Community Calendar

Homeschool Day will take place at the Sam Rayburn House on Wednesday, April 30th from 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Homeschool groups and families are invited to spend a day meeting with community partners offering activities, educational opportunities, or groups that homeschool students may want to join. All visitors to this site on April 30th will pay a $3.00 entrance fee, and this fee covers a self-guided tour of the Rayburn house. Our tours that day will be on the hour from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Tour space is limited, so reservations are recommended if you’d like to tour the home on this day. Please note: Co-admission to the Eisenhower Birthplace State Historic Site is not covered with tour tickets purchased at the Sam Rayburn House on this day. We want to thank the Friends of Sam Rayburn for sponsoring this event! Contact us at (903) 583-5558 or email Margo.McCutcheon@thc.texas.gov with any questions you have or to reserve your tour on Homeschool Day. If you can’t make it to Homeschool Day but your homeschool group wants to tour Sam Rayburn’s historic home, ask us about scheduling a school tour!

Homeschool families and groups from across north Texas are invited to Homeschool Day at the Sam Bell Maxey House State Historic Site in Paris on Wednesday, May 7, 2025. From 10:00 am to 3:00 pm, homeschool students, teachers, and parents can enjoy educational programs from local organizations, games, and more.

Admission to the event is $3.00 for each person, which includes access to all activities and presentations.

Reservations can be made at bit.ly/sbmh-hsd2025

Presenters Include:
- Cooper Lake State Park
- Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas
- Eisenhower Birthplace State Historic Site
- Fort Towson Fort Towson Historic Site, Oklahoma Historical Society
- Lamar County Master Gardeners
- Lamar County 4-H
- Paris Public Library
- Sam Rayburn House State Historic Site

Special Guest: Tropical Sno of Paris!!

Please call us at 903-785-5716 or email Elana at elana.barton@thc.texas.gov with any questions. Can’t make it to Homeschool Day but want to learn more about this historic home and how to book tours for your homeschool? Contact us or visit our website at www.visitsambellmaxeyhouse.com for more information.

Mark your calendars for an exciting adventure at the Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary! Join us on June 21 from 5 PM to 11 PM for the much-anticipated Bug-a-thon. This family-friendly event promises an evening and night filled with exploration, discovery, and fun activities for all ages. Enjoy a variety of fun family-friendly events, including an insect bioblitz (participants work together to find and identify as many species of insects as possible with chances to win fun prizes). There will also be a mothing event after dark, where participants can view and identify various nocturnal species up close and more! Pre-registration for this event is required and available at HeardMuseum.org/Bugathon.
Non-Member: Adults $15, Children (ages 3 – 12) $11, Children (ages 2 and under) Free. Heard Members will enjoy a 50% discount off the Non-member price.

Experience Collin County’s premier family-friendly Halloween event at Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary. Halloween at the Heard features a safe environment to experience the joy of trick-or-treating along the eerie Dinosaurs Live! Live-Size Animatronic Dinosaurs trail. Families will enjoy an evening full of fun activities, including a presentation of a family-friendly movie on the Heard’s outdoor amphitheater stage, photo ops, and more. This event sells out each year and tickets are limited.