Things to Do in Hemphill, Texas

Hemphill's top attractions are its lake and its forest. Toledo Bend Reservoir, one of the largest man-made lakes in the South, is a renowned fishing destination — bass, crappie, white bass, and catfish — with boat ramps, marinas, and lakeside recreation areas for boating, swimming, and lazy days on the water.

Wrapping around the lake, the Sabine National Forest offers camping, hiking, and hunting, including the roughly 28-mile Trail Between the Lakes and recreation areas like Lakeview and Indian Mounds. Between the two, Hemphill is built for anyone who loves to fish, camp, paddle, or simply get out into the Piney Woods.

Hemphill's most distinctive attraction is the Patricia Huffman Smith NASA Museum, 'Remembering Columbia,' which opened in town in 2011. It tells the story of the Space Shuttle Columbia, lost on reentry in February 2003, when much of its debris fell across Sabine County and Hemphill became a center of the massive recovery effort.

The museum honors the shuttle's seven astronauts and the two searchers — Charles Krenek and Jules Mier Jr. — who died in a helicopter crash during the recovery, alongside space artifacts and a learning center. It's a small museum with an outsized story, and a moving reminder of how this remote forest town played a part in America's space program.

In town, Hemphill keeps the easy rhythm of an East Texas county seat — the courthouse square, local shops and cafes, and community events that bring people together. The annual rhythm of high school football under the lights, with the Hemphill Hornets, is part of the local calendar in fall.

For more to do, Hemphill's neighbors are within a drive: Center to the north, San Augustine to the northwest, and Jasper to the south, with the cities of Lufkin and Nacogdoches farther on for shopping, dining, and attractions. Between Toledo Bend, the national forest, the Columbia museum, and the surrounding towns, Hemphill offers a surprisingly full menu for a small community.