Cloaked in deep, green woodlands of towering pines, East Texas air just breathes a little differently. It smells of earth and moss, of sun-warmed resin and campfire tales. Oaks, elms, and dogwoods add undertones to the untamed wilds and rolling prairies \u2014 and in the heart of it all lies Rusk. Like many of the streets in downtown Fort Worth, Rusk was named after a hero of the Texas Revolution, Thomas Jefferson Rusk (we once had a Rusk Street, which was part of Hells Half Acre \u2014 but its reputation was so sordid and scandalous that it was rebranded as Commerce Street).\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Pineywoods surrounding Rusk were home to the Caddo people for over 1,000 years, and you can explore their legacy at Caddo Mounds State Historic Site (20 minutes south of town). After a tornado destroyed much of the site in 2019, it reopened last year with a new $2.4 million visitor center. Twenty<\/p>\n
members of the Caddo Nation helped with the project, including five women who raised a new grass house (construction work in Caddo culture was traditionally performed by females). The Caddo built ceremonial mounds, wove intricate baskets, and gave us the name Texas from their word Taysha (friend), spelled by the Spanish as Tejas. Spaniards also left their mark on the area, establishing the first mission in East Texas at today\u2019s Mission Tejas State Park. The structure is long gone, but you can still walk on a mile-long section of El Camino Real de Texas \u2014 the Royal Road \u2014 from the 1690s. Nearby is the Rice Family Log Home, a replica of an early-1800s pioneer cabin that later served as a stagecoach inn.<\/p>\n
The park is chock-full of history, although many people come simply to walk through the thickets of loblolly pine trees alongside babbling creeks.Rusk also has a scenic stroll, just two blocks from the courthouse square: a 546-foot-long footbridge in tranquil, leafy surroundings. Built in 1861 to facilitate rainy-season passage (and redone many times since), it\u2019s the longest wooden footbridge in the country. Rusk\u2019s most famous route, however, is found three miles west at the Texas State Railroad Depot. Now a popular tourist train with vintage cars and antique steam engines, it operates a Turntable Run from Rusk through the forest to Maydelle.<\/p>\n
Most excursions, however, depart 30 minutes away in Palestine, such as the wildly popular Polar Express starting in mid-November. Wear your pajamas, sip lukewarm hot cocoa, and sing \u201cJingle Bells\u201d at the top of your lungs. Long before it hauled holiday revelers, the railroad transported timber, cotton, and iron ore. And for a moment in time, the neighboring city of New Birmingham was set to become a major industrial area dubbed the \u201cIron Queen of the Southwest.\u201d Situated two miles east of Rusk, New Birmingham was established in 1889 and soon began producing 50 tons of iron daily. Millionaires stayed at the fabulous three-story Southern Hotel in the town, which also boasted bottling works, schools, churches, a train depot, and a power plant. But then the 1893 depression hit, and investors pulled out. The ironworks plant closed, and by mid-1893, virtually all the residents had moved away. Only four years after its birth, the \u201cIron Queen\u201d was declared dead. All that\u2019s left of the boomtown today is a single blast furnace that\u2019s slowly decaying in the pine-scented forest outside Rusk, just another passerby in a long line of Caddo, Spaniards, ironworkers, and travelers like you. \u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Explore\u00a0Rusk<\/p>\n
Savor<\/strong>: Do you savor onion wine \u2026 or do you try it out of morbid curiosity? Either way, Maydelle Country Wines brings on the bold with fruit-focused flavors like lemon and ghost pepper-pear. For something more substantial, All Star Bar-B-Q serves up all your slow-smoked favorites plus sloppy Joes and an intriguing rib sandwich (no bones about it). The joint is plastered with Houston Astros regalia and pics of high school baseball teams. If you\u2019re looking for a soy latte, head to the square where The Daily Grind whips up specialty drinks, classic sammies, and treats like peanut butter truffle brownies.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Shop<\/strong>: The Daily Grind is also the place to buy raw and creamed honey from Bulah\u2019s Best Farm, a local apiary that also produces herbal tinctures, propolis remedies, and bee venom facial cream. If you\u2019re really into it, call to schedule a tour of the beehives and elderberry orchard at the family-owned farm. Back at the square, hit Jenny\u2019s Salon & Mercantile for playful gifts like sweet-smelling Tyler Candles. Keep an eye out for special vendor events, like the annual Fair on the Square in May and Reklaw Trade Days, held in nearby Reklaw on second Saturdays from March through December.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n Enjoy<\/strong>: Rusk\u2019s diminutive downtown kicks into gear around the holidays, hosting Hometown Christmas on Nov. 29 with local performances and vendors. Catch a play at Cherokee Civic Theatre, which presents \u201cThe Best Christmas Pageant Ever\u201d on the first two weekends of December. Browse a copy of Rusk\u2019s Cherokeean Herald, Texas\u2019 oldest weekly newspaper (around since 1848). Outside of town, go horseback riding at Train Robber Ranch and visit Jim Hogg Historical Park to see the restored birthplace of Texas\u2019 fight-the-power populist governor.\u00a0<\/p>\n Snooze<\/strong>: Rusk\u2019s overnight options, while limited, are often nestled in nature. Most stays are short-term rentals on Airbnb and Vrbo, where you\u2019ll find wooded retreats for indoor\/outdoor living with wraparound decks, fire pits under the stars, and stocked ponds with fishing boats. South of town, you can book a 150-year-old dog trot-style cabin with a swimming pool and pot-bellied pigs to pet \u2014 it\u2019s a working ranch with cattle, horses, and chickens. So is Beans Creek Ranch, where guests get up close and personal with longhorn cattle. Pick up fresh beef and souvenir horns to take home, or even a steer.\u00a0<\/p>\n How to Get There<\/strong>: Drive southwest from Fort Worth on Highway 287 for about 140 miles, all the way to Palestine (you\u2019ll merge with Interstate 45 for a bit between Ennis and Corsicana). At Palestine, turn left onto TX 256 for 4 miles, then turn left again onto US-84 E\/E Park Ave. Follow US-84 to Rusk, 29 miles ahead. The entire trip takes around three hours.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Cloaked in deep, green woodlands of towering pines, East Texas air just breathes a little differently. 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