Goliad SHS administers four historic sites in the vicinity of Goliad. Mission Espiritu Santo is a restored Spanish Colonial Mission, with a museum detailing the lives of the Native Americans and Spanish priests who lived there during the 1700's. The unrestored Mission Rosario is located nearby, and is the subject of ongoing archaeological study. Zaragoza's Birthplace celebrates the life of General Ignacio Zaragoza, hero of the May 5, 1862 Battle of Puebla (Cinco de Mayo). Located approximately 9 miles east of Goliad is the Fannin Battleground. On this site in 1836 Colonel James W. Fannin and his troops were captured after a pitched battle by Mexican forces led by General Jose Urrea.

Mission Espiritu Santo was established by Franciscan priests at it's present location in 1749, and was abandoned in 1830. During that time, priests worked with tribes such as the Aranama, Tamique, and others in order to convert them into Spanish citizens. During the 1700's the mission became a highly successful cattle ranch, running over 40,000 head on approximately 1 million acres. During the later 19th and early 20th centuries the mission passed through private and county hands. In the 1930's the mission buildings were restored by the Civilian Conservation Corps, and Goliad SHS was established. Mission Rosario was established in the early 1750's for the Karankawa Indians, and was abandoned shortly after the turn of the 19th century when the inhabitants were transferred to Mission Refugio. The ruins have been stabilized by the Texas Parks & Wildlife Dept (TPWD), and the site is now the subject of ongoing archaeological study. Zaragoza's Birthplace was restored by TPWD during the 1960's to approximate its 1829 appearance, the year when Ignacio Zaragoza was born in the house to parents stationed at the nearby military installation of Presidio La Bahia. The Fannin Battleground was acquired by TPWD in 1965.