Tours

Self-Guided Tours

Self-guided tours are always available during regular museum hours. These tours offer you a chance to craft your own experience and spend time investigating the items and stories that are most interesting and relevant to you. You are welcome to come in and explore any of our exhibits at the Courthouse-on-the-Square or Historical Park at your own leisure.

Guided Tours

Guided tours of our museum sites should be scheduled in advance, especially to accommodate larger groups. We offer a variety of different tours designed to showcase the many stories we tell about the county’s history:

Tours of the Courthouse-on-the-Square offer a glimpse into the county’s past and the events that led to what we know as Denton County today. We cover a variety of information. Spanning from civic education on the role of county government in the lives of residents, to more specific information on the particular history of the courthouse itself. This includes the building’s historical role in the local community.

The Denton County Historical Park offers tours of the Bayless-Selby House and the Quakertown House. The Bayless-Selby House tour takes a look at life in our county as it was 100 years ago. Tours of the Quakertown House tell the story of Quakertown and the residents that lived there. Tours can be tailored to your needs depending on your curriculum studies, the number of people in your group, and time that you are available.

To schedule a tour, complete the Contact Form or call 940-349-2854.

School Tours

The Denton County Office of History and Culture is here to partner with you in your educational needs. As educators, we know that it is important to you that your students are provided with opportunities to learn from sites that provide a tangible link to the history taught in the classroom. We offer various programs that are designed around the existing Texas TEKS requirements and standards, so that everything is compatible with your existing lesson planning. Tours can be customized to your individual needs and our knowledgeable docents stationed throughout the museums provide a unique one-on-one learning experience.

Complete the Contact Form or call 940-349-2854 to schedule a school tour. Tours cost $1 per person.

Then & Now Tour

On this guided tour, students will get a glimpse at what life was like for those who lived in Denton County in the past and how it’s changed for us today. Students will visit the Courthouse-on-the-Square and the Denton County Historical Park. At each location, students will rotate through four stations including:

• The Bayless-Selby House
• The Historic Commissioners Courtroom
• John B. Denton’s Grave
• Pioneer Room
• The Quakertown House
• Victorian Gardens

The Then and Now Tour is a fun educational opportunity for 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grade students!

White Lilacs Tour

On this guided tour, students will learn about the real people and places from Denton history that inspired Carolyn Meyer’s book, White Lilacs. Students will visit the Denton County Historical Park and Quakertown Park, and rotate through different stations. This tour is especially suited for those with an interest in Denton’s Quakertown Community and African-American history.

The White Lilacs Tour is recommended for students who have read the White Lilacs book by Carolyn Meyer. Grade levels 5 through 8.

Testimonials

Thank you so much for allowing our second graders a glimpse into the world of historical Denton. We appreciate you and your staff fitting us into your busy schedule. They truly enjoyed the Denton County Courthouse Museum and the Historical Park. As teachers, we love to see what details the students notice. We look forward to visiting with you each year.- 2nd-grade teachers at Nelson Elementary School in Denton, Texas

This tour is so well organized. It’s just enough time at each station to hold their attention and move on. -2nd grade teacher at Prairie Trail Elementary School in Flower Mound, Texas

The [Then and Now] tour blew Hodge’s second graders away. It was engaging, informative and most of all a great learning experience. At every station we visited there was a hands on activity which our students loved. It covered many things in our curriculum and helped reinforce information we’ve taught in our classrooms. It was exceptionally organized, and the guides were very knowledgeable. Thank you for this amazing experience, we look forward to coming back in the future.- 2nd grade teachers at Hodge Elementary School in Denton, Texas

For 3rd grade, the variation of history content was fabulous! Also involving them in the court was excellent! Thank you so much! - 3rd grade teachers at Hawk Elementary School in Corinth, Texas

We enjoyed our experience and can’t wait to do it again!- 4th grade teachers at Highland Village Elementary School in Highland Village, Texas

Always a pleasure to do this [White Lilacs] tour with my students.- 8th grade teacher at Murphy Middle School in Plano, Texas

You guys are awesome! My students learned so much and you sparked their minds to want to learn even more. Many have been UNT students for years and have never heard about Quakertown, so it was an eye opening experience. Thank you, thank you, thank you! - UNT Media Arts professor