General Public and Adult Group Tours

The Legacy of Landmark Inn
Capacity: 4-50 people
Timing: 1 hour, Wednesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Cost: Adults $5, seniors $3, children $2, ages 5 and under, free

Situated along the banks of the Medina River in the historic town of Castroville, Landmark Inn tells a unique story of migration, industry, and preservation. Castroville was established in 1844 as a planned suburb, just one day’s wagon ride away from San Antonio, and became home to a wide variety of settlers. Learn about the many people involved in the settlement, enterprise, and preservation who have come through the doors of this site since it opened 174 years ago. As you explore Landmark Inn and its grounds, you’ll learn about industry, immigration, settlement, environmental resources, milling, architecture, and more. Reservations requested. 

School Tour

A Landmark in Castroville
Grades: 3rd–5th 
Capacity: 15–40 students
Timing: 1 hour, Wednesday through Friday, 10 a.m., 1 p.m., and 2 p.m. 
Cost: $1 per student. One chaperone for every 15 students is free; additional adults are $3 per person.

Whether your students are learning about industry, immigration, settlement, environmental resources, milling, or architecture, Landmark Inn is rich with stories to enhance your classroom curriculum. Guided tours can focus on several aspects of the site’s history, pre-determined by the teacher and site educator. Students will learn about key events in the history of Castroville, which was settled along the banks of the Medina River in the mid-1800s, and consider the many people who have stayed at the inn over the past 150 years.

Tour Reservations

Tour reservations should be made three weeks in advance by calling 830-931-2133, emailing landmarkinnstaff@thc.texas.gov, or completing this tour request form.

A school or group tour of Landmark Inn can be combined with a visit to Castroville Visitors Center and Castro Colonies Living History Center. Let the Site Educator know if you want to combine these locations, and they will contact other sites.

Facilities 

Visitors may picnic on one of the many benches and tables throughout the grounds. Other amenities include fishing in the river, grills, trails, public restrooms, and a 20-stall parking lot. Most of the grounds have at-grade access to buildings and resources, but natural areas and historic steps may present some barriers. Smoking and alcohol are prohibited throughout the site.

Nearby Attractions 

While you're in the area, visit these nearby sites: 

  • Castro Colonies Heritage Association - Living History Center, 309 Paris St., open Satrudays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. 
  • Castroville Regional Park – located in the southwest part of Castroville, consists of 126 wooded acres on the Medina River. 
  • Frontier Times Museum – a 40,000-piece collection of old west, pioneer, and prehistoric artifacts in Bandera. 
  • Medina Lake and Canal – constructed between 1911-12 as an irrigation reservoir. An extensive canal system delivers water to 34,000 acres of Blackland Prairie farmlands below the Balcones Escarpment around Castroville. 
  • Paradise Canyon – a little piece of heaven on the Medina River; great for tubing, swimming, and fishing. 
  • South Texas Maize – cornfield maze in Hondo. 

For additional travel and history information, see the following resources: