Riding the Rails to Beaumont
Natural beauty everywhere you turn on this trek to Texas
Amtrak’s Sunset Limited leaves New Orleans for Beaumont with much less fuss than an airplane. There are no baggage checks, no long lines of removing belts and shoes. Instead Amtrak conductors guide you to your assigned car and seat. Then the whistle blows. The wheels slowly begin that familiar rocking of the rails.
Pulling past the gold halo of the Superdome and across the narrow Huey P. Long Bridge, the train affords a birds-eye view of a bustling city as rails hug the curve of the Mississippi River. Watch for tugboats beyond the levees and a small cemetery just past Avondale, Louisiana. There, some of the train’s long-time conductors are said to have found their final rest, a peaceful abode serenaded by the whistling trains.
Soon a flash of rural ghost towns, those vanished by the interstate, a glimpse into the past. Boarded windows of storefronts join faded signs painted across façades, reminiscent of an old western movie. Former hubs yield to nature’s crawling vines and the imaginations of those peering out the train windows.
A mind is mesmerized by glowing green cypress, fields of grazing cattle, and streaming ribbons of wildflowers—a lullaby from long ago, the rhythmic beat of the wheels and the distant cry of the train whistle, all part of the romance of riding the rails along the Louisiana coast.
Some may never want to leave their seat—and for further solitude, there are the sleeper suites—but the observation car is a favorite among gregarious guests. Feel free to go down the narrow stairs to the café car to grab a drink (wine or beer, soft drink or juice) and a sandwich or snack. Many return to the observation car to chat with fellow passengers from far-flung places. Even better, local folks can answer questions like, “Exactly what is a shotgun house?”
As the train pulls into Beaumont at sunset, there among a bed of low-bearing trees is a cluster of roosting white ibis next to the rails. Beaumont is known for its wildlife, from gators and great blue herons to crawfish and catfish as well as opportunities for man to commune with nature. Explore the entire southeast region from beaches on the coast to the piney woodlands, a multitude of habitats for birds and nature lovers. The Beaumont Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) office and website offer a map for all the outdoor activities, along with a printed four-day birding itinerary of parks and preserves. (The CVB was also instrumental in scheduling my two-day tour of the city.)
Just ten minutes outside the city, the 500-acre Tyrrell Park is the largest and most extensive park in the area. At the entrance, stroll or roll inside the Warren Loose Conservatory and the Beaumont Botanical Gardens. The conservatory brings to life everything from tropical rain forests to a mini waterfall along with ponds filled with champion koi and fancy goldfish and lush with water lilies. And ready that camera for an eclectic collection of orchids and bromeliads. There’s also a golf course, a walking trail, archery range, and horse stables.
The garden and park reside in a migratory flyway, making the area popular with bird watchers year round, but especially during the height of both spring and fall migrations, March through June and July through October. Besides the casual Instagram cell shot, many gather the family for group photos against the gazebo draped with blooms and velvety vines. Follow the curvaceous walkway known as the Friendship Walk and let nature soothe the soul in a parade of color with a must stop at the vintage rose garden, where Old Garden Roses (predating the 1867 debut of the Hybrid Tea Rose) bloom in twenty-eight varieties at different times. The first blooms in the spring are the largest, and the bushes will continue to bloom until a heavy frost or freeze.
One of Tyrrell Park’s crown jewels is Cattail Marsh, 900 acres of wetlands with a new boardwalk and an educational center. It hosts more than eight miles of gravel roads for jogging, biking, horseback riding, bird watching, and wildlife photography.
The wildlife refuge is home to a variety of aquatic mammals and more than 250 species of birds. Grab a cup of coffee or ice-cold water and rest a bit viewing the photographs of wildlife on two high-definition televisions. It is there you will meet Kenyan (Ken) Guidry, a tour guide and stellar photographer, and Beaumont’s CVB Nature Tourism Coordinator. From bald eagles to roseate spoonbills, Guidry will introduce you to the many species that call the marsh home or those just passing through on their journey up north.
Like most people, Guidry finds the marsh therapeutic. No matter the weather or season, sun or clouds, winter or summer. He suggests getting out early to catch the ducks and other birds such as the Purple Gallinule, a brightly colored bird that walks on floating lily pads. The larger wading birds such as great white egrets or great blue herons enjoy hunting the marsh after it rains. And alligators love basking in the sun during the heat of the day, between noon and mid-afternoon.
For those who love trailing the woods, load up the backpack and head to the Big Thicket National Preserve, a national park designated by UNESCO as an International Biosphere Reserve—meaning the area supports terrestrial, marine, and coastal ecosystems and is a testing ground for improving biodiversity and sustainability. Take your time and hike through the forty miles of trails, many raised boardwalks with nine different ecosystems, from hardwood forests to coastal plains, swamp, desert, and prairie. Camp under the stars among the emerald trees, canoe and fish on the Neches River, and don’t forget the binoculars.
[Read this: A Long Look at Montgomery]
Big Thicket contains several ecosystems with roadrunners darting between longleaf pines and cactus. A ten-minute walk brings a mixed forest of beech, magnolia, and pine, beaming like a box of crayons from evergreen to yellow-green, and everything in between. The preserve has it all, biking, birding, camping, canoeing, kayaking, fishing, and wildlife viewing.
Families with young children, or those who prefer a more relaxed tour, can hop aboard a pontoon boat to ride among the cypress-lined waters of the Neches River. There are swamp and bayou tours that glide through enchanting moss-draped canopies filled with flowers, egrets, and those hungry gators.
Inside the preserve is the Village Creek State Park, a wonderland of swamp culture with alligators gliding through a cypress-tupelo forest. Capture that perfect shot of the glowing woods and cypress knees cast in the late afternoon waters. You can even witness an insect-eating pitcher plant bog along with a longleaf upland pine forest.
Just thirty minutes away in nearby Orange, Texas, Shangri La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center hosts 252 acres filled with gardens and interactive education centers set along Adams Bayou and a cypress-tupelo swamp. Touted as an ecological wonderland, it is home to multiple gardens, greenhouses, and a discovery theater. Stroll through whimsical plant displays themed to inspire along with sculpture gardens.
Top off the trip touring nature’s treasures by horseback. Saddle up at the stables in Tyrrell Park and follow the trails including Cattail Marsh. The Big Thicket National Preserve also offers horseback riding trails through the Big Sandy Creek Trail, said to be one of the most ecologically diverse places in the world.
After a day of exploring, dine at Amelia Farm and Market among the shaded branches of a pecan orchard. The menu features beef and pork raised on the farm. Their sustainable mission centers on both produce and livestock native to the property along with adding local ingredients. Try the ribs, brisket tacos, shrimp and grits, or the Figgy Piggy, ham and fig preserves on sourdough bread.
The farm was established in 1916, first with fig trees that were soon ousted by pecan trees. A century later, the pecan orchards provide an inviting respite for those who enjoy country dining. Dine inside or out, lunch in the shade or dinner against a tangerine sky at sunset. The night closes with a lightning bug spectacular. Don’t tire of wonder yet—there’s still the train ride home.
If you go. . .
Amtrak’s Sunset Limited starts in New Orleans with stops in Schriever, New Iberia, Lafayette and Lake Charles.
1001 Loyola Ave
New Orleans, LA 70113
https://www.amtrak.com/sunset-limited-train
Beaumont Convention & Visitors Bureau:
505 Willow Street,
Beaumont, Texas 77701
(409) 880-3749
The Beaumont Birder Package includes discounted hotel rate, a souvenir book, itinerary, trail maps, and exclusive Beaumont Birders plush toy with authentic birdcall and story. beaumontcvb.com/birder.
Tyrrell Park:
5305 Tyrrell Park Rd.
Beaumont, TX 77705
(409) 861-1929 Ext. 1226
Beaumont Botanical Gardens:
6088 Babe Zaharias Drive
Beaumont, Texas, 77705
https://beaumontbotanicalgardens.org/
Cattail Marsh Educational Center:
4233 Babes Zaharius Drive
Beaumont, Texas 77705
(409) 554-2447
Big Thicket National Preserve
6044 FM 420
Kountze, TX 77625
https://www.nps.gov/bith/index.htm
Village Creek State Park
8854 Park Rd. 74
Lumberton, TX 77657
(409) 755-7322
http://www.beaumontcvb.com/listing/village-creek-state-park-%26-paddling-trail/386/
Shangri La Botanical Gardens
2111 West Park Avenue
Orange, TX 77630
(409) 670-9113
http://starkculturalvenues.org/shangrilagardens/
Amelia Farm & Market
8600 Dishman Rd.
Beaumont, TX 77705
(409) 866-7818