Beaumont Texas is America’s first boomtown and is now booming as a destination for weekend getaways. After we show you the best places to eat and cool things to do, Beaumont Texas will be on your radar. You could read another travel guide, but what’s the point? Choose your own adventure style for a weekend outdoor getaway in Beaumont. You don’t have to worry which is the best choice. They are all winners.
Friday Night Dinner Date in Beaumont
What can you do in Southeast Texas on a Friday evening? What about dinner and drinks at America’s Golden Triangle of culinary delights? Beaumont, Port Arthur and Orange form the geographic “triangle”, and Spindletop is the source of the gold. It’s the perfect combination of spicy Cajun, Tex-Mex and fresh Gulf seafood. Here are some of your choices for page one. You’ll find out more as you go.
- Chaba is a modest building located in a suburban strip-mall. You’ll find authentic Thai food inside, as well as a traditional tea room.
- Crazy Cajun is an outpost of the Louisiana favorite, with crawfish fresh, catfish fresh, alligator fresh, crab and shrimp. Their gumbo is famous, as well as their barbequed crab. Granger’s Sabine Pass in TX invented BBQ crab. It’s fried blue crab seasoned with BBQ and Beaumont’s contribution.
- Sweet Basil-Vietcajun is a golden triangle fusion. Recently, the Gulf shrimping industry attracted many Vietnamese immigrants who added their own spice and flair. Vietcajun could soon be recognized alongside BBQ as a unique and new regional food.
Chaba was our choice, and we were blown away. In Cajuny, they really take their spices to heart. The Thai was spicy, but so delicious. After our first bite, we felt like we were remiss for not eating two Beaumont food items.
Friday Night Cocktails
We didn’t need a nightcap because Chaba has a good drink list. The best Friday nights aren’t the ones where you only do what is necessary. #livealittle. You have three different options.
- Lacuna Tequila Bar is Beaumont’s new upscale cocktail bar specializing exclusively in tequila. Paloma is a tequila cocktail made by combining tequila with lime juice and grapefruit soda. You can go all out (and in Texas, everything is bigger) by adding a citrus bubble.
- Little Woodrow’s is a classic bar that offers swings, lawn-games and the largest patio in the city. Try their Topo Chico Chiller, a 22 ounce mug with Western Sun Vodka, blueberry or Watermelon Puree, an inverted Topo Chico and two lime wedges. When your drink requires not just one, but two lime wedges, you know that it’s a big deal!
- Logon Cafe: This former computer repair shop has been reborn as a dive-bar. You can find anything from tequila to tea. Floppy disks are on the counters and there’s even a payphone. Alt.cool.cool.
Little Woodrow’s was our choice. We chose it because we could walk to Chaba, but we soon realized that our hotel was a long way away. It was a good thing we had enough games and fun to bring our senses back. We made it safely home. Uber to Chaba/Little Woodrow’s, and most importantly Uber back, is the way to go if you want to make it big.
Where To Stay In Beaumont
You’ll eventually need to find a place to sleep in Beaumont when Friday nights are over. There aren’t many options in Beaumont that will blow your socks off but there are some good ones at great prices.
- Homewood Suites By Hilton Beaumont TripAdvisor’s top-rated hotel, especially for those who love Hiltons and suites.
- MCM Elegante Hotel A Texas/New Mexico small chain with a swimming pool and conference facilities.
- Days Inn Beaumont West I-10 Walden Booking.com’s best-rated hotel.
Our choice – MCM Elegante. The MCM experience exceeded our expectations for the price. We liked the rooms and appreciated that Starbucks was on site. The pool was too cold to use, but it would have been a favorite place for us in the summer. They also offer a complimentary shuttle within the city, saving you money on Uber and allowing you to buy a second Topo Chico Chiller.
Saturday Morning Breakfast in Beaumont
Here are some of the best places to eat in Beaumont.
- Hemingway’s Cafe A full-service Restaurant at the MCM Elegante
- Starbucks – Grab and Go Breakfast (and Coffee) at MCM Elegante
- Rao’s The oldest bakery in Southeast Texas
Rao’s is our choice. The experience was more important to us than the convenience, and we weren’t let down. Breakfast burritos are good, but desserts are amazing. The chocolate cheesecake was a must-have. We had planned to get the Texas-sized cinnamon buns but couldn’t resist the temptation. Who says that you can’t eat cheesecake for breakfast? Their coffee is better than some Seattle-based chains, which will not be named. The original Calder Ave store is closed on weekends. Instead, visit the Dowlen Rd location. instead.
Exploring the Big Thicket
Big Thicket is also known as ‘America’s Ark’, ‘Biological Crossroads of North America’ and ‘Biological Crossroads of North America’. However, its boundaries are not clearly defined. The Big Thicket is a term that seems to be applied to every area of wooded land north of Beaumont. There are as many as 11 ecosystems within a relatively small space: flats and bay galls; savannas and slope forests; floodplains; cypress swamps; mixed-grass prairies. This diversity calls for a Choose Your Own Adventure:
- Kayak on one of the three Texas Paddling Trails in Big Thicket
- Pitcher Plant Trail Hike with carnivorous plant on the
- Mountain Bike in the Turkey Creek Unit
We chose to kayak the 4.8 mile Cooks Lake Scatterman Paddling Trail . Gerald was our guide. We met him at the Saltwater Barrier Boat Launch. He was a fan of the Neches River, and it became his mission to show her off. The Madonna Tree was the most impressive of all the 900 year old cypress trees we paddled past. Her roots had a strange shape. We were fortunate that “The Madonna”, in all her glory, was visible because it was still early in the year.
Lunch in Lumberton
You worked up an appetite while paddling through the Big Thicket so you stop in Lumberton on your way back to town for lunch. You have three options:
- Tia Juanita’s Fish Camp– Mexican Cajun seafood and Nola vibes
- Juan’s Mexican Food– This is the restaurant that belongs to Juan, the nephew.
- Eddie’s Gyros & Pizza – You may not know Eddie’s relationship with the Juans but you’re sure to guess that he serves gyros & pizza.
Tia Juanita’s was our choice. Not only because of her relation, but also her size and the fact that it is a fish camp. We still don’t really know what a “fish camp” is but the food and drink were delicious. We had to taste the shrimp and crab dip, and boudin balls in Cajun Country. The Nola frozen flights were a must to get the Nola feel.
Explore Downtown Beaumont
It’s now time to take on big Beau. Beaumont’s downtown is probably the friendliest of any city this size. Downtown Beaumont has plenty to offer, including free parking and little traffic. You have the following options:
- Visit St. Visit St.
- Visit a Museum. There are 19 options to choose from
- Discover Beaumont on a bike
Choose – Biking Beaumont . Between the downtown Beaumont Loop and the Calder Ave bicycle lanes, there are over 11 miles of cycling. We saw historic architecture, as well as recent public art. This included a multitude of statues, murals and the largest operating fire hydrant in the world. We also passed by the basilica and museums on our route, so we got to see it all.
Saturday Night Delight
It’s time for an early dinner. You have worked up an appetite while biking. You have two choices:
- Daddio’s Burgers An old school burger joint
- Tacos La Bamba is a taco shop which grew from a video store. You could make it a double-dip and visit Logon Cafe afterwards.
- Carmela’s One of the Top 10 Quesos in Texas
Carmela’s is our choice. We have been to Daddios in the past, and they serve a great burger. But we wanted to try out the Mexican portion of Beaumont’s food triangle. The queso, by the way, was epic.
Beaumont’s Best Sunset
The sunset is going to be spectacular, with just the right amount of clouds to catch the oranges and the reds as your favorite celestial reactor dips beneath the horizon. Nothing comes up when you Google the best places to watch the sunset in Beaumont Tx. When you switch to image search, three photos appear repeatedly:
- Cattail Marsh Sunset at Cattail Marsh
- Spindletop Sunset over the oil fields at the birthplace the oil rush.
- Neches river – Sunset over the water
Cattail Marsh was our choice, and we didn’t come close. Beaumont’s number one activity is to take sunset photos. About 1/4 of the pictures taken are here. Beaumont is located at the intersection of major bird migration routes. You never know what to expect. Many people have seen gators in this area, but we were a bit cold when we visited. The sunset was spectacular.
Sunday Brunch in Beaumont
There is still time to eat one final meal before you bid Beaumont goodbye. Brunch could count as two meals. Your choice is crucial. This decision will affect the world peace and the happiness of hundreds of puppies. You have two options:
- J. Wilson’s – An upscale brunch restaurant
- Toasted Yolk– A regional chain that offers classic brunch favorites made with farm-to table freshness.
- Black Bear Diner– You can enjoy breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner, or linner at this diner.
J Wilson’s is our choice. If you don’t want to wait until J Wilson’s opens at 10:00, Toasted Yolk is a good second choice. But we did. It was worth the wait just for Man Candy! It was worth it to wait for the slow-smoked pork bellies tossed with habanero jelly.
Explore Beaumont’s Coastal Nature Preserves
If you have the right expectations, it’s worth visiting. The Gulf Coast is only an hour from Beaumont. Expect nothing but beach resorts, umbrella drinks and a lack of luxury. It’s a rugged land that is periodically swept clean by hurricanes. The Beaumont Coast has a variety of nature reserves despite or perhaps because of this. You have the following options:
- Sea Rim State Park One of the few places where you can still drive on the beach
- McFaddin Wildlife Refuge Miles of road leading into the salt marshes
- Anahuac Wildlife Refuge Meandering Bayous that Empty into Galveston Bay
Sea Rim State Park was our choice and we rode on the beach. The storm had damaged the boardwalk, and the boat docks were closed into the marshland. We decided to head next door, McFaddin. The area was full of life and easily accessible via a series paved roads as well as smooth gravel ones.
Final Thoughts about Beaumont Outdoors
Beaumont offers many outdoor activities, from the Big Thicket, Sea Rim State Park and Cattail Marsh. They are all different but share the same theme: biodiversity and excellent bird watching. The peak spring migration is from March to May and the peak fall migration is from August to November.
It’s also nice to be outdoors during these times. In May it gets hot and muggy, and in August it is still hot and humid, but every spring and autumn there is a window when Southeast Texas offers a wonderful outdoor experience. It was a nice trip, even though we were a little early for the migration of birds and leafing out. We are eager to go back during “prime season” to witness everything in its fullest leafiness.