King Ranch Visitor Center

This was a really awesome experience. I highly recommend booking a tour in advance. We had a wonderful tour by a former ranch hand. There’s so much to learn in so much to see. I wish the tour was a little bit longer, but in one and a half hours, we were able to take the loop and see lots of beautifulanimals here on the ranch.

We took the tour. Very nice guide and informative but really wasn’t what I expected. We drove around in a bus for an hr or so and got out once and drove by a lot of cows and horse. But didn’t really get to see the main house or any of the animals up close. Not really for young kids we took a couple and it was kind of over their head. It would have been nice to see some animals up close or see the main house except for driving by it slowly. Also I envisioned the whole ranch as a more high end operation and it basically looked like any ranch out there. Worth going to once to learn about the history but I wouldn’t go back.

Wonderful visitor center with an informative historical film, captioned hanging photos throughout, books, and King Ranch memorabilia. Convenient restrooms in a nearby building. Take the 90-minute King Ranch historical/informative bus tour that drives through the local grounds. See the Santa Gertrudis Cattle and the Quarter Horses as well as Longhorns and Caracara falcons. Learn about the rich history of the family that began, still resides on, and is still involved with the ranch. We were very pleased with Gabe as our guide; he was well informed and was a pleasure to meet.

It was OK - it's pricey for what you get. FYI, You can drive the area and read about the history and current operation for FREE It asked if I recommend buying tickets in advance, I recommend you don't buy tickets. But if you are down for paying for sitting on a bus when you can see the ranch for free, then yes, buy tickets in advance

The King Ranch Visitor centers offers a quaint selection of King Ranch memorabilia. Numerous books regarding various King Ranch related history, cookbooks, hats, shirts, t-shirts, etc. There is also a 30+ minute video that relates some of the history of the King Ranch, its early beginnings, the expansion, and ongoing operations. Very interesting video. We also took the history tour that last for 90 minutes. It was absolutely great.

This is the largest ranch in the US so we wanted to visit it. Ranch tours are offered so we booked online $20/adult, discounts for seniors, military, children. The tour starts at the visitor center where you can watch a video, then get on a small bus. Our tour guide, Janelle was awesome, told us interesting stories about Capt. King and family and the quarter horses, longhorns and San Gertrudis cattle which we drove by. We saw many wild animals, deer, roadrunners, havelina, caracara, turkeys. The only stop was a visit to the weaver’s cottage that had a cattle brand exhibit, loom, spinning wheel, all the other buildings: bunkhouse, barn, mansion we drove by making it a bit difficult to get photos. What makes this tour worth it is the tour guide. Don’t expect a working ranch tour but the history is interesting. Lasted 2hrs.

Great tour guide but worst tour ever. Difficult to take pictures from inside a crowded bus. We were not allowed outside the bus because of the possibility of being bitten by a rattlesnake. The view of the main house was anti-climactic. The bus drove by what looked like the back of the house, which meant that people on the opposite side of the bus couldn’t even take a quick picture of it. No stops to see inside a barn or bunkhouse. Primarily just stops to look at cattle of different breeds and a few horses in fields. Definitely not worth the money. And don’t get me started about the visitor center. No photography allowed. The one person at the front stopped my wife and told her no photos. It’s the only interaction we had with the staff there. Interesting museum but to charge an entrance fee and not allow personal photos is ridiculous.

We went to King ranch to visit, for so long I wanted to explore one of the greatest ranches in the whole USA, unfortunately for us I didn't check in advance and it was closed during that day of the week. However we kind of explore around the visitor center and after we went to downtown Kingsville. Quiet but old time charming town.