Remnants of Texas’ Native American past are few and far between. So the 1200-year-old ceremonial mounds at Caddoan Mounds State Historic Site, just 25 miles east of Nacogdoches, are a fascinating introduction. The visitors center does a good job explaining how people lived here when the dramatic mounds were constructed. Interesting interpretive trails cover the area’s history. It’s a nice picnic spot, too.
Caddoan Mounds State Historic Site
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
29.54 MILES
This historic cemetery received its first customer in 1837 and was soon the preferred resting place for a variety of early Texas pioneers. Note how early…
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Get a sense of the simple life led by less-affluent farmers at c 1835 Durst-Taylor house. Docents grow gardens appropriate to the period here and…
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The Angelina National Forest has the Sawmill Hiking Trail, a 5½-mile-long gem along the Neches River. For the area’s best boating and fishing, head to the…
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Don Antonio Gil Y'Barbo's 1789 stone house subsequently served as a grocery store, a saloon and a fortification. Exhibits in the reconstructed 'fort'…
Nearby attractions
6.15 MILES
El Camino Real, the royal road connecting missions between Mexico City and current-day Louisiana, ran right through Nacogdoches. At Mission Tejas State…
2. Davy Crockett National Forest
17.22 MILES
With 251 sq miles, Davy Crockett National Forest is one of the less developed forests and contains the Ratcliff Lake Recreation Area, and the picturesque,…
23.29 MILES
The Angelina National Forest has the Sawmill Hiking Trail, a 5½-mile-long gem along the Neches River. For the area’s best boating and fishing, head to the…
4. Durst-Taylor House & Gardens
29.23 MILES
Get a sense of the simple life led by less-affluent farmers at c 1835 Durst-Taylor house. Docents grow gardens appropriate to the period here and…
29.42 MILES
Tour a slightly ragtag collection of 12 old buildings dating from 1820 to 1905, including a schoolhouse and a variety of log cabins. Weekends, hands-on…
29.47 MILES
The Sterne-Hoya House, built in 1830, is a good example of a refined town house of the era, and was the site of Sam Houston's baptism (sites visited by…
29.54 MILES
This historic cemetery received its first customer in 1837 and was soon the preferred resting place for a variety of early Texas pioneers. Note how early…
29.61 MILES
Don Antonio Gil Y'Barbo's 1789 stone house subsequently served as a grocery store, a saloon and a fortification. Exhibits in the reconstructed 'fort'…