Alert

House tours are suspended until early 2025 for roof and chimney restoration. Alternative programming is offered at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m. Learning Center, Visitor Center, and grounds remain open free of charge.
 

Charles Goodnight co-founded the JA Ranch in 1876, the first cattle ranch in the Texas Panhandle. In 1887, he built a Victorian home for his new venture, the Goodnight-Thayer Cattle Company. His wife Mary Ann helped run the ranch and preserve American bison. Today, the restored home features a spacious second-floor porch overlooking descendants of the Goodnights' original bison herd.

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Location

2000 US Hwy 287
Goodnight, TX 79226 

806-944-5591 for general information
806-670-5627 for tours
Contact us
See map

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Hours

Tuesday to Saturday  
10 a.m.–5 p.m.

Programming
11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m. 

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Tickets

Adult $5
Senior/Veteran/Teacher/First Responder $3
Child (6-17) $2
Child (5 and under) Free
Family (2 adults & 1 child) $8, each additional child $1

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Programs

Public Tours  
Living History Programs  
Special Events  
School Programs 

Windmill on the grounds

Plan Your Visit

Peer into pioneer prairie life during a tour of the Charles and Mary Ann Goodnight historic home.

Statue of Mary Ann Goodnight

Goodnight Ranch History

Charles Foxwing Goodnight was born March 5, 1836, on the family farm in Macoupin County, Illinois.

Dining room of the main ranch house

Support the Friends of Goodnight Ranch

Friends of Goodnight Ranch is a "Fiscally Sponsored Project" of the Friends of the Texas Historical Commission (a 501(C)(3) nonprofit charitable organization). Your gift will directly support this organization.

Events at Goodnight Ranch

Black and white movie poster promoting the film Old Texas

Lights, Camera, Action...Hollywood comes to the Panhandle

Saturday 11 a.m. - 12 p.m.

From Old Texas 1916 to Castaway, Hollywood has come knocking in the Texas Panhandle. Come learn how the beauty of the Panhandle has been featured in film.

Image of a coffee pot over an open fire

Cowboy Coffee

Tuesday 10 a.m. - 11 a.m.

Mosey on into the Goodnight Ranch for an old-fashioned cup of cowboy coffee and learn why this liquid delight was so important to the cowboys on a cattle drive.

Image of a dug out with wood logs in front

Home Sweet Home...on the Prairie

Tuesday 11 a.m. - 12 p.m.

Have you ever wondered how the early settlers in the Texas Panhandle survived and thrived in a tree-less environment? Come find out about the way they used the materials they had to create their own unique homes.

Goodnight Ranch in the Blog

Historic Road Trip: Amarillo and Canyon

Amarillo’s heritage contains a surprisingly eclectic mix of cultural influences, from Native American leaders to legendary ranchers to the Americana of Route 66.

The city’s population surged in the late 1800s, when windmill-powered agricultural wells reached the deep water table, the railroad arrived, and thousands of nearby cattle were corralled and shipped to meatpacking centers in the north.

By the 1930s, cross-country automobile travel shifted into high gear thanks to new highways like the famous Route 66. The city’s distinctive blend of fiery, friendly folks endeared many travelers to its independent pioneer spirit.

Exploring the Quanah Parker Trail

Dozens of arrows, 22 feet tall, pierce the landscape of the Panhandle Plains. They commemorate Quanah Parker, last chief of the Comanche (Nʉmʉnʉʉ), and the territory called Comanchería where his people lived. Parker was the son of a Quahada Comanche man and a white woman, a heritage that made a lasting impact on his life.