Search
Resorts & LodgesVacation RentalsDeals & PackagesTravel Guides
List Your Property

Pecan Fest Heritage Days: A Great Celebration in the Home of the World's Largest Pecan

Seguin, Texas, is a historic community located roughly 37 miles east of San Antonio that’s an ideal travel destination with an abundance of unique attractions. The Guadalupe County Heritage Museum is full of exhibits, artifacts, and photos, all of which highlight the rich history of the city and region. It’s also the home of artifacts from a local Paleo-Native American dig site, dating back over 11,000 years. Make a trip to ZDT Amusement Park and you’ll find everything from a wooden roller coaster to a state of the art flight simulator. The park also has an excellent selection of water rides, so don't forget a swimming suit!

 

Events and festivals in Seguin are great for the entire family, and a local favorite enters its tenth year celebrating in the home of the World's Largest Pecan. Pecan Fest Heritage Days is a perfect fit for a community that annually produces over three million pounds of pecans. The event brings thousands of people into the community to celebrate everything pecan. The festival has it all including a pub crawl, specialized meals at local restaurants, a vendor market, haunted walks and more. We got the chance to interview Kyle Kramm, Main Street & CVB Director, to talk about his unique celebration.  

 

RAL: How long has the event been running?

KK: This is the tenth year of Pecan Fest Heritage Days. The Seguin Main Street Program currently coordinates the event, but it took place for a few years before Main Street took it over.

 

RAL: How many annual participants do you draw and who are they demographically? Children? Families? Couples?

KK: We have crowds between 3,000 and 5,000 people. It is a pretty big mix of young families and empty nesters/recent retirees.

 

RAL: What makes this event unique?

KK: A photo with the World's Largest Pecan should be on everyone's bucket list, and that experience can only happen in Seguin. Visitors can learn about Seguin's unique history from the city’s founding by the Texas Rangers, to being the home of the first freed slave business in Texas.

 

RAL: Take me through the activities of a day at the event.

KK: The action starts on Friday with a pub crawl, haunted trail at the Seguin Outdoor Learning Center, pumpkin patch, and tours of our historic Sebastopol House and Pape's Pecan Nutcracker Museum.  

 

Saturday has something for the whole family. The day begins with the Tour de Pecan Bike Ride through the countryside surrounding Seguin. Heritage events will take place at locations such as the Big Red Barn, Heritage Museum, Sebastopol, and Seguin Conservation Society's Heritage Village. There will be plenty of shopping in the downtown area at local merchants, and over 80 vendors set up as part of our Trade Days. A stop at Teatro de Artes de Juan Seguin allows patrons to make traditional Mexican crafts, contribute to the Art League's Chihuly Chandelier, and craft a hat for the evening's hat parade. The Seguin family will also be holding a celebration in honor of Juan Seguin which will feature performances by some of Seguin's descendants.  

 

Saturday evening concludes with the Pecan Party at The Oak Tavern and Seguin Brewing Company. The party will feature the Hats Off to Juan Seguin Hat Parade and live music by local band Tin Roof. There will also be a haunted house at the Magnolia Hotel where people can meet some of the unfortunate and mysterious guests who have stayed here over the hotel's long history.

 

On Sunday afternoon, people take a tour of Riverside Cemetery and hear the life stories of eight of Seguin's founders, then enjoy a Polka Service and Sausage Supper celebrating Seguin's German heritage.  

 

RAL: Will there be any guest appearances?

KK: Juan Seguin himself and former Governor John Ireland, who was from Seguin, will be in downtown Seguin on Saturday, October 29, for photo opportunities.  

   

RAL: What dining options will attendees encounter?  

KK: There are some great restaurants in Seguin, and many will be serving dishes with pecans.  You can also find pecan treats throughout downtown Seguin, including pecan pies, pecan candies, pecan ice cream, and cookies.

   

RAL: Why should people come to your event?

KK: There is no town quite like Seguin. We are a little nutty and we know how to have fun.  There is something for everyone to experience, from the history nut to the shopping nut.  It is a weekend full of activities and experiences.

 

For more information about the Pecan Fest Heritage Days, please visit their www.seguingonuts.com.