Ticket Pricing

If you have any questions, or if we can be of service in any way, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Tour Highlights

Day 1, July 13: Galveston / San Jacinto

They called it the “Isle of Doom.”

n the year 1528, a group of haggard, weather-beaten Spaniards were driven across the Gulf of Mexico on two make-shift rafts to the shores of a foreboding island. There they were enslaved by local Indians. The marooned Spaniards were survivors of the Narvaez Expedition. Once hundreds-strong, this colonization effort sanctioned by Charles I of Spain had met almost total disaster, with death, in time, claiming all but four of their lot. And now the remnants of the group had struck the Texas coast. Their place of landfall: Galveston Island — or very close nearby.

Join us in Galveston for day one of our Texas Tour. Step back in time to the 16th century as we tell Cabeza de Vaca’s amazing account of survival, tracing the impact of Spain’s exploration of Texas and the New World. Journey forward with us to 1817, when Galveston Island became the haven and hideout for the famed pirate Jean Lafitte and his band of brigands. Walk the streets of the historic city as we discuss Galveston’s strategic role in the late 19th century as Texas’s leading port and point of entry, with Russians in fur coats, Scots with their pipes, and Czechs, Poles, Germans and other immigrants disembarking at her wharves to immigrate to Texas and the American West.

Learn about the 1863 Battle of Galveston when Confederate Gen. John B. Magruder defeated and expelled occupying Union troops in a daring land and naval engagement. And consider the sober, Titanic-like legacy of the 1900 Storm, as more than 6,000 Galvestonians needlessly lost their lives due to a prideful meteorologist named Isaac Cline, who refused to warn the city of impending danger when the bleak forecast of a rival weather station conflicted with his.

And that’s only part of our day! Join us on Monday afternoon as we walk the field where the Battle of San Jacinto — one of history’s most decisive military engagements — was fought, as Sam Houston’s Texans defeated General Antonio López de Santa Anna’s larger Mexican force, securing Texas’s independence in 1836. Take your family to the top of the San Jacinto Monument — the world’s tallest war memorial at 570 feet — for an amazing view of the battlefield below. Along the way, learn the story behind Sam Houston’s rise, a poignant example of manly discipleship.

Day 2, July 14: San Antonio

It was almost the death of a vision.

On December 23, 1820, an enterprising Moses Austin rode into the dusty town of San Antonio de Béjar to petition the Spanish governor of Texas with a bold plan — to settle 300 American families in Mexico’s northern province. Once gaining audience with Governor Antonio Martínez, Austin was abruptly spurned. Not only was his proposal rejected, but he was ordered to leave town immediately.

Yet God had other plans. As Austin walked dejectedly across the city square, he met an old acquaintance, a Dutchman known as Baron de Bastrop. When Bastrop heard of Austin’s plight, he appealed to the governor for a reprieve. Martínez relented, and three days later, Austin was allowed to make a second pitch for his settlement scheme. Surprisingly, authorities in New Spain approved the grant. While Moses suddenly died, his 27-year-old son Stephen braved many hardships in carrying out his father’s grand vision — a pivotal turning point in Texas history. Were it not for this feat, there would have been no Battle of the Alamo in 1836.

Join us in San Antonio for Day 2 of Landmark Events’ Texas Tour as we explore not only the clash of memorable characters that rose to fame at the Alamo, but the war of competing worldviews that raged long before the first cannon shot was ever fired. Learn how the failed policy of Spanish settlement in Texas over several centuries was upended by one man’s vision to colonize American families there, and how the faithful discipleship of his son ensured that this vision was realized. See how the events that followed over the next decade and a half caused a decentralized, family-based culture to topple the top-down, autocratic order personified by the prideful tyrant, Santa Anna, as Travis, Bowie, Crockett and their fellow patriots drew a line in the sand for liberty.

Walk with us to Ben Milam Park, as we remember “Old Ben Milam’s” stalwart legacy — that men follow courage. Hear the story of Sam and Mary Maverick, a sturdy pioneer couple whose belief in Providence and decades-long sacrifice for Texas left an indelible mark on the Lone Star State. Tour the Spanish Governor’s Palace and note how the two monuments which face it outside tell a tale of two differing views of dominion. Visit the Menger Hotel where Teddy Roosevelt mustered the Rough Riders. And take time to soak in the key lessons of the 13-day stand for freedom at the Alamo as you tour the grounds of this sacred landmark.

Day 3, July 15: Austin

The children of Texas loved him.

On December 26, 1851, the city of Austin came to a mournful halt when one of Texas’s greatest leaders died. His passing at age 53 was unexpected, and eulogies from both the House and Senate chambers at the capitol poured forth in his honor. Wasting no time, the legislature inaugurated the Texas State Cemetery in Austin to bury him as the first of many great Texans to be commemorated there.’

His name was Edward Burleson. Called the “hero of thirty battles,” this brave soldier and statesman took up arms in dozens of key conflicts in Texas, but not for fame or glory. In tribute after tribute, the same theme emerged: Burleson fought to defend women and children. And he was much beloved because of it. Early Texas pioneer John Lockhart gave this fitting summary to the now-forgotten hero: “Every child knew his name in olden times, and his name was on the lips of praise wherever he went . . . ; his name meant protector to the women and children of the frontier.”

Join us in Austin for Day 3 of the Road to Republic Texas Tour. Walk the floors of the Texas State History Museum, a powerful three-story tribute to many of the state’s most important men and events. Hear the story of the French explorer La Salle, whose ships overshot the Mississippi River in 1685, only to land on Texas’s Matagorda Bay and prompt swift retaliation by Spanish authorities from the south. See a recreation of Stephen F. Austin’s jail Cell #15, where he was incarcerated in Mexico City on charges of treason. Interact with exhibits from the rough-and-tumble Texas oil industry that was launched when black gold gushed from Spindletop in 1901.

Consider how, in one bold stroke, leaders in Austin leveraged the state’s greatest asset — land — to build the red-marbled capitol building at the city’s center, while creating the Panhandle’s XIT Ranch, which boasted 3 million acres and more than 150,000 head of cattle at its peak. Take in the legacy of Hood’s Texas Brigade as you visit the monument to this storied band of Confederates. And end the day with us at the Texas State Cemetery, as you learn about famous and infamous characters from Texas’s past — heroes such as Edward Burleson, Albert Sydney Johnston, and Joanna Troutman on the good side, and rascals such as Pa and Ma Ferguson, and renowned feminist sculptor Elizabet Ney, on the bad.

Day 4, July 16: Dallas

They killed the President.

On November 22, 1963, the city of Dallas was shamed when President John F. Kennedy was murdered in a crossfire of bullets in Dealey Plaza. On his last day of a whistle-stop tour of Texas, the President rode with the First Lady in an open convertible that morning, joined by Texas Governor John Connally and his wife Nellie.

Crowds cheered as they drove through downtown Dallas. The welcoming spirit was palpable. As they made the slow left turn onto Elm Street, Mrs. Connally remarked, “Mr. President, you can’t say Dallas doesn’t love you.” Seconds later, shots rang out, striking Gov. Connally and the President. After being rushed to Parkland Hospital, President Kennedy was pronounced dead. But who was behind the assassination, and what lessons can we learn from this dark day in America?

Join us in Dallas for Day 4 of the Road to Republic Texas Tour. Learn about the founding of Dallas by John Neely Bryan and how clever promotion to the railroad magnates and beyond led this fledgling town with no historic trade route or practically-navigable waterway to become Texas’s largest city by 1890. Gather with us in Pioneer Plaza to hear the ranging saga of the cattle industry in Texas as you stand next to the amazing bronze sculptures of three cowboys and forty-nine steers, erected on the once-thriving Shawnee Trail. Get an insightful overview of the Civil War’s impact on Texas during our visit to the Confederate War Memorial in Pioneer Park Cemetery.

Finally, come with us to Dealey Plaza as we examine the city’s most striking example of history writ large — the assassination of President Kennedy in 1963 and immediate vaulting to power of his successor, Lyndon Baines Johnson. Yet, in view of this American tragedy, learn that far more important than the grandiose schemes of good or evil men is the inalterable will of God, who — according to His sovereign purpose in history — raises up and puts down men, cities, states, and nations — a fitting end to our Texas tour.

Event Schedule

Note: Schedule times are subject to change.

9:00am Pioneer Plaza (1428 Young St., Dallas) 10:00am Pioneer Park Cemetery (walking distance from Pioneer Plaza) 11:30am Lunch Break     0.5 miles ≈ 5 mins. 1:00pm Old Red Museum (100 S Houston St., Dallas) 1:45pm Dealey Plaza — JFK Assassination Site (walking distance from Old Red Museum) 2:15pm Tour Wrap-Up by Bill Potter and Wesley Strackbein 2:45pm Tour of Sixth Floor Museum (Optional)

* See Tour Highlights Section for detailed descriptions of each day. Bill Potter will be speaking at the Teach Them Diligently Conference in Dallas following the tour. Separate registration required. Stop by our booth and register to win a Scottish Claymore Sword!

Accommodations

ach city boasts a variety of hotels for you to choose from with a wide range of services and rates. Similarly, each family has its own requirements and tastes in hotels. That being said, we are happy to share the information we found online and the choices we made for our staff rooms below with the understanding that, with the exception of the Menger Hotel in San Antonio, we have not seen any of them and cannot vouch for their condition.