Neat places in Texas?

[Libertine]

Thanks - mea culpa, mea culpa. As several have pointed out Houston is in the south. I meant Ft. Worth. Sorry.
Why Kilgore? Supposedly has the main oil museum & history of oil fields in Texas. And, of course, is the center of the East Texas field. Can't find Spindletop on my maps so don't know where it is-someone mentioned Amarillo? Anyway, to an outsider, Texas is known for oil and cattle. Am always interested in historical museums of note (the best general history of technology mueseum I've ever been to is in Minden, Nebraska (the Warp museum). Went a couple years ago planning two days, ended up spending 4 days & could have spent a month. Will go back someday.)
Anyone know where Spindletop is in Texas? Do they have a good oil museum there (Spindletop was the first BIG oil boom area outside of Pennsylvania).
Anyway, thanks for the suggestions.
JEH
PS Since someone asked, trip planned for late April/early May.

 

[Bird]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Can't find Spindletop on my maps so don't know where it is-someone mentioned Amarillo?)</font>

The Spindletop oil field is a long ways from Amarillo; try just south of Beaumont, and there's a museum in Beaumont, I think. Just enter "Spindletop Texas" at Google.com and you'll find quite a bit of information about it.

 

[Hank]

<font color="purple"> Last October while passing through northern Arizona we met a couple building this beautiful pipe fence outside of Prescott. It turns out they were building miles of the stuff for the guy who not only owns a substantial part of rural Arizona, but Southfork, </font>

Would that be Maugham, with his 5 rail pipe fence?

 

[Hank]

<font color="purple"> Why Kilgore? Supposedly has the main oil museum & history of oil fields in Texas. And, of course, is the center of the East Texas field </font>

As a teenager growing up in Longview in the early '60's, I recall Kilgore with nothing but derricks, as close together as pine trees in an East Texas forest.

The oil museum is pretty neat....I visited there many years later.

 

[wroughtn_harv]

Yup.

There's a thread here somewhere on TBN about the experienced couple who do nothing but build that fence. It's very interesting, quite a couple, great job.

 

[Hank]

It is a great job, a very nice-looking fence. It catches the eye immediately. I hear tell locally that Maugham is trying to build an AZ ranching empire bigger than the King ranch.

 

[Tdog]

Yep, Kilgore is in the heart of the east Texas oil fields. As has been pointed out, Spindletop is further south.

Ahem, as long as you like museums, I think you will find the Kilgore College Rangerette Museum there too.

While in the area, take in some of the local BBQ. Good stuff.

Enjoy.

 

[Libertine]

Thanks to all - finally had a chance to print out thread & study it. Hope to get out of here in the next day or two.

wroughtn-harv: Will definately swing by Mt. Pleasant & etc. Also, your comment about small town restaurants right on. I always avoid chains where possible & stay off Interstates unless going somewhere in a hurry. Have thought about taking an old major US highway (non interstate) just to see what you'd come across, i.e. the "road" is the destination. Not unlike the old Route 66 series-of course US 66 is too much like I-44 now (at least in Missouri). But there are still many old major US highways that don't parallel the interstates.

Chechnya: Sugar factory sounds interesting but don't plan on getting that far south.

jinman: Archer City was featured in the movie Last Picture Show (based on book by Larry McMurtry). He made lots of money writing and bought bunch of storefronts and turned them into bookstores. Anyway, looking forward to spending a few days there. Thanks for the warning on snakes!

Bird: Would like to catch the State Fair as have been comparing some last few years-bet Texas has a nice one. Interesting Dallas has a museum re Kennedy killing. Wonder if they've started one yet in Waco where the FEDs killed all those Christians a few years ago.

Re Texas BBQ-as several have suggested was planning to certainly try it-but, gotta tell you, the best BBQ I've ever come across is in Owensboro Kentucky. Most places (certainly around here) cook meat quick over charcoal and dump sauce on it-they think the sauce makes the BBQ. In Kentucky (and Tennessee, etc), BBQ is the way the meat is cooked, slow smoked long time over hickory wood. Have been stopping at the Moonlite Inn in Owensboro since the early 1950s. They do mutton that's really good.

Again, thanks to all who responded & the suggestions. As I said, hope to get out of here within the next few days. Just got back from a brief sojourn to "test out" an old trailer I bought recently see if it's up to a longer trip (find out what's wrong with it, etc.).

JEH

 

[gsganzer]

My wife was a Rangerette. It was pretty cool to see photo's of her at the Rangerette museum. She can't do the high-kicks anymore (shin touches the brim of the hat) but she still has the legs.

 

[EastTexFrank]

I'm told that she can still kick high enough to get you on the rear end. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif