Tex as ForesT Tr ail region

road Trips

2015/2016 Fall & WinTer ediTionw w w . T e x a s f o r e s T T r a i l . c o m

Things to do & see inEast Texas

hughes springsthe Legacy Events Center122 East First Street hughesspringstxusa.com 903-639-1095

Join us in Hughes Springs where “Hospitality is a Habit”. Nestled in the Piney Woods of Northeast Texas, in Cass County. Settled in the early 1800s, Hughes Springs is the epitome of small town charm - with plenty of shops, sites and eateries, just minutes from recreational lakes and attractions. Stop by and see us... We are waiting to show you our Hospitality!

Craft & CulinarySept 26: A Taste of Home Canning CompetitionOct 17-18: GGA Hughes Springs Fall MarketNov 23: Holiday on First Street

Fine ArtsNov 29: Gordon Mote Concerts Feb 17: Pleasant Hill Quilt Group presents“Underground Railroad Quilt Codes “Mar 18-19: 3rd Annual Spring Art Show

Sports & OutdoorsSept 11-12: GGA Gun, Knife & Survival ShowDec 5-6: GGA Gun, Knife & Survival Show

hunTsvilleOct 3: Fair on the SquareHistoric Downtown Huntsville • faironthesquare.com 380 booths, Food Court, Live Entertainment, Kids Korner, Beer Garden, Classic Cars & Friday Night Concert. FREE ADMISSION!

Sept 19 & 20: Huntsville Annual Antique ShowWalker County Fair Grounds • huntsvilleantiqueshow.com We have over 60 quality dealers from across the U.S. You’ll find a wide array of antiques to suit every budget and taste. There is something for everyone, you never know what you might find.

Sept 27: Texas 10 Race Sam Houston State Campus • texas10series.comTexas 10 Series is a new premier running race series (10K, 5K) that is hosted in seven Texas cities providing age group runners multiple opportunities to walk away with cash in their pockets and an overall great running event experience.

MounT pleasanTOct 10: Everything Texas Uncorked Ranch Run & Wine FestivalPriefert Ranch • mtpleasanttx.com • (903) 572-8567Join us for live music, Texas wine, artisan food, unique arts & handmade crafts at the Everything Texas Uncorked Ranch Run & Wine Festival. The ranch run will include 15K, 5K and 1K runs following the unique course that winds the legendary Priefert Ranch.

Nov 13-14: Deck the Halls 1800 North Jefferson • mtpleasanttx.com • (903) 572-8678Enjoy Christmas shopping in style at Deck the Halls! There are items for all including jewelry, ceramics, soaps, fashions and festive decorations. There will also be live entertainment and pictures to get shoppers in the Christmas spirit

Dec 5: Christmas on the SquareDowntown • mtpleasanttx.com • (903) 572-8567Celebrate the season on the downtown square! There will be a lighted Christmas parade, ice skating for all, a chili cookoff, pictures with Santa, singing, shopping and much more! Get into the Everything Texas Christmas spirit!

MagnoliaNov 13-15: Cooking for Courage-Lone Survivor Event19450 Unity Park Drive cityofmagnolia.com • 281.356.2266 Ext. 3Three-day event in Unity Park honoring veterans with a barbecue cook-off, Salute to Veterans. Fireworks, dinner, guest speaker, concert and more. Cook-Off sanctioned by Lone Star BBQ Society. For Cook-Off information contact gari_lynn@hotmail.com

MarshallNov 25 - Dec 31 Wonderland of LightsHistoric Downtown Marshall marshalltexas.net • (903) 702-9500Wonderland of Lights transforms downtown Marshall into a winter wonderland, with the Harrison County Courthouse as the centerpiece. Enjoy our outdoor ice skating rink, Santa’s Workshop & Mrs. Claus’ Kitchen, carriage rides, holiday family fun, special events and live entertainment.

nacogdoches Dec 19: ‘Tis the Seson Sterne-Hoya House Museum & Library ci.nacogdoches.tx.us (936) 560-5426You are cordially invited to a mid-winter party at the 1830 Sterne-Hoya House Museum & Library. Visitors will get a glimpse of holiday foods, parties, games and other elements of an 1800’s Christmas. It will be a very fine frolic!

palesTineOct 24: Hot Pepper FestivalMain Street District visitpalestine.com (903) 723-3014Cool off at “The Hottest little Festival in Texas” featuring Craig Wayne Boyd. Enjoy a Pepper Eating Contest, Arts & Crafts, Unique Food Vendors, Kid’s Zone, Beer Gardens & Live Music all day long.

Nov 20 - Dec 27:Christmas in PalestineCitywide • visitpalestine.com • (903) 723-3014Tis’ the Season in Palestine, Texas. Enjoy The Polar Express Train Ride ™, Food & Wine Events, Frost Fest, the Grinch’s Lair at the Historic Anderson County Jail, Ice Skating under the Texas Stars and much more.

Jan 30: Taste of New Orleans Mardi Gras CelebrationMain Street District visitpalestine.com (903) 723-3014The annual celebration of Louisiana-style cuisine showcases the talents of local chefs, foodies & wineries. The festivities include free food demonstrations and samples.

palesTine & rusk Oct 2015: Pumpkin Patch ExpressTexas State Railroad • texasstaterr.com • (877) 726-7245

Fri: Oct 16, 23, 30 Sat & Sun: Oct 3-4, 10-11, 17-18, 24-25 The Pumpkin Patch Express departs from the Rusk Depot at 6pm on Fridays and 11am & 2:30pm on weekends. Children (ages 2-12) can pick up their own pumpkin from the pumpkin patch, visit Trick or Treat Street, and enjoy a hayride, games, live entertainment and more! Kids don’t forget to wear your costumes! Pack your own lunch or purchase treats at the pumpkin patch.

TylerOct 2015: Rose SeasonVarious Locations visittyler.com/events (903) 592-1661Join us as we celebrate Rose Season this Oct. You’re invited to enjoy dozens of community events ranging in everything from historic home tours and live entertainment to outdoor family fun culminating in the pinnacle event, the Texas Rose Festival.

*all oF easT Texasnov: Fall Foliage Tourstexasforesttrail.comFall brings a kaleidoscope of color to the Forest Region. Sweetgums, dogwoods, oaks, and maples produce dazzling shades of amber, red, & gold against the evergreens. Follow us on h Iv for foliage updates, travel tips, maps and more...

*Cover Photos: Sherri Skeeters - Athens, TX (Background Image)

Paul Bellinger - Mize Azalea Garden - Nacogdoches, TX (Center Left)Connie Thompson - Angelina County (Right)

Marty Prince - Caddo Lake - Uncertain, TX (Bottom Left)

BeauMonTOct 10: Dogtoberfest 2015765 Pearl Streetbeaumontcvb.com 409-838-2202

Attention big barkers and little yappers: Bring your leash and your family to Dogtoberfest for a Furr-Filled day of Paws-it-tively fabulous events for all ages.

Mar 24 - Apr 3:South Texas State FairFord Park Event Center ymbl.org • 409-832-9991

The YMBL South Texas State Fair is a long standing Southeast Texas tradition. Fairgrounds are filled to capacity with vendors offering funnel cakes, pork kabobs and fried deliciousness on-a-stick. Ride the rides, see the exhibits and visit the livestock barns!

Oct 15: Fall Community Picnic + Outdoor MovieMcFaddin-Ward Housemcfaddin-ward.org(409) 832-1906

Bring the family, some picnic fare, a few blankets, and join us for the fall community picnic on the beautiful main lawn of the McFaddin-Ward House. There will also be live music, art, and an outdoor movie! It’s all free!

conroeOct 3: The Conroe, TX CBR Bull ManiaLone Star Convention & Expo Center PlayInConroe.com (877) 426-6763CBR has grown into an organization that works to put the best riders on the best bulls, delivering world-class qualified rides. Bull riders start in the Horizon Series earning points to move onto the elite Road to Cheyenne Tour.

Oct 9-11: 26th Annual Conroe Cajun Catfish FestivalDowntown Conroe conroecajuncatfishfestival.com (877) 426-6763

Plan your trip to Conroe, TX Oct 9-11 for 3 days of continuous live music on 3 music stages. It’s a fais do-do not to miss, chere. Ca c’est bon!

Oct 10 - Nov 29:Texas Renaissance Festivaltexrenfest.com • (281) 356-2178Consistently named among the top festivals in the US, the Texas Renaissance Festival is a definite Texas To-Do. And when the turkey leg has been stripped bare and the joust is over, drive into Conroe for a most restful eve.

cenTerOct 1, 2, & 3: 39th East Texas Poultry FestivalDowntown Center shelbycountychamber.com (936) 598-368239th Annual East Texas Poultry Festival saluting the poultry industry. Arts & crafts, 3 day carnival, live entertainment, food vendors, photography show, quilt show, creative arts, chicken cooking contest, poultry judging and auction and more.

Dec 5:Santa’s Christmas ParadeDowntown Center Square shelbycountychamber.com • (936) 598-3682

Established holiday tradition of grand celebration with fun and excitement for everyone. The parade will feature a special Grand Marshal, lighted holiday floats, Marching bands, and of course, Santa Claus himself!

clarksvilleOct 3: 36th Annual Red River County Historical Society Fall Bazaar & 10th Annual Rotary Duck Race

Courthouse Grounds • redrivercoc.com • (903) 427-2266Enjoy art and craft booths, children’s corner and food venders at the Fall Bazaar, a duck race down Delaware Creek, and live music throughout the day.

gladeWaTer Sept 19 & 20: 42nd Annual Arts & Crafts Festival gladewaterartsandcrafts.com One of the oldest fall festivals in East Texas with artisan goods, woodcrafts, hand-carved items, ceramics, dolls, needlework and handmade jewelry. Homemade pastries and other goodies will also be available. Antique dealers will have items on display in malls and individual shops. Don’t miss the Antique District Pancake Breakfast and Lee Library book sale.

Oct 3: 12th Annual Gladewater Black Rodeo Gladewater arena realcowboyassociation.com (903) 845-5216 • (903) 753-3165For 12 years, the “Baddest Show on Dirt” has lit up the Gladewater Rodeo Arena,

featuring the best stars of the Black Rodeo circuit. The competition will include traditional events, such as calf roping, bulldogging (steer wrestling) , ladies barrel racing, bareback riding, team roping and bull riding. Come out and see some of the best rodeo anywhere. It’s guaranteed fun for the entire family!

Nov 14 & Dec 7:Christmas Tyme in “Gusherville” Antique District (903) 845-5501Kick-off the season in the “Antique Capital of East Texas.” With a warm winter welcome to all East Texas visitors on Nov 14 at the Holiday Open House and Dec 7 for the Christmas Parade. Stores open late, seasonal entertainment, Texas style hospitality. Think Antiques for Christmas!

kilgore Nov 5 :East Texas Oilmen’s Chili Cook-OffWorld’s Richest Acre Downtown Kilgore cityofkilgore.com • (903) 984-5571This annual event showcases oilfield service companies from Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma as they prepare hundreds of pounds of chili and compete to claim the title of the #1 Chili Team in the Oilfield.

Nov 8-12: The East Texas Pipe Organ FestivalKilgore, Longview, Tyler, Dallas & Shreveporteasttexaspipeorganfestival.com (903) 987-0317

20 Concerts on Seven Aeolian- Skinner Pipe Organs in the East Texas area. All concerts are free of charge and open to the public.

Nov 19-Dec 15: Christmas Under The Stars Citywide VisitKilgore.com(903) 984-5022

A month long Christmas celebration of events & festivals. The Christmas in the Patch, Derrick & Tree Lighting kicks off the celebration followed by the Snowhill Festival, Christmas Parade, Rangerettes Christmas Show, Tour of Homes and much more.

WelcoMe To easT TexasThe place where Texas begins!The Texas Forest Trail Region is a 35-county area of East Texas where legendary trails and towns pre-dating the Lone Star State are nestled among towering pines and refreshing lakes, proving that our history and culture come naturally.

Bird, hike, kayak, or camp in our national forests, state parks, and abundant rivers. Explore Texas history from the pre-historic Caddo Indians, to the Texas Revolution, to the boom of oil, railroad, and timber industries at our museums and historic sites. Luxurious bed and breakfasts, historic downtown shops, friendly folks, and restaurants serving uniquely-Texas cuisine await to welcome you to the right side of Texas.

For maps & more information about what to see and do while you’re in the area visit our web site: TexasForestTrail.com.

TExAS FOREST TRAIL REGION202 E. Pilar Street Nacogdoches, Texas 75961888/293-8708 • 936/560-3699

Follow us:flickr.com/txforesttrailtumblr.com/etxtravelertwitter.com/etxtravelerpinterest.com/txforesttrailinstagram.com/etxtravelerfacebook.com/texasforesttrail

jGIovh*PhotograPher: Kathy White - Gladewater, TX

Sept ---------------------------------------------------------------- 11 SANAUGUSTINE,TX:AnAmericanMainStreet•sanaugustinemainstreet@gmail.com11-12 HUGHESSPRINGS,TX:Gun,Knife&SurvivalShow•hughesspringstxusa.com19&20 GLADEWATER,TX:42ndAnnualArts&CraftsFestival•gladewaterartsandcrafts.com19&20 HUNTSVILLE,TX:AnnualAntiqueShow•huntsvilleantiqueshow.com23-26 CLARKSVILLE,TX:RedRiverCountyFair•http26 HUGHESSPRINGS,TX:TasteofHomeCanningCompetition•hughesspringstxusa.com27 HUNTSVILLE,TX:Texas10RaceSamHoustonStateCampus•texas10series.com

Oct ---------------------------------------------------------------- 1-3 CENTER,TX:39thEastTexasPoultryFestival•shelbycountychamber.com1-30 TYLER,TX:RoseSeason•visittyler.com/events1-30* RUSK&PALESTINE,TX:TexasStateRR:PumpkinPatchExpress•texasstaterr.com3 CLARKSVILLE,TX:RedRiverCountyFallBazaar&DuckRace•redrivercoc.com3 CONROE,TX:CBRBullMania•PlayInConroe.com3 GLADEWATER,TX:12thAnnualBlackRodeo•realcowboyassociation.com3 HUNTSVILLE,TX:FairontheSquare•faironthesquare.com3 PALESTINE,TX:TheTexasGravelAdventure•camino205.com9-11 CLARKSVILLE,TX:GatewaytoTexasTandemTour•redrivercoc.com9-11 CONROE,TX:ConroeCajunCatfishFestival•conroecajuncatfishfestival.com10 BEAUMONT,TX:Dogtoberfest2015•beaumontcvb.com10 MOUNTPLEASANT,TX:UncorkedRanchRun&WineFestival•mtpleasanttx.com10-31 CONROE,TX:TexasRenaissanceFestival•texrenfest.com10-31 PALESTINE,TX:CuriousExhibit•exhibitcurious.org15 BEAUMONT,TX:McFaddin-WardCommunityPicnic+Movie•mcfaddin-ward.org17 CONROE,TX:TexianHeritageFestival•texianheritage.org17 HUNTSVILLE,TX:ButterflyFestival•walkercountymastergardeners.org17-18 HUGHESSPRINGS,TX:HughesSpringsFallMarket•hughesspringstxusa.com24 HUNTSVILLE,TX:GreatMuddyEscape•SHSUHomecoming•greatmuddyescape.com24 PALESTINE,TX:HotPepperFestival•visitpalestine.com

nov ------------------------------------------------------------------ 1-29 CONROE,TX:TexasRenaissanceFestival•texrenfest.com1-30 PALESTINE,TX:CuriousExhibit•exhibitcurious.org5 LIVINGSTON,TX:DivaNight•polkchamber.com5 KILGORE,TX:EastTexasOilmen’s•ChiliCook-Off•cityofkilgore.com6&7 CENTER,TX:Pinecone&MistletoeChristmasMarket•shelbycountychamber.com6 CENTER,TX:TasteoftheHolidays•shelbycountychamber.com8 PALESTINE,TX:FallFoliageBrunchTrainRide•texasstaterr.com8-12 KILGORE,TX:TheEastTexas•PipeOrganFestival•easttexaspipeorganfestival.com13-14 MOUNTPLEASANT,TX:DecktheHalls•mtpleasanttx.com13-15 MAGNOLIA,TX:CookingforCourage-LoneSurvivorEvent•cityofmagnolia.com14 GLADEWATER,TX:ChristmasTymein“Gusherville”•gladewatermainstreet.com19-30 KILGORE,TX:ChristmasUnderTheStars•VisitKilgore.com20-30 PALESTINE,TX:ChristmasinPalestine•visitpalestine.com23 HUGHESSPRINGS,TX:HolidayonFirstStreet•hughesspringstxusa.com25-30 MARSHALL,TX:WonderlandofLights•marshalltexas.net29 HUGHESSPRINGS,TX:GordonMoteConcerts•hughesspringstxusa.com

Dec ------------------------------------------------------------------ 1-15 KILGORE,TX:ChristmasUnderTheStars•VisitKilgore.com1-27 PALESTINE,TX:ChristmasinPalestine•visitpalestine.com1-31 BEAUMONT,TX:ChristmasattheMcFaddin-WardHouse•mcfaddin-ward.org1-31 MARSHALL,TX:WonderlandofLights•marshalltexas.net1-31 PALESTINE,TX:CuriousExhibit•exhibitcurious.org5 CENTER,TX:Santa’sChristmasParade•shelbycountychamber.com5 MOUNTPLEASANT,TX:ChristmasontheSquare•mtpleasanttx.com5-6 HUGHESSPRINGS,TX:GGAGun,Knife&SurvivalShow•hughesspringstxusa.com6 CONROE,TX:Texas10RaceSeries•texas10series.com/races/about-conroe7 GLADEWATER,TX:ChristmasTymein“Gusherville”•gladewatermainstreet.com12 PALESTINE,TX:PalestineMainStreetWineSwirl•visitpalestine.com19 NACOGDOCHES,TX:Sterne-HoyaMuseum•‘TistheSeson•ci.nacogdoches.tx.us

Jan ------------------------------------------------------------------ 1-3 PALESTINE,TX:CuriousExhibit•exhibitcurious.org30 PALESTINE,TX:TasteofNewOrleansMardiGrasCelebration•visitpalestine.com

Feb ------------------------------------------------------------------ 17 HUGHESSPRINGS,TX:UndergroundRailroadQuiltCodes•hughesspringstxusa.com26-28 CONROE,TX:TheLoneStarThrowdown•lonestarthrowdown.com

mar ------------------------------------------------------------------ 3-6 CLARKSVILLE,TX:WadeTWitmerWildHogHunt•redrivercoc.com18-19 HUGHESSPRINGS,TX:3rdAnnualSpringArtShow•hughesspringstxusa.com18-20 PALESTINE,TX:78thAnnualDogwoodTrailsCelebration•texasdogwoodtrails.com24-31 BEAUMONT,TX:SouthTexasStateFair•FordParkEventCenter•ymbl.org25-27 PALESTINE,TX:78thAnnualDogwoodTrailsCelebration•texasdogwoodtrails.com*please check websites for updates & changes.