%b%crDenison%b%c* and other Texas, TX Things to Do Tips

Denison is only 75 miles north of Dallas and is located in Northeastern area of Texas in Grayson County which borders Oklahoma. The railroad played an important role in the growth of the city as did the establishment of Perrin Air Force Base in the 1940’s. Denison is the birthplace of Dwight (Ike) Eisenhowers, the 34th President of the United States and his modest little two-storey house is open for viewing.

There are Historic walking and driving tours which guide visitors through neighbourhoods and the historic downtown arts district. Denison Dam and Powerhouse are north of the city on Lake Texoma.

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Address: Denison
Directions: North East Texas - Texas Prairies and Lakes
Website: http://www.virtualtourist.com/m/130fa/d61ff/

Lake Texoma is 5 miles north/west of Denison and is the largest lake in capacity in the Tulsa District and the tenth largest in the United States. It is widely recognised as a top fishing lake, and is one of the most popular recreation destinations in the Southwest.

The area includes two wildlife refuges, two state parks, fifty four U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-managed parks, twenty-six resorts, hundreds of campgrounds and a variety of excellent golf courses.

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Address: Lake Texoma
Directions: North East Texas - Texas Prairies and Lakes
Website: http://www.virtualtourist.com/m/130fa/d6ebe/

Sherman was named for General Sidney Sherman who was a cavalry officer famous for coining the phrase 'Remember the Alamo'. Sherman is home to many Fortune 500 companies, which include Texas Instruments, Proctor and Gamble and Johnson & Johnson Medical Inc. It was tagged the "Fifth Industrial City of Texas."

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Address: Sherman
Directions: North East Texas - Texas Prairies and Lakes
Website: http://www.virtualtourist.com/m/130fa/d718b/

Paris is the county seat of Lamar County. It has been voted "Best Public Plaza" by Texas Monthly and "Best Pit Stop" by a Cross-country Auto Race as well being named in 1998 as the "Best Small Town in Texas" by Kevin Heubusch in his book "The New Rating Guide to Life in America's Small Cities." Paris is also the official Crepe Myrtle Capital of Texas. If you visit in July or August you will understand why.

Paris was also made known by the movie "Paris Texas" release in 1984. The movie was the Winner of the Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival in 1984.

In Paris also you will see an Eiffel Tower - Texas Style. It was once said to be the "Second Largest Eiffel Tower in the Second Largest Paris." That title was superceded in 1999 by a 540-foot copy in Las Vegas.

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Address: Paris
Directions: North East Texas - Texas Prairies and Lakes
Website: http://www.virtualtourist.com/m/130fa/d6d8b/

Texarkana is quite unique in that the city is divided by two states. The State line runs down the middle of the main street (State Line Avenue). The post office is unique because it has two zip codes - 71854 for Texarkana, Arkansas and 75501 for Texarkana, Texas.

The Ace of Clubs is very unique in that is it a 22 sided house, built in 1885 with the winnings of a poker game. Local lumberman and Confederate Veteran Captain James H Draughon was the lucky guy and his winning card was the Ace of Clubs.... hence the name. The house is now a Museum. The Museum of Regional HistoryThe museum is located in the oldest brick building in Texarkana and features exhibits which inform of the regions history, its agriculture, early industry, civil rights and World War II. There is also an exhibit on Scott Joplin "Father of Ragtime Music", Huddie "Leadbelly" Ledbetter and Conlon Nancarrow.

There are many monuments around the town and a lovely old theatre a"The Perot Theater" which is worth a tour through. In its day it attracted such performers as Annie Oakley, Maurice Barrymore, Will Rogers and Douglas Fairbanks. Today the theatre still draws big named shows and artists.

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Address: Texarkana, Texas
Directions: North East Texas - Piney Woods
Website: http://www.virtualtourist.com/m/130fa/d732f/

The 32,000 acre Caddo Lake is Texas' only naturally-formed lake. It straddles the boundary between Texas and Louisiana and has as many as five configurations. It has also been called Sodo Lake and Fairy (Ferry) Lake. Between 1845 and 1875 more than 200 steamboats travelled between Shreveport, Louisiana, and Jefferson through Caddo Lake.

The upper 1/3 of the lake is a 10,000 acre pristine cypress swamp crisscrossed by a maze of boat roads. The Bald Cypress trees on Caddo Lake have been ring dated to 400 years of age and give the Lake its unique beauty. The first off-shore oil drilling happened in Caddo Lake by the Gulf Oil Company. There has been a recorded 189 species of trees and shrubs, 42 woody vines, 75 grasses, 216 kinds of birds, 47 mammals and 90 fish and reptiles. Field observations say that Caddo Lake' ecosystem is one of the most extensive remaining intact cypress swamp wetlands. Just a beautiful area.

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Address: Caddo Lake
Directions: East Texas - Texas Piney Woods
Website: http://www.virtualtourist.com/m/130fa/d5f65/

Jefferson is located in Marion County in northeast section of Texas. It is the most delightful little historic town of with a population today of just over 2,100. After the Civil War, Jefferson's population boomed to 35,000 due to heavy commerce. Southern mansions and plantations around the area were common.

There are some great stores in the historic district including plenty of antique shops. There are two maps of walking tours which you can take on your own around the Historic District and see some of Jeffersons finest old houses. Some 50 of these homes are B & B's. Carnegie Library was a gift from the Carnegie Foundation in 1890 and one of 4 such libraries in Texas. The Texas History Museum is dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of Texas' rich heritage. It is small but worth a visit.

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Address: Jefferson, East Texas
Directions: East Texas - Texas Piney Woods
Website: http://www.virtualtourist.com/m/130fa/d6769/

Marshall is located in the piney woods of East Texas, right next to Jefferson and was at one time one of the biggest and wealthiest cities in the state. When Missouri joined the Confederacy, federal troops were sent in to forcibly keep that strategically located state under Union control.

The Marshall area offers much in the way of scenic beauty with its tall stately pines, rolling hills, pine thickets and abundance of wildflowers. There is only a community of 25,000 people but there are more than 100 historical markers and medallions with several listed in the National Register of Historical Places, in the area.

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Address: Marshall, Texas
Directions: East Texas - Texas Piney Woods
Website: http://www.virtualtourist.com/m/130fa/d6a42/

Mineola lies in Wood County, around 80 miles east of Dallas and is known as the 'Gateway to the Lake Country'. There are many lakes in the surrounding areas providing good fishing and recreational activities.

The downtown area is part of the Main Street program. You will find the streets lined with period lamp posts and ornate architectural detail on the old buildings. There are many lovely old historic homes in the town also which go back to the prosperous heyday of the early railroad days in Mineola. Most have been carefully restored to bring back those early times.

Mineola is also known as the 'Birding Capital of East Texas'.

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Address: Mineola
Directions: East Piney Woods

Grapevine Texas is one of Tarrant County's oldest settlements which originated in 1844 and has been recognised by the National Register of Historic Places. Grapevine has a number of good wineries to visit and do some sample tasting. Some of them include Delaney, La Bodega, La Buena Vida, Crosstimbers and Homestead. In September each year the Texas Wine and Grape Growers Association organise GrapeFest - the largest wine festival in the Southwest. You can sample Texas award winning wines as well as visit winery tasting rooms, be entertained by live music and even get involved in the GrapeStomp.

Grapevine is both a charming area for its historical preservation of the downtown area and a booming business area. There are numerous leisure activities both on Lake Grapevine, the various golf courses and the extensive park system with available sporting facilities such as tennis, soccer fields, jogging and biking trails, baseball and softball fields and playground and picnic facilities.

The city is located 21 miles northwest of Dallas and 19 miles northeast of Fort Worth.

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Address: Grapevine
Directions: Texas Prairies and Lakes