Things to Do in Marshall, Texas

Marshall's signature event is the Wonderland of Lights, held downtown each holiday season since 1987 and one of the largest light festivals in Texas. The centerpiece is the historic 1900 Harrison County Courthouse on Peter Whetstone Square, outlined in thousands of lights, surrounded by a downtown transformed for the season. It draws tens of thousands of visitors a season and is the thing many Texans most associate with Marshall.

Even outside the holidays, the restored old courthouse — now a museum — is the visual symbol of the city and the anchor of the downtown square. It's worth a look any time of year.

Marshall is a living history museum. The Harrison County Historical Museum and the Michelson Museum of Art, which holds a notable collection of works by the painter Leo Michelson, anchor the cultural scene downtown. The Starr Family Home State Historic Site preserves Maplecroft, an elegant home that tells the story of one of Marshall's prominent families, and the restored Texas and Pacific Railway Depot — still an Amtrak stop — recalls the city's railroad heyday.

The Ginocchio National Historic District and the surrounding neighborhoods are full of beautifully preserved Victorian and antebellum homes, and downtown landmarks include the former Joe Weisman & Company building, said to be Texas's first department store. For the city's most important story, the campus of Wiley University (formerly Wiley College) carries the legacy of the Great Debaters and the civil-rights leaders it produced.

Marshall calls itself the Pottery Capital of the World, a nod to Marshall Pottery, established in 1895. Its big retail store and stoneware line closed in 2015, but the company still makes terra cotta, a tangible link to the industry that helped build the city.

The rejuvenated downtown around the square is lined with shops, restaurants, and historic buildings, and the city's event calendar stays busy. The long-running FireAnt Festival each October is a local tradition, and Marshall's identity as the Birthplace of Boogie-Woogie surfaces in its music heritage. It's a genuinely walkable, characterful downtown.

The natural wonder near Marshall is Caddo Lake, about 20 miles northeast toward the Louisiana line. This maze of cypress-studded bayous draped in Spanish moss is one of the few natural lakes in Texas and one of the most beautiful and unusual places in Texas. Caddo Lake State Park offers paddling, fishing, and camping, and nearby marinas run guided boat tours through the swamp — an experience unlike anywhere else in the state.

The tiny town of Uncertain, on the lakeshore, is the gateway for boat tours and fishing guides. Between the swamp, the historic downtown, and the lights, Marshall offers a remarkable range for a city its size. Shreveport, Louisiana, with its casinos and bigger-city amenities, is also only about 40 minutes east.