The tiny town of Winnsboro, Texas, with a population of about 3,500 people, is located about halfway between Dallas and Texarkana. This location on the Louisiana Purchase and Old Mexico border was initially called Crossroads. The town's name was changed to Winnsborough to honor the man who opened the first post office and general store in 1854.
You can find a variety of cuisines available in this town. For a casual meal, grab a burger and a beer at The Barrel House and Bar. If you are there on the weekend, you can even take in live music while you eat. Or head to Angelo's Italian Restaurant for great pizza and lasagna. If you are more in the mood for Mexican creations, you can check out Tino V's Mexican Restaurant, where the chicken fajitas are superb.
Campgrounds Near Winnsboro, Texas
While visiting Winnsboro, consider camping in Tyler, as there are many terrific options. Lion's RV Park has a stocked lake for RVers who are eager to do some fishing. To stretch your legs, there is also a nature trail around the water. Each site comes with full hook-ups and complimentary Wi-Fi. This campground is a quiet option because it is primarily geared toward mature adults, although there is no age limit.
Jellystone Park at Whispering Pines offers a laser tag area, hayrides, planned arts and crafts, and a fishing pond. The campground's family-friendly planned activities often have a theme surrounding holidays. This campground is primarily geared toward children and has a large playground, a water park, and candy Bingo. Yogi Bear makes his rounds of the campsites each day. Amenities include full hookups, laundry, and a camp store.
A great option for RVers traveling with their furry family members is Spring Creek RV Park. The campground has a fenced-in dog park. It also has a swimming pool, a fishing pond, and a playground. Sites have full hookups, and there is a dump station available on site.
State Parks Near Winnsboro, Texas
Lake Bob Sandlin State Park near Pittsburgh, Texas, is a fantastic place for a few days of playing on the water. There are two stocked fishing ponds, or you can fish in the lake. The woodland trail is a fantastic place to hike where East and West Texas meet. There is a 75-site campground, with each site having water and electrical hookups.
Tyler State Park is a beautiful place to hike under tall pine trees. The 64-acre spring-fed lake is a terrific place to go fishing, especially for bass and catfish. Various boats are available to rent so you can go on a paddling adventure. There are hidden treasures to find when you go geocaching with your friends and family. This state park offers numerous camping opportunities, including 18 in the Lakeview Area with full hookups and 39 in the Big Pine Area with full hookups. Those in the Big Pine Area are closer to the hiking trails.
Dangerfield State Park has an 80-acre lake where you can swim and fish. There is a fishing pier and a boat launch. Bait is available to purchase at the park store. State officials regularly stock it with crappie, bass, perch, and catfish. Go for a hike along the park's trails to see the Northeast Texas landscape. The deciduous trees are gorgeous in the fall. This park features spectacular fall foliage. This 507-acre park is a terrific camping destination, as there are 75 campsites with water and electric hookups.
National Sites Near Winnsboro, Texas
See the home where President Clinton was born by visiting the President William Jefferson Clinton Birthplace Home National Historic Site. It is located in Hope, Arkansas. Visitors can take a guided tour of the two-story home. Learn more about how a single mother and his grandparents raised him after his father died shortly after his birth. The home features photos from throughout the former president's life.
Anglers love visiting the Chickasaw National Recreation Area to catch catfish, perch, bass, and crappie in the Lake of the Arbuckles. They can choose to fish from the shoreline or easily launch a vessel at the boat launches after obtaining a permit and an Oklahoma fishing license. This facility is also an excellent place to go hunting for quail, turkey, squirrel, rabbit, dove, ducks, geese, and deer. This recreation area is divided into two sections. There are three campgrounds in the Platt Historic District containing 174 campsites without hookups. There are three campgrounds in the Lake of the Arbuckles section, with a total of 229 campsites. The Buckhorn and The Point campgrounds have electrical hookups.
The Waco Mammoth National Monument is where the only wooly mammoth nursery was found in the United States. Staff at the museum will teach you about these ice-age animals that experts believe stood up to 14 feet tall and weighed over 20,000 pounds. They will also tell you about other animals that lived during the same period, like the western camel and the saber-toothed cat. You can follow them down a short trail to see where the nursery fossils were discovered along the Bosque River.
National Forests Near Winnsboro, Texas
Angelina National Forest covers more than 154,000 acres. The most popular place to explore in this forest is Sam Rayburn Reservoir, which offers outstanding largemouth bass, catfish, and crappie fishing, especially in the lower part of the reservoir. The forest service operates two campgrounds. One is in the Boykin Springs area, near the start of the Sawmill Hiking Trail, which runs across Boykin Creek and near the Neches River to the historic Old Aldridge Sawmill. The second campground is in the Caney Creek area, with a boat launch onto the reservoir.
Davy Crocket National Forest covers 160,000 acres in East Texas. The Big Slough Wilderness near Lufkin, Texas, is a fantastic place for a hiking or horseback riding adventure. For water lovers, the Ratcliff Lake Recreation Area is a tremendous place to go fishing and paddling. The 20-mile-long Four C National Recreation Trail begins in this recreation area. There are numerous ATV and mountain biking trails to explore. This area has a campground where guests can stay for up to 28 days at a very reasonable fee.
Sabine National Forest covers almost 161,000 acres near Hemphill, Texas. You can see many historical markers in this forest, especially along Texas route 21, as it was part of El Camino Real de los Tejas, linking San Antonio with Old Mexico. The forest borders Toledo Bend Reservoir, the fifth-largest artificial reservoir in the United States. Visitors to this forest will find great opportunities to hike, mountain bike, fish, horseback ride, and camp. There are six campgrounds. Boles Field Campground has electrical hookups, and you will love exploring the old cemetery where fox hounds are buried. Indian Mounds and Lakeview campgrounds are on Toledo Bend's shores, and they are popular with waterfowl hunters. Some of the most beautiful sights of the water can be found on the bluffs within the Ragtown Campground.