Monkey Business

Home Sweet Home Part 2

5/4 Prompt: If Andre visits your Town, what are some places/sites/locations he should visit?
2. Famous locations or places to see in the town/area


For those in whose interest lies the creepy, Fuller Park is a great place to start. But I'd advise Andre to stay away from the Monkey Cages lest his ancestors come back a visiting. It would probably also be a good idea to "miss" seeing Monkey Bridge as well, for the same reasons.

All kidding aside though, Athens is full of history. There are historical markers everywhere in the area. I'd advise him to go check out our local pub, Athens Brewing Company. From there it's just a short stumble to the old Texan Theatre where he could chill out and listen to some great local musicians (and drink even more). He could find specialty brews at Come and Take It to take back to his hotel or for consuming as he fishes one of the numerous lakes in the area. If learning about local aquatic wildlife is in Andre's list of interests, we have the Texas Freshwater Fisheries Center where they breed fish species endemic to Texas to restock the state's lakes. After a short drive east, Andre could enjoy the day zip-lining through woods thick with pine and hardwoods in a small town called New York. To the west of Athens on Cedar Creek Lake is another draw for people (and monkeys, I suppose) from around North America, Gun Barrel City. Only in Texas, right?! There are plenty of open-air bars in Gun Barrel for whiling away those warm summer nights while overlooking a huge lake. If fishing is his cup of tea, the area boasts three large lakes within thirty minutes of Athens, all of which are great for fishing for bass, crappie, or catfish. Just to the south, in Palestine, we have the Texas State Railroad Commission, where you can book train rides. They even have adult only cars that serve alcohol where you can enjoy the ride without having to deal with someone else's bratty kids. Palestine is also home to a quaint little hole-in-the-wall bar that serves amazing draft brews alongside some of the best deli sandwiches this side of Dallas. A little farther east of Palestine (and one of my favorite areas), there is another Railroad Depot in Rusk that is also run by the TSRC that gives train rides. Rusk is amazingly beautiful with towering pines, and in the spring, flowering dogwoods and wisteria that crawls through the trees making great canopies of drooping purple flowers. Northeast of Athens is Tyler, where they have an awesome public rose garden, a zoo, and of course, more bars. Directly north of Athens is Canton, a shopper's dream come true, as they host what is touted as the World's Largest Flea Market every first Monday weekend, where you can browse the wares of over 4,000 vendors. In the area, there are loads of things to do and places for camping, state parks, city parks, and about 8 or 9 disc golf courses. Plenty to keep a person, or monkey, on the go.