Things to Do in Mount Vernon, Texas

Mount Vernon's heart is its downtown square, anchored by a classical revival courthouse built of white limestone in 1912, complete with a chiming clock tower and restored to its original grandeur through the Texas Historic Courthouse Preservation Program. As a designated Texas Main Street City, Mount Vernon has invested heavily in its historic district, rehabilitating landmark buildings and bringing in dining, shops, and events.

The square offers the quintessential courthouse experience — shops, historic homes, and museums including the Old Jail Art Museum housed in the 1912 lockup. A 1907 church now serves as a music hall with chamber music performances, rounding out a downtown that's genuinely alive and walkable.

Just south and southeast of town lie two of Northeast Texas's finest lakes. Lake Cypress Springs, a clear reservoir about eight miles south, draws boaters and anglers for largemouth bass, spotted bass, and catfish, with a ring of public parks around its scenic shore. Lake Bob Sandlin State Park, about fourteen miles southeast, adds hiking trails, a fishing pier, swimming, and camping.

Together the two lakes give Mount Vernon an outdoor playground for fishing, boating, swimming, and camping. Many visitors pair a day on the water with a stroll around the courthouse square, making the most of both the town's history and its lake country in a single trip.

Mount Vernon carries a touch of national fame as the hometown of Don 'Dandy Don' Meredith, the Dallas Cowboys quarterback and Monday Night Football legend — a heritage locals still take pride in.

For still more, the surrounding towns are an easy drive: Mount Pleasant about sixteen miles east and Sulphur Springs about twenty-three miles west, both on I-30, with Winnsboro to the south and Pittsburg to the southeast. Between the historic square, the lakes, the town's heritage, and the nearby towns, Mount Vernon offers plenty to fill a day or a weekend.