PINEY WOODS REGION: HUNTSVILLE TEXAS

HUNTSVILLE TEXAS

Map of the Huntsville Area & Additional Huntsville Information

Sam Houston Statue Huntsville is the county seat of Walker County, located on the western side of the Piney Woods Region of Texas.

Huntsville is best known for two things. One is one of the Founding Fathers of Texas, Sam Houston, who lived his final years in Huntsville. The other thing Huntsville is known for is the Huntsville Prison, where the Texas Department of Criminal Justice operates the Texas State Execution Chamber in the Texas State Penitentiary known as "The Walls" since 1847.

In addition to the Sam Houston who served as President of the Republic of Texas and a general who led the Texas Army to victory in the Battle of San Jacinto, Huntsville also was the home of Samuel Walker Houston, a man born into slavery who went on to become a prominent African-American pioneer in education.

A short distance south of Huntsville, on the east side of Interstate 45, there is a 67 foot tall statue of Sam Houston, with a Visitor's Center, where you will be told that the statue, made by David Akickes, is the world's tallest statue of an American hero.

In Huntsville you'll all find the Sam Houston Memorial Museum Complex where you will find 15 acres of Houston memorabilia, including his Steamboat House.

Sam Houston National Forest covers 161,000 acres around Huntsville, extending to the northern edges of Lake Conroe to the south, reaching Lake Livingston to the east. In Sam Houston National Forest you'll find the Lone Star Hiking Trail meandering 140 miles. In the forest you'll find camping at Stubblefield and Kelly's Pond Campgrounds.

The Double Lake Mountain Bike Trail winds through the Double Lake Recreation Area for 8.1 miles. This is considered the only one of its kind in the Texas national forests. You'll find Double Creek Campground, built by the CCC with a dining lodge and bathhouse, to get comfortable after you're done mountain biking.

On Lake Raven you'll find Huntsville State Park, with 11 miles of nature trails winding through the Piney Woods of Sam Houston National Forest.

At Lake Livingston you'll find 452 miles of forested shoreline, with camping, hiking, swimming and fishing. You can stay at Wolf Creek Park or Lake Livingston State Park.

The Blue Lagoon, featuring very clear spring fed water, is near Huntsville. The Blue Lagoon is not a swimming hole. It is a scuba diver paradise. A non-diver can get in the Blue Lagoon if they are with a diver.

In Huntsville you'll find the Bluebonnet B & B, Longhorn House B & B, Parker House B & B, La Quinta Inn and The Whistler.

And interesting place to eat in Huntsville is New Zion Missionary Baptist Church, on FM 1374 one mile east of I-45. There you will find family style all-you-can-eat barbecue.

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