Things to Do in Center, Texas

The star of downtown Center is the Historic Shelby County Courthouse — completed in 1885 and the only Irish castle-style courthouse left in the country. Its Romanesque towers and cruciform design 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 each October, and cools off in the summer with the What-A-Melon Festival in early July. These community festivals fill the historic square with 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 Emerald Hills and Cypress Bend. Closer to town, Lake Pinkston provides quieter fishing and camping.

The Sabine National Forest adds hundreds of thousands of acres of Piney Woods for fishing, hunting, hiking, biking, 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.