Battleship Texas reopens briefly for Labor Day weekend

HOUSTON - APRIL 27: General view of the battleship Texas on April 27, 2003 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images for the ATP) (Matthew Stockman, 2003 Getty Images)

Battleship Texas, a beloved Lone Star State landmark, will once again welcome visitors aboard -- well, temporarily at least.

By popular demand, the ship will briefly reopen Labor Day weekend, Sept. 4 and 5 from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

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Visitors will have access to the ship’s main deck, superstructure, and the Ward Room, where interactive historic exhibits will be displayed.

General admission is $10 for adults (ages 12 to 64) and $5 for children (ages 4 to11). Active military and seniors (ages 65+) can purchase tickets for $5.

The U.S.S. Texas, a historic vessel moored in the Houston Ship Channel near the San Jacinto battleground site, was commissioned in 1914 “as the most powerful weapon in the world,” according to the Battleship Texas Foundation.

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U.S.S. Texas was decommissioned in 1948, presented to the state of Texas, and recommissioned as flagship of the Texas Navy, according to the Texas State Historical Association. In 1983, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department acquired the ship and later had it restored based on plans drawn up by a naval architect. The ship was on display and open to the public until 2019, when it was closed for lengthy repairs.

Battleship Texas is the last surviving Dreadnought as well as the only battleship in existence today that fought in both World War I and World War II, according to the Battleship Texas Foundation.

The ship briefly reopened earlier this summer, during Independence Day weekend. In just two days over 9,000 visitors descended the decks of Battleship Texas.

For additional information, visit battleshiptexas.org.

Searching for more things to do in the Houston area? Visit our things to do page.


About the Author

Briana Zamora-Nipper joined the KPRC 2 digital team in 2019. When she’s not hard at work in the KPRC 2 newsroom, you can find Bri drinking away her hard earned wages at JuiceLand, running around Hermann Park, listening to crime podcasts or ransacking the magazine stand at Barnes & Noble.

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