Pasadena Deep Dive

This is your first stop on your tour off the beaten path. Many Pasadena residents know about Santa Anna’s capture site, but few visitors see it. Learn about General Sam Houston and the Texas army that made history on the night of the Battle of San Jacinto. 

See the marker commemorating the event that helped shape the United States.

Continue your tour with a visit to the San Jacinto Museum and Battlefield. This is another opportunity to learn about Texas history, with a battleground van tour, and other immersive demonstrations.

Check the events calendar to Visit Like a Local with family days, Cycling Saturdays, and other activities that regularly attract Pasadena residents. You can learn more about the region while participating in fun events for all ages.

Visit Crown Hill Cemetery to learn about the previous residents of Pasadena. 

This cemetery has been an important part of the city's history since 1906. Pick up a burial map and walk through curated paths to different graves. This is still an active cemetery, so please be respectful of the other visitors here.

The Central Flyway is the largest migratory bird route in North America. Visitors to Pasadena, Texas, can watch different birds throughout the year as they migrate through North America, with some traveling as far north as Canada! There are currently 439 species of birds that travel across the Flyway to migrate.  

To make it easier to observe these beautiful creatures, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department has developed the Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail. Pasadena and its surrounding areas are part of the Upper Texas Coast Trail. Visitors can enjoy the San Jacinto Loop, Buffalo Bayou Loop, and Clear Lake Loop, which are all a short drive from Pasadena. Each trail has different amenities and levels of difficulty, which means you can easily find the right path that meets your walking needs.

Contact the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department if you have any questions about local birding trails or want to further immerse yourself in nature during your visit. You can call them at (512) 389-4800 or visit the website to Learn More.

Kids who love planes will also want to visit the Lone Star Flight Museum, where they can see historic aircraft on display, participate in real flight simulations, and take airplane tours with aviation experts.

Younger kids can play in the toddler terminal, while their older siblings enjoy the wonder of air travel.

The Lone Star Flight Museum even offers flight experiences where kids can climb aboard historic aircraft.

Pasadena started as a small agricultural outpost, and quickly grew into Texas’ 20th largest city. Learn about the humble beginnings of this city and how it shaped history with the capture of Santa Anna, and the rise of local strawberry crops. The museum hosts events and education workshops, so check the calendar before you go.

The American military destroyed this bridge on April 21, 1836, in an effort to block the escape of Mexican soldiers, and the Mexican President Santa Anna. This is a good site for history fans to visit.