Explore The Texas Coastal Bend

One of Texas' original counties, Jackson County, was named after President Andrew Jackson and is part of the Texas Independence Trail Region and Texas Settlement Region. It is in the center of the Gulf Coast side of a Houston-San Antonio-Corpus Christi triangle, and sits astride the highway connecting Houston and Corpus Christi, at the head of Lavaca and Carancahua Bays.

Home of Lake Texana

Lake Texana, located in the middle of Jackson County, is ideally suited for fresh water recreation, fishing, boating, hiking, horseback riding, biking, wildlife viewing and camping. From primitive camping to RV hook-ups, Brackenridge Plantation Park & Campground, Lake Texana State Park, Mustang Wilderness Campground and Shady Oaks RV Resort combine to offer hundreds of campsites, picnic areas, playgrounds, bridle trails, marinas, lighted fishing piers and boat launches plus numerous meeting facilities, auditoriums and pavilions. Hike, bike and bridle trails give visitors glimpses of history and nature. In the park, indigenous wildlife abounds such as whitetail deer, waterfowl, raccoons, rabbits, feral hogs and armadillos. At least 225 bird species have been sighted within the parks; and the county also boasts of eight viable Bald Eagle nests.

Ghost Town Stories

Located in Brackenridge Plantation Park are Brackenridge Cemetery, the site of the old Brackenridge Plantation built in 1852, and the Historic Texana Church built in 1859. The waters of Lake Texana now cover the old ghost town and historic port. Texana Museum, located in Edna, the county seat, is part of the La Salle's Historic Odyssey, a tour through several area museums that display the adventure story of the French explorer Rene Robert Cavalier, Sieur de la Salle and his 300-year-old sunken ship the La Belle, a gift from King Louis XIV. The museum also displays antique musical instruments, cowboy gear, early oil exploration equipment, a country store, and a dental office. Also, look for historic murals throughout the city of Edna. "A blast from the past" best describes the experience of new release movies viewed in the historic Ganado Theater, enhanced by a digital, state of the art surround sound system. Both cities offer public parks and pools; and Bennett Park, in Ganado, still appears much the way La Salle would have seen it during his explorations in 1686. Jackson County offers a one-day driving tour of its historic sites and markers, including the site of the famous Lavaca-Navidad meeting where the first draft of the Texas Declaration of Independence took place. Visit us at www.jacksoncountytx.com.