Mysterious Caddo Lake and Other East Texas Travel Destinations
Caddo Lake dominates East Texas. This beautiful lake created by an earthquake foretold by the spirits to a Caddo tribal chief, who failed to listen to the warning, spans more than 26,000 acres. With cypress trees, hanging Spanish moss, and water lilies, the lake looks more like a bayou in Southern Louisiana than a Texas lake but it remains one of the most popular in the state.
Beautiful, wild, and mysterious, Caddo Lake is so dense and has so many channels that 42 miles of boat roads have been mapped to prevent boaters from becoming lost in the miles of water. The swamp-like atmosphere seems to have risen from prehistoric times and visitors almost expect to see a dinosaur come to drink from the waters. Rumored to be haunted, Caddo Lake offers some of the most outstanding fishing in the state of Texas. Caddo Lake State Park near Karnack offers camping, cabins, swimming, boating, fishing and other recreation. Some of the towns on and near the lake include Karnack (birthplace of former First Lady Johnson), Uncertain, and Marshall.
Steamboat traffic was once common on the Red River and over the waters of Caddo Lake. Uncertain, Texas gained its’ name from the uncertain landing that steamboat captains found at the site. Today, an authentic recreation of an 1880’s steamboat called The Graceful Ghost travels the waters of Caddo and offers excursion tours.
Other popular water spots in East Texas include Toledo Bend, a manmade lake made from the Sabine River on the border with Louisiana and the Neches River.
Karnack is the site of the Ladybird Johnson Birthplace. Guests can tour the former First Lady’s birthplace and childhood home if the fish aren’t biting on Caddo.
Jefferson, Texas at the far end of Caddo Lake offers Victorian charm. The small city is home to numerous antique shops and an old-fashioned working soda fountain. Ride over the brick streets in a horse drawn buggy or walk through the vintage downtown district for an experience that feels more Southern than Texan. Since the region’s early settlers came from Georgia, that’s not surprising and another small city is named Atlanta. Cotton was once a major crop in this part of East Texas and the Southern culture came along with the cotton.
Tyler, Texas is the Rose Capitol of the World. Large numbers of domestic roses sold in the United States come from the fertile soil around Tyler. The Municipal Rose Garden and Museum in Tyler documents the history. An annual Rose Festival is held each year with a parade, a Rose Queen and other events. Tyler is also home to the Smith County Historical Museum and two zoos. The Caldwell Zoo is noted as one of the regions finest. At Brookshire’s World of Wild Animals Museum, animals are only half of the attraction. A Country Store preserves the way grocery stores were in the 1920’s when the regional chain of supermarkets, Brookshire’s, began.
Kilgore, Texas once had 1200 oil wells lining the streets and lawns of this small city. The East Texas Oil Museum details the history of the East Texas oil boom of the 1920’s and 1930’s with dioramas, films, interactive exhibits, and more.
Visit the small town of Rusk, Texas, one of many places country singer Johnny Horton called home, and take a ride on the East Texas Railroad. Vintage trains make a daily run from Rusk to Palestine, Texas over some of the region’s prettiest country. Make a round trip and return to Rusk or stay in Palestine (and it’s pronounced Pale-steen) to visit the Museum of East Texas Culture housed in a 1915 schoolhouse. Return to Rusk and take a drive through the region’s tall pine trees – hence the nickname, “The Piney Woods”. Stroll across the world’s longest footbridge in Rusk and visit the historic Downtown Square.
Visit the Jim Reeves Memorial in Carthage, Texas and drive over to Jacksonville to visit the city that once was Tomato Capitol of the World.
East Texas is home to Caddo Lake, a unique body of water like no other and many other attractions worth a visit.
