Lufkin and Nacogdoches
Our recent camping travels took us 120 miles northeast of Houston to Lufkin, TX where we stayed at the KOA Campground Lufkin. We prefer to stay at KOA campgrounds where they offer a variety of lodging options such as tent sites, cabins, and nice RV sites.
Lufkin was named for Abraham P. Lufkin in 1884. Lufkin is the largest city and county seat of Angelina County, Texas. The county is named for a Hasinal Indian women who helped the Spanish missionaries. They called her Angelina and thus the county also adopted the name.
Our initial plan was to visit Lufkin and then nearby Nacogdoches the following day, two cities we’ve never traveled to. However the inclement weather hindered our plans and we didn’t manage to experience all that we wanted to. We will be back!
Saturday, we went to downtown Lufkin. It’s a cute town with shopping and restaurants. We searched for murals and historical markers around downtown.
I wanted to visit the Atkinson Candy Co. factory, a family business since 1932, known nationwide for their peanut butter based, peppermint, brittle and caramel candies. I had seen it highlighted on Texas Bucket List. I was surprised and saddened to learn they were only open weekdays, and we would not be able to go inside this trip.
We moved on to The Texas Forestry Museum, the only forestry museum in Texas. Grandpa and I enjoyed learning about Texas forestry history throughout the hour long tour.
Afterwards, we had lunch at the Restoration Bistro in downtown Lufkin.
Grandpa and I plan on returning to Lufkin and spend more time enjoying the downtown evening entertainment. They had lights stretching from one side of the street to the other, and you could enjoy accompanying music. “Listen with the Lights – Tune radio to 100.9 FM.”
For additional information, check out these: History of Lufkin Murals, History of Lufkin.
The next time we’re in Lufkin, we’d like to visit the Ellen Trout Zoo and the Naranjo Museum. Lufkin is located between two national forests, the Davy Crockett National Forest and the Angelina National Forest.
After lunch, we traveled 20 minutes north to Nacogdoches for a quick visit.
Nacogdoches is known as “The Oldest Town in Texas” and is the county seat of Nacogdoches County. It was named for the Nacogdoche Indians, a Caddo group and incorporated (as a town) in 1837. Interesting fact: nine different flags have flown over the Nacogdoches region.
Top Left: 1) at the Charles S. Bright Visitor Center in Nacogdoches 200 E. Main Street. A perfect selfie spot and obtain visitor information. 2) Downtown Nacogdoches and the red brick streets,
Bottom Left: 1) The Storytellers statues were neat. 2) Statue Trail was like a scavenger hunt. We were not able to take a tour because we were short on time. However it’s on our plan for next time.
Historical Marker – The Nine Flags of Nacogdoches.
The historical downtown building which houses the General Mercantile and Oldtime String Shop is over 100 years old. It was once the site of Stone’s Cafe, where Bonnie Parker worked before joining up with Clyde Barrow.
We enjoyed listening to the Old Time Jam.
On our next visit, we would like to explore Old Nacogdoches University Building, Sterne Hoya House Museum, The Stone Fort Museum, Nacogdoches Railroad Depot, Walking Tour and complete the Statue Trail of Nacogdoches.
As for food, I would like to visit Butcher Boys. I saw this place featured on the Texas Bucket List television show.