The Northeast Texas Trail

Between Farmersville and New Boston, gravel, dirt and asphalt make up a trail 130 miles long. Hikers, bikers and horseback riders can enter the trail, which follows an old rail line, at one of the many trailheads in the 17 towns along the way. Traversing the forests and fields of seven counties, it will be the longest pathway in the state once completed. 

Caddo Mounds

Just north of Davy Crockett National Forest on Texas Highway 21, three mounds mark the site of a Caddo village and ceremonial center. The Caddo selected the site near the Neches River for a permanent settlement around 800 A.D. and lived there for the next 500 years. One mound is a burial site; the other two served other community purposes. Caddo Mounds is now a state historic site.

Last Boundary Marker for the Republic of Texas

In Carthage, a granite post reminds visitors of Texas’ short stint as a sovereign nation. The post, placed in 1841, is one of what was a series of posts marking the border between the U.S. and the Republic of Texas. The boundary marker and a historical marker — commemorating territory disputed between, at various times, France, Spain, Mexico, Texas and the U.S. — can be found in a small roadside park off Texas Highway 31 near the Louisiana border.

Salt Palace

Smack-dab in the heart of Grand Saline lies the only building in the world made of blocks of pure rock salt (wall-licking allowed). The Salt Palace Museum encourages tourists to explore the history of salt and learn about the salt prairie southeast of town, a source for Native Americans and for local miners.

Stephen F. Austin Observatory

Fifteen minutes from Stephen F. Austin University’s campus in Nacogdoches, stargazers can experience the largest student observatory in Texas (second largest overall in the state). The observatory houses 41-inch and 18-inch telescopes, plus a variety of smaller ones. Public viewings are available and free of charge; check their Facebook page for dates and cloud-caused cancellations.