Which East Texas City is Home to the ONLY Natural Lake in Texas?

I love learning new things about East Texas. For example, did you know the only natural lake in Texas is less than 2 hours from Tyler, Texas, and only about 1.2 hours from Longview, Texas?

Well, if you grew up in the East Texas area, you may have known that. Even though I'm a native Texan and have lived in East Texas since I was a tween, I wasn't aware of that. I found it particularly interesting given that we live in such a lake-centric area. I love getting out on one of our East Texas lakes and feeling the daily stresses just start to slide off my psyche that butter on a hot roll.

Granted, I'm not much of a fisherwoman. But I do love getting out on the water in several other capacities. And the more I'm learning about the history, and legends, not to mention interesting things to do on and around the alleged ONLY natural lake in the State of Texas, I want to plan a visit.

Caddo Lake and Bayou's 25,400 acres rest on the Texas and Louisiana border.

More specifically, Caddo Lake is located in the northern part of Harrison County, as well as the southern part of Marion County--at least, the Texas part does. According to Wikipedia, Caddo Lake was named "after the Caddoans or Caddo, Native Americans who lived in the area until their expulsion by the United States in the 19th century."

Get our free mobile app

One of the things many people find interesting, if not enchanting, about Caddo Lake, is the flooded cypress forest draped with that Spanish moss. The photos always grab my attention. There's something both romantic and haunting about them. I imagine drifting through silently as the sun goes down and thinking about...well, whatever kinds of thoughts one might have in that setting.

What types of activities can you do when visiting the Caddo Lake area?

In addition to melancholy pondering, there are plenty of other ways to enjoy the visit. If you're interested in fishing, Texas Parks and Wildlife says there are about 70 species of fish in the lake. It's also a home for alligators, so please be forewarned. Especially if you decide to follow one of the paddling trails through the area. There are also cool places to stay, shop, and learn more about the area. You can check out more details in case you'd like to make a plan here.

CBS Sunday Morning shared a lovely video about the area which you can watch below:

Major Cities Americans You Should "Avoid At All Costs"

Survey respondents were able to select as many of the major US cities that they would avoid traveling to at all costs. There was also a “None of These” option for Americans who say they do not avoid any of these major US cities.

The Largest Landowners in the Country

These people and families are the largest landowners in the country.

Gallery Credit: Billy Jenkins

10 'Secret Spots' Burglars Check First When Invading Texas Homes

Some people have hiding places where they stash the stuff they want to keep safe from burglars who may invade their Texas homes.