Founder's Feast

Flower Sniffin’

This route will take you south out of Paris Texas and along some pleasant country roads to an area of Northeast Texas filled with interesting sites and architecture. In Quitman, you’ll ride by the gorgeous red brick county courthouse. Further south you’ll pass through Mineola and see a fine example of an Art Deco movie theater, The Select, the oldest continuously operating theater in Texas. Continuing east toward Hawkins, you’ll take a short detour north to see a spectacular Vietnam memorial park in Hawkins TX. Continuing east, the route takes you through Gladewater, a small red brick-paved town where an historic Texaco well is preserved right in the center of town. From here you can continue south to Kilgore to see the “world’s richest acre” when an oil boom hit Kilgore in the 1930’s. Today, rows of reconstructed oil derricks give you an idea of what it looked like in its heyday. From Kilgore you can head north to Gilmer where you might find the Country Café a good spot to stop for lunch. On the way back to Paris TX, stop at the Southwest Dairy Museum for an ice cream cone (Mon-Fri only).

The route southeast to Jefferson will take you over two beautiful lakes in Texas – Lake Bob Sandlin and Lake o’ the Pines before it brings you into the heart of one of the most adorable towns in Texas. You’ll be greeted by red brick-paved streets, gas lamps, and blocks and blocks of historic homes and hotels. Jefferson was once a thriving port town, served by river boats plying the Cypress River before rail lines reached the area. Park the bike and walk the historic town district…there’s plenty to see and do. Quality antique stores abound, as do great little restaurants. A couple of favorites are the Hamburger Store at W. Austin and S. Market Streets, or Joseph’s Riverport BBQ on N. Polk. An historic Jefferson Railway train ride will take you on an out-and-back ride with narrative about the town’s past and history. It is renowned as the most haunted town in Texas and nightly ghost walks are popular, as the guide tells of murder, gunslingers’ revenge, and avenged love. I guarantee you’ll want to come back to this town, once you’ve seen it. http://www.jefferson-texas.com

One of my favorite roads in East Texas is FM-315 and you’ll get to ride a good portion of this road on your way to Palestine for some good BBQ at Shep’s. FM-315 disappears into some of the densest East Texas Piney Woods for some spectacular Texas riding. Along the way you’ll cross over Lake Fork Reservoir and Lake Palestine. Shep’s is a good local BBQ restaurant. After lunch head to the historic downtown center and cruise around looking at the 19th century southern mansions and stately courthouse square, then go have dessert at Eilenberger's Bakery, the oldest bakery in Texas. http://www.eilenbergerbakery.com If you’re in the mood and can spare a short detour, head to the Palestine State Park where the historic railroad still runs between Palestine and Rusk TX. http://www.texasstaterr.com/ On the way back to Paris, stop at the Southwest Dairy Museum for an ice cream (Mon-Fri).

Head north into Oklahoma and work your way over to a surprisingly twisty road on US-259 as you ride up to the start of the Talimena Scenic Drive through Queen Wilhelmina State Park. http://www.queenwilhelmina.com"

Heading east, you’ll be riding along a ridge with panoramic views off to the south. Queen Wilhelmina Lodge serves a good buffet lunch and sits up high with a great view. After lunch the route takes you through Mena AR, devastated by a tornado a year ago, and then south and back to Texas.

See a great tribute to some great Texas Country Music legends, including Tex Ritter. http://www.carthagetexas.com/HallofFame/index.html I stumbled upon this museum by chance and it’s a real find, even if you’re not a huge fan of Country music. The route to get there is a pleasant mix of FM roads passing through wooded rolling hills. Returning to Paris, you’ll go by Cherokee Lake, cross over Lake Fork Reservoir, see a spectacular Vietnam War Memorial in Hawkins, and have a chance to stop for an ice cream at the Southwest Dairy Museum in Sulphur Springs (Mon-Fri).