Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Sun; restaurant 11am-10pm Fri & Sat)
for its beautiful 35-acre grounds with grassy hills (great for
picnicking) an orchard and two ponds. The winery holds frequent events and their restaur-
ant is top-notch.
OFF THE BEATEN TRACK
TEXAS COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME
Carthage, Texas, 50 miles south of Jefferson and 40 miles east of Kilgore, is barely a spot on the map. But it was
the birthplace of legendary cowboy singer Tex Ritter, and home to the museum where he stars, the
Texas Coun-
try Music Hall of Fame
( 903-693-6634;
www.carthagetexas.com/HallofFame/museum.htm
;
310 W Panola,
Carthage; adult/child $5/3; 10am-4pm Mon-Sat). Browse the exhibits about the radio and silver-screen star,
and other legends of Texas country, then sit back and listen to them sing from the free juke box. Saturday even-
ings the
Country Music Hayride
( 903-622-4390;
http://hayridecarthage.com
;
Esquire Theater, 114 W Sabine
St, Carthage; admission $6;
7pm Sat) harks back to the early days of the Grand Ol' Opry and other country
variety shows.
TOP OF CHAPTER
Caddo Lake
Picture craggy, partly submerged bald cypress trees covered with low-hanging moss sway-
ing in the breeze. Imagine floating quietly past 3ft-tall herons and egrets on labyrinthine
waterways. Envision the occasional alligator eyes gliding by... You've got the scene:
evocative, intoxicating, and OK, we admit it, a little eerie. Texas' largest freshwater lake
snakes off into narrow bayous and tributaries that cover more than 26,000 acres that are
well worth exploring by boat. If you can, get up early to watch as the steam rises off the
bayous.
Caddo Lake State Park
( 903-679-3351;
www.tpwd.state.tx.us
; FM 2198, off Hwy 43; admission $2, tent/RV
sites $10/20, cabins $75-115; office 8am-5pm, park 24hr)
is a good place to start your adventure.
Take an interpretive hike through the cypress forest on the lake's western edge. Or, in
summer, rent a canoe from the on-site concession,
Old Port Caddo
(
903-930-0075;
www.oldportcaddo.com
; 2670 Blairs Landing Rd, Caddo Lake State Park; rental per day $35, tours adult/child $18/10;
8am-5pm May-Sep)
. They also offer hour-long pontoon boat tours, reservations required.
The park itself has some great little cabins built by the Civilian Conservation Corps and
the riverside tent sites are pretty sweet. Don't forget bug spray.
