Explore: The Forest Trail Region
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Highlights
Energy City
This railroad-turned-petrochemical seaport boom town has played a major role in Texas history from the Civil War to present day as a leader in the refining industry. Surrounded by beaches, this Gulf Coast City is also a perfect place for year-...
Ghost in the Woods
Deep in the Angelina National Forest, the remains of Aldridge Sawmill Town represent the rise and fall of the East Texas timber industry from turn-of-the-20th century boom to 1920s bust. Hikers can tackle a 3-mile trail from the Boykin Springs...
Wildcatters on the Prowl
Do you recognize the name Daisy Bradford? That's the gusher that turned East Texas into Boomtown, USA overnight. The East Texas Oil Museum takes you back to the era of the Wildcatter with dioramas,...
Upcoming Events
June 21, 2013 - 7:30pm to 10:00pm
This Summer, the East Texas Arboretum is hosting a series of Family Fun Friday Nights at the East Texas Arboretum and Botanical Society.
The first event will kick off on June 21st with Jurassic Park Night, Movies in the Park, and Dino Bone...
June 22, 2013 (All day) to June 23, 2013 (All day)
Whitehouse mounts the YesterYear Celebration to educate residents about the community's history and heritage. Held on the fourth weekend each June, heritage activities such as parades, carnivals, historic reenactments, pageants, and trade days...
June 22, 2013 (All day)
Celebrate the great outdoors and discover the powers of water, air, earth, and fire in our environment.
About the Forest Trail Region
The Forest Trail Region was the “Gateway to Texas” for Caddo Indians, Spanish and French explorers, Anglo pioneers, European immigrants, and enslaved and freed African Americans. Shadows of early Caddo and Spanish occupation linger, and the stories of Texas’ emergence from a wilderness to a great state unfold in the region’s numerous towns, many among the state’s oldest.
Spanning 35 counties from the Oklahoma-Arkansas border to the Gulf of Mexico, the region encompasses great stories of boom and bust in oil and timber, the early rebellion leading to the Texas Revolution, the El Camino Real de los Tejas, and the mystery and manners you’d expect from the lush, sweet spot between the Old South and the Wild West.
Our Partners
The Forest Trail Region works with a variety of organizations to promote heritage travel throughout the region.
