under. Please note that Children’s Campfire Christmas is held regardless of the weather and tickets are non-refundable.

General Information:

The George Ranch Historical Park is located at 10215 FM 762 in Richmond. General admission is $10 for adults, $9 for seniors and $5 for children ages five to 15. Children four and under are free. Operating hours are Tuesday through Saturday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, visit www.georgeranch.org or call 281-343-0218.

About the Park:

The George Ranch Historical Park is an outdoor living history museum that showcases Texas history from the 1830s through the 1930s. The Park is anchored by four different home sites: the 1830s Jones Stock Farm, 1860s Ryon Prairie Home, 1890s Davis Victorian Mansion and 1930s George Ranch Cattle Complex. Regular activities include historic home tours, living history demonstrations, hands-on activities, cattleworking and dipping vat demonstrations and more! Guests should allow three to four hours to visit the Park and should dress for the weather.

The George Ranch Historical Park is a living history partnership between the Fort Bend History Association, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and The George Foundation, a Texas Charitable Trust.

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