My grandson loves travel. He doesn’t care where we go, but once we mention a location, he pesters his dad and anyone within hearing distance to get in the car. My husband and I enjoy taking him on jaunts within two hours of his home, so that he doesn’t miss his schooling and other activities. Fortunately, many small towns share historic and fascinating stories.
Lufkin is a little more than two hours away from our home. Our grandson had been raising his voice loudly about Lufkin. He researched the route to drive. I researched the area to find educational fun for the three of us.
Food is always important, therefore I try to find a good place to eat beforehand. The restaurant I chose received a 4.5 with great reviews. I decided on three museums to visit: the Texas Forestry Museum sounded intriguing as Lufkin is in East Texas which is “woodsy.” The other two: Naranjo Museum, and Museum of East Texas.
We knew it might be a little rainy. At 9:00 a.m. we left my son’s home with the promise we’d return by 5:00 p.m. The trip over major roads took us through beautiful, soaring trees with major construction along the way.
At 11:30 a.m. we headed to the restaurant with great reviews. Our grandson loves chicken fingers and fries, which was on the menu. When we found the restaurant, we saw that all the tables had plastic over them with very few people in place. Hmm! Could this be a Cajun place? Were they going to have a “boil,” that evening? Our grandson ordered his favorites. We ordered gumbo that wasn’t bad, but nothing like we’ve ever consumed. Very thin base and not many vegetables with cooked shrimp. But, the fried chicken fingers looked yummy, and our boy loved it.
From there we went to the Forestry Museum, a real treat! The depth of information kept us walking and looking at big stumps, huge saws, and many photos with text explanations. The museum tells the story with photos and implements. Trust me, it’s worthwhile for all ages. Kids had wooden toys to use at a display, as other families circled the insides to see the old-fashioned equipment and antiques. Even the gift shop had fascinating items to purchase.
Outside, we discovered a real train and a humongous used fire tower. I read fire towers are still used, especially in the Northwest. With a nearby well-planned playground for the kids, it’s a fabulous experience. Since we kept discovering new information, we stayed too long. And the weather looked threatening.
We had driven past the Najanho Museum, a natural history museum, planning to stop on the return trip. We hustled around town looking for Museum of East Texas, an artist haven. Even with our GPS we could not locate it, but it started to get more than overcast with big raindrops beginning. The GPS routed us a different way, so we didn’t pass either of those museums. It’s a good excuse to return.
On the road to Houston, we noticed flooding along the sides of the road. The wind whipped around the significant number of drivers who seemed to drive faster and faster without paying attention. We breathed relief upon reaching Houston safely. No accidents, but an excellent education about the forests. We were mostly lucky in Lufkin and very lucky with the hazardous weather. Maybe we’ll need to try our luck again!