Nacogdoches is a small city located in East Texas with a population of about 33,000. It is the county seat for Nacogdoches County, Texas. It is the home of Stephen F. Austin State University and the largest azalea garden in Texas.
It took us about an hour to get there and the weather was still drizzly. This is the downtown area. The streets are brick.
Our first stop was the Visitor's Center....usually a good plan whenever you travel.
It was a very good move here as it was also a small museum loaded with information and history of the area. Lots of flags flew Nacogdoches....Spain, France, Gutierrez-Magee Expedition, Dr. James Long Expedition, Mexico, Fredonia, Republic of Texas, Confederacy, and the United States.
The Caddo Indians also played a big part in the history of this area. They were the first traders and travelers in the area.
Glass cases make it difficult to get great pictures but the displays were good.
Next came the Spaniards.
Black soldiers came with the Spanish troops.
There was a huge mural incorporating much of the history.
This area has also played a big part in the oil industry.
We spent about an hour looking at all the exhibits and then it was lunchtime. We asked for a recommendation from the gentleman at the front door. He said everyone liked Dolli's Diner and it was just around the corner. The diner is the building on the right. The small building on the left is the Charles Hoya Land Office built in 1897 by Charles Hoya. It was the first fireproof building in Nacogdoches and its Victorian style and Gothic revival detals served as a model for other local structures.
It was a popular place. I ordered the lunch special of the day which was tomato bisque soup and an adult grilled cheese sandwich. It was delicious. Cameron ordered a big sandwich and Morgan wanted the meatloaf dinner. She made two trips to the bathroom after she ordered because she felt a little funny. You guessed it...….she just ate the mashed potatoes when it arrived. We did take it home with us and she ate most of it later on.
She revived with a little fresh air and we walked down the street.
This reminded me of New Orleans.
And so did this.
On a nicer day, I would have liked to walk around more downtown as it looked very interesting.
We decided to drive around to see if we could find some of the places we saw in the Visitor's Center. This was a very interesting house.
This is the Stone Fort Museum located on the Stephen F. Austin State University campus. It is a fort that never served as a fort. This 1936 replica of Antonio Gil Y'Barbo's stone house also served as a trading post, church, jail, and saloon.
Unfortunately, the weather got worse and we didn't get to see the Azalea Garden nor the Millard's Crossing Historic Village. There is definitely enough left to see to merit another trip to Nacogdoches in the future.
That is a wonderful little town to explore. You found so many things to check out. I love places like that.
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