Things to Do in Waskom, Texas
Waskom is a small Piney Woods town on the Texas–Louisiana line — the last Texas town on Interstate 20 before Louisiana — with a famous lake to the north, championship small-town football, and the bigger destinations of Marshall and Shreveport close by. For a town its size, there's a surprising amount within reach.
Here's what to do in and around Waskom.
Caddo Lake and the Outdoors
Waskom's top outdoor draw is Caddo Lake, about a half-hour drive north — a vast, cypress-draped lake of roughly 26,800 acres on the Texas–Louisiana line, famous for its moss-hung bald cypress and maze of paddling trails. It's one of the most distinctive natural places in Texas.
Visitors come to fish (the lake holds more than seventy species), paddle the bayous, boat, camp at Caddo Lake State Park, and watch wildlife at the Caddo Lake National Wildlife Refuge. Closer to home, the Piney Woods around Waskom offer scenic drives and good hunting country across Harrison County.
Wildcat Football and Hometown Life
In Waskom, Friday night football is a main event. The Waskom Wildcats are an East Texas football powerhouse — back-to-back state champions in 2014 and 2015 — and games at Wildcat Stadium draw the whole community together each fall. For a town of around two thousand, that football tradition is a genuine point of pride and a centerpiece of local life.
Beyond the games, hometown life revolves around the schools, churches, and community events typical of a close-knit small town. As the gateway into Texas on I-20, Waskom also hosts a Texas Travel Information Center, where travel counselors and interpretive displays welcome visitors entering the state.
Nearby Towns and the Region
Waskom's location on the state line keeps several destinations within easy reach. Marshall, the Harrison County seat about eighteen miles northwest, offers museums, a historic courthouse and downtown, and its famous Wonderland of Lights holiday display; Longview, a small city farther west, adds shopping, dining, and attractions; and just across the line, the Shreveport–Bossier City metro brings casinos, riverfront entertainment, dining, and big-city amenities.
Between Caddo Lake, Wildcat football, the I-20 travel center, and the nearby towns, Waskom offers a well-rounded menu of things to do — and an enviable spot at the meeting point of Texas and Louisiana.
FAQ: Things to Do in Waskom
Waskom's top draws are nearby Caddo Lake — for fishing, paddling, and camping — and Friday-night Wildcat football, a state-championship tradition. The town also has the I-20 Texas Travel Center, and Marshall, Longview, and the Shreveport metro are all within an easy drive.
Yes. The Waskom Wildcats are an East Texas football powerhouse, winning back-to-back state championships in 2014 and 2015. Friday-night games at Wildcat Stadium are a centerpiece of community life in this small Harrison County town.
Caddo Lake is about a half-hour drive north of Waskom. The vast, cypress-filled lake on the Texas–Louisiana line offers fishing, paddling, boating, camping at Caddo Lake State Park, and wildlife watching at the national wildlife refuge.
Waskom is home to a Texas Travel Information Center on Interstate 20, near the Louisiana line. As the gateway into Texas on I-20, it welcomes travelers entering the state with travel counselors, interpretive displays, restrooms, and trip-planning help.
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