Time to read
1 minute
Read so far

Park activities planned Saturday

0 comments

The sun will set at 8:49 p.m. and the waning crescent moon won’t rise until after 2:00 a.m. this Saturday night, July 7, so the staff at the Fort Griffin State Historical Site plans to take advantage of the dark skies by hosting a Stars & Skies of Texas star gazing party.

The state historic site also has events planned for daytime hours.

Stars & Skies of Texas

“Fort Griffin State Historic Site has gained quite the reputation for having some of the darkest night skies in all of Texas,” said program specialist Eric Abercrombie. “Join us on July 7 from 9:00 p.m. until 11:00 p.m. as local astronomers share their knowledge of the night skies, telescopes, and other astronomy equipment. Visitors will have the opportunity to see planets, nebulas, distant galaxies, our own galaxy, and much more!” 

The program will be held in the baseball field of the campground. Site staff will collect regular admission near the entrance to the campground, for those arriving after hours.

Guests may want to bring a flashlight that has the lens covered with red cellophane, so they can use it to watch out for rattlesnakes when they are walking, without interfering with everyone’s night vision.

Guided Fort Tour

Once a month throughout the summer the staff at Fort Griffin offers a guided fort tour, and this month’s tour will be offered on Saturday, July 7, from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m.

Horns and Tales

An informative cattle program is offered every Saturday from 2:00 to 2:30 p.m. at the cattle pens.

“All ages are welcome to come and see part of the Official State of Texas Longhorn Herd up close and hear history and tales from the cattle drives and early ranching,” said herd manager Will Cradduck. “Learn about Texas Longhorn cattle and experience a living part of Texas history.”

For information, call 325-762-3592.