What if you could take a trip from Rio Grande City to Brownsville on a steamboat loaded with bales of cotton, ready to export past a Union blockade in the Gulf of Mexico? Or, pack your saddle bags to join vaqueros on a cattle drive north through dusty trails and open range? Let your imagination roam the range during Summer Nights at the Museum Thursday, June 27, from 6:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Museum of South Texas History.
Children will discover the River Highway exhibit, through an interactive scavenger hunt designed to guide your family through a Summer Night Family Adventure filled with activities. Complete the hunt to receive a free kid’s meal voucher from Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers. And, there will be free lemonade from Raising Cane’s Chicken Fingers after you’ve had all that fun!
Back this year is “The Great Western Trail Puppet Show.” You can catch any of three evening performances, scheduled for 6:45 p.m., 7:15 p.m. and 7:45 p.m., in the Courtyard Gallery. Join Tex and Hermosa on a cattle drive through Texas towns and north across the Red River.
Explore the River Highway which features the history of South Texas and northeastern Mexico from the beginning of the Texas Revolution, into the steamboat era on the Rio Grande and ending with the cattle kingdom at the end of the 19th century. This history will come to life with hands-on activities, soldier re-enactors from 19th century struggles and musical entertainment. Guests will learn about vaquero skills such as rope making, cattle corralling and cattle branding.
Be sure to turn in your Scavenger Hunt before the night ends, because we will be raffling off a special prize from the Museum Store at 9 p.m. Need not be present to win! Finally, mark your calendars for the final Summer Nights at the Museum event on Thursday, July 11, where we explore 20th century history in the River Crossroads exhibit.
Admission to Summer Nights at the Museum is the regular admission price; passes and coupons are not valid: Adults (ages 18+) $8; seniors (ages 62+) and students with ID (13+) $6; children ages 4 to 12, $5; children ages 3 and under are free. As a participating museum in the Blue Star Museums, starting Memorial Day, all active duty military personnel and up to five family members receive free admission to all three Summer Nights at the Museum. Become a FRIEND of the museum to attend all three Summer Nights at the Museum – and more – for FREE. For more information about Summer Nights at the Museum or becoming a FRIEND of MOSTHistory, please call the museum at 956-383-6911.
About Museum of South Texas History
The Museum of South Texas History is accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. It is located in downtown Edinburg at 200 N. Closner Blvd. on the Hidalgo County Courthouse square. Hours of operation are from 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. Sunday and 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Tuesday–Saturday. Founded in 1967 as the Hidalgo County Historical Museum in the 1910 Hidalgo County Jail, the museum has grown over the decades through a series of expansions to occupy a full city block. In 2003, following the completion of a 22,500 square foot expansion, the museum was renamed the Museum of South Texas History to better reflect its regional scope. Today, the museum preserves and presents the borderland heritage of South Texas and Northeastern Mexico through its permanent collection and the Margaret H. McAllen Memorial Archives and exhibits spanning prehistory through the 20th century. For more information about MOSTHistory, including becoming a FRIEND, visit MOSTHistory.org, like us on Facebook, follow on Twitter, find on YouTube or call +1-956-383-6911.