Things to Do in Rusk, Texas

Rusk's signature attraction is the Texas State Railroad, the official railroad of Texas. Vintage steam and diesel locomotives carry passengers on the scenic Piney Woods Route between Rusk and Palestine — a roughly 50-mile round trip through dense forests, rolling fields, and over creeks and the Neches River.

The four-hour Piney Woods Express is the classic ride, with seating from open-air cars to first-class, dome cars, and the caboose. The railroad also runs special trips year-round — lunch and dinner trains, holiday tours, and the wildly popular THE POLAR EXPRESS Train Ride at Christmas. The Rusk Depot, with its Mail Car Café, is the lunch-layover stop at the eastern end of the line.

The Rusk Depot sits on the grounds of the former Rusk-Palestine State Park (run by the Texas State Railroad since 2007), which make a fine outdoor complement to the train ride. The grounds offer a day-use area, campsites at the Texas State Railroad Campground, and the 15-acre Cherokee Lake, home to crappie, bass, and catfish for easy fishing.

It's a pleasant, low-key spot for a picnic, some fishing, or an afternoon by the water — and a convenient place to camp if you're making a weekend of the railroad and the area's other attractions.

History buffs will want to visit the birthplace of Governor Jim Hogg, the first native-born Texan to lead the state. The Mountain Home plantation where he was born is preserved as part of a 178-acre piney-woods park near town — a peaceful place to walk and reflect on Texas history.

Don't miss the Rusk Historic Footbridge, a 546-foot wooden span first built in 1861, and the Cherokee County Courthouse and historic downtown square, with the shops and small-town charm of a classic East Texas county seat. Between the train, the park, the history, and the footbridge, Rusk packs a lot into a small package.