Things to Do in Center, Texas

The star of downtown Center is the Historic Shelby County Courthouse — completed in 1885 and modeled on a castle in Ireland. Its Romanesque towers make it look like a medieval castle dropped into the East Texas pines, and it's well worth a stop to admire and photograph.

The surrounding historic square offers the shops and small-town charm of a classic county seat, and the nearby Shelby County Museum fills in the area's story with exhibits and artifacts. It's an easy, characterful afternoon of local history.

Center knows how to throw a party. The town celebrates its identity as a poultry-producing center with the East Texas Poultry Festival in early October. The festival brings food, music, and small-town fun, drawing visitors from across the region.

These events are the heartbeat of community life in Center — the kind of authentic, hometown celebrations that give a small Texas town its character.

Center's location near the Louisiana border puts it within reach of some of the best outdoor recreation in Texas. The massive Toledo Bend Reservoir, repeatedly ranked by Bassmaster among the top sport-fishing lakes in the country, lies to the east, offering boating, fishing, skiing, camping, and even lakeside golf at resorts like Cypress Bend. Closer to town, Lake Pinkston provides quieter fishing.

The Sabine National Forest adds more than 160,000 acres of Piney Woods for fishing, hunting, hiking, and camping, and the whole area is a birdwatcher's paradise. For outdoor lovers, Center is a fine base for exploring the lakes and forests of deep East Texas.