goliad state park & mission espíritu santo state historic site

We enjoyed the Ranger's narrative about this place. He was very knowledgable and down to earth. Wish more people could experience this place.

The park seems to be an area for walking or hiking. As on the day of our visit it was bitterly cold, we 'passed' on the walking and just viewed the Mission over the fence. It appears to be a reconstruction, but definetly it should be a part of your visit to Goliad.

Great little park along the river. The mission and grounds are very nice. The reconstruction by the CCC is a blessing for us to treasure. The park staff were very nice and gave me a lot of information on the mission and cultures of the past. If you like this activity it is worth the visit.

As a history buff, native Texan and retired Marine Corps Infantry Officer, I have visited many museums and sites of this type and have come to appreciate the amount of time and effort it takes to operate historic sites of this type. The Mission and Granary have been very well reconstructed and the surrounding grounds are very well maintained. I visited the Mission only and did not partake in the other portions of Goliad State Park. My observations are listed below by functional area. Location. This site is easy to find; I plugged the address into my IPhone and it took me directly there. Parking. There appears to be sufficient parking. For anyone arriving in an RV or pulling a travel trailer, there appears to be a loop connecting many of the campsites that would facilitate entry/exit.Admission fee and hours. The entry fee for any/all areas of the park is $3.00; operating hours are 8:00-5:00 daily. I would recommend checking with the Goliad State Park web sites to confirm operating hours and admission fees.History-Mission Site #1. The mission was originally constructed by the Spanish in 1722 near Matagorda Bay to convert the local Karankawa Indians to Christianity; the Presidio La Bahia was located nearby - the Spanish Soldiers stationed at the Presidio provided security for the Mission. History-Mission Site #2. In 1726 difficulties forced the Spanish to relocate the Mission and Presidio to the vicinity of Victoria among the Tamique and Aranama Indians. While the Mission was successful (actually producing a surplus of hay and grain), in 1749 the Mission and Presidio were once again relocated.History-Mission Site #3. The new location near Goliad was chosen by the Spaniards in an effort to secure the area from encroachment by the French and English. The Mission was completed in 1758. The Mission included a chapel, rooms to house the priests and the Indian families, a granary, workrooms and a separately-located forge. The Presidio was located across the river approximately 3/4 mile to the south. The mission found success educating and serving the Aranama, Piguique, Manos de Perro, Tamique, Tawakoni, and Tonkawa in the area, but usually faced opposition from raiding Apaches and Commanches. The Mission became the first large cattle ranch in Texas, with 40,000 free roaming cattle and a large number of wild Mustangs. They also grew large crops of grain, fruit and vegetables to support the residents and trade with others. Cattle and livestock were also driven and traded with the other missions in Texas and Louisiana. In 1830 the mission was secularized. The Mission's lands were acquired by the local Mexican and American colonists. The mission itself devolved to the City of Goliad. The Mission was pilfered - its stones were removed and used for local construction. The city leased the site between 1848–1856 first for a Baptist school, then a Presbyterian school but the buildings fell into ruin. The mission ruins became part of the newly-created Goliad State Park in 1931. In 1933, the Civil Works Administration began reconstruction of the chapel and granary; they finished restoring the Mission between1935 and 1941 with funds provided by the Works Progress Administration. Additional construction in the 1960s and 1980s brought the mission back its 1749 appearance.Exhibits/parts of the park. The centerpiece of the site is the Chapel; it is very picturesque and has been very well re-constructed/restored. The Granary has been re-constructured and has exhibits displaying the work associated with the Mission: farming, weaving, iron work, etc. The perimeter wall has been partially re-constructed - it is complete but only 3-4 feet tall. There are remnants of some of the original buildings - stone footings and portions of their walls. The property is very picturesque with quite a few native Live Oaks and Mesquite Trees. There are portions of the Mission whose exteriors have been restored but are not open to public for entry.Length of visit. I would recommend that visitors dedicate one hour to tour all areas of the Mission and the surrounding grounds.Handicap and child access. I am not handicapped but understand that this can affect someone's decision whether or not to visit a site/attraction. Visitors with difficulty walking can easily access the the chapel and should also be able to negotiate the walkways and restored areas of the granary.Amenities/creature comforts. There are restrooms and water fountains at the visitor center. There is no food available but the town of Goliad is less than a 5-minute drive to the north.Gift shop. There is a small gift shop at the entrance; they carry a decent selection of items for children and adults (toys, magnets, coffee mugs, shirts and caps, and a small selection of books).Other attraction nearby #1. Presidio Nuestra Señora de Loreto de la Bahía is approximately 1 mile to the south on US Highway 183/Texas State Highway 239. It is a very well-restored Presidio; the museum portion contains informative placards delineating the history of the Presidio and there are quite a few small artifacts (primarily pottery shards and farming implements). Not to be missed is the chapel - Our Lady of Loreto Chapel, Presidio La Bahia; this is a beautiful chapel which has been in almost continuous use since it construction. Other attraction nearby #2. The Fannin Battleground (Colleto Creek Battleground) is approximately 11 miles to the east off of US Highway 59 on County Road 2506. There are some outdoor informative placards as well as a very small but very new (the paint still smells fresh) indoor museum.

While on an overnight trip to Goliad, we attended their annual Rio Rio festival with booths ranging from native animals to historical firearms, blacksmithing, stone cutting, etc. The state park site was lovely and the booths were very interesting and informative.

Goliad is a small Texas city with an amazing voice in The Texas Revolution. A weekend here visiting the mission and presidio is relaxing and extremely interesting. Come during Christmas in Goliad for a "holiday" experience or market days the 2nd Saturday. There is much to do and lots to learn.

There’s plenty of history at this state park and it has a nice (rustic) picnic area. The staff is friendly and helpful. The walk on the trail to see the remains of the CCC kiln is an easy walk and worth the time. It only takes about an hour to visit this park so it can be included with other activities while visiting Goliad.

I stopped in Goliad for a break during a trip from Houston to San Diego, TX and back on a blistering hot summer afternoon. This park was a welcome respite.

We stayed in a screen shelter, which would have been very nice had the window screens not had holes in them. We sprayed bug spray all around the place and stuffed towels and paper in the cracks around the door before bedding down for the night. I did like the fact that the shelter had a picnic table, fluorescent lighting overhead, and a ceiling fan. It was raining when we stayed, and it would have been nice to have a sidewalk leading from the parking spaces to the door of the shelter. The staff was very polite and helpful and the mission is an interesting place to visit.

Much of the museum at the Mission is closed for renovation, so we must return to see it. What we did see was fascinating and the chapel is gorgeous. We were there off-season and had a "private tour" by a park ranger named Jared who was incredibly knowledgeable and friendly. A "must" for Texas history buffs.As for the state park, we spent 2 nights in the Karankawa RV park and loved it! The sites had full hookups -- it was quiet and well maintained.

Stopped in Goliad on way back from Corpus Christi. To a College StationMake sure to take in the other fort up the roadGreat stop ; very informative and super facility; very historicalRecommended by a Texan and it was worth the stopIt was great, misplaced Canucks

Reliving the fall of Goliad is a two-day event, and you really need to attend both days. However, if that is impossible, Saturday night and Sunday are not to be missed.Saturday is living history day and skirmish day. It is excellent if you have not done a lot of living history. However, if LH is old hat to you, it can be skipped if you need to do that. Saturday night, however, is a must do. In the dark and carrying a lantern, you will see history come alive. If you have children traveling with you, it will be very impressive for them as characters come alive.On Sunday, you will make the "death march" which involves a mile or so of walking. However, if you can walk, you really need to see the brutal execution of Texas men to appreciate just how horrible this time in our history was. Back at the fort, you will see the execution of those who were not on the march, including the brutal murder of Fannin.At some point, you will be invited into the chapel for a short worship service and then attend a short dedication at the Fannin monument. I believe the morning is over about noon.As a Texan, I believe it is so important for our children to know where we came from as well as the price that was paid for us to live the lives we have today. These 2 days are wonderful, painless teaching tools!

We went to this state park because honestly it was the only one that was available on short notice during Thanksgiving week. We were camping with another family, and we decided to reserve the "premium" sites, but when we arrived we were disappointed. The sites were basically just a parking lot, we later learned that the premium meant that there was covered picnic tables. Besides the mission there was not a whole lot to do at the park. We were there in the fall, so the pool wasn't open. Our kids did enjoy some of the open areas to play football and baseball in. My family did not go on the mission tour, but the other family did and they said it was really informative. Overall, we were not that impressed, but if we went again, we would go for the normal sites to have more trees and a more private site.

We stopped by on our way to Corpus last week. What a nice state park. The rangers were so nice and helpful. It was a nice stop for us. We did the state park geocache. Then on our way home from Corpus we stopped here again and had a picnic lunch. We also stopped and saw the Fannin memorial. I am loving my state park pass.

My husband and I spent two days/nights in Goliad State Park the first week in April. We stayed in Karankawa Campground with full hook ups. The campground was well maintain and had a nice picnic table, standing grill and fire pit. The campsites were spaced apart nicely. Jacales, the other campground for trailers and motorhomes, is for overflow and is nothing more than a parking lot with hookups. Mission Espiritu Santo is in the park and nice to tour. We attended two nice ranger lead talks at the Mission. The trails were nice. The San Antonio paddling trail goes along the park. We did not put our canoe in because the river was too difficult to reach, even at the canoe launch site. Presidio La Bahia Chapel, fort, Fannin’s Memorial and birthplace of General Ignacio Zaragoza are a short half mile walk or drive from the park. It is certainly worth self touring. Admission to Presidio La Bahia Chapel and fort is $4 for adults. The town of Golaid is nice. We enjoyed walking around the town square, antiquing and touring the old courthouse.