Visit Sabine County

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Sabine County, TX
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Bass Capital of TX | Sawmill Capital of TX
Home of Toledo Bend Lake🎣

Where Texas history began & the adventure never stops.

Deep East Texas is where Texas tourism begins here.

11/02/2026

Marker Monday | El Camino Park in Milam, TX

Picture it’s 1821 and Stephen F. Austin is riding the old royal road into Texas. He spends his very first night in Texas camped on Borregas Creek and writes in his diary about a red dirt mound. The Spanish called this spot Las Borregas, “The Ewes.” It was a watering place and trading ground long before Austin showed up.

In 1834 John S. Roberts rode over from Louisiana and opened a trading post here. He named it Red Mound, after Austin’s description. A year later the town took the name Milam, after Texas Revolution hero Ben Milam.

The road kept bringing people. Explorers, veterans, and pioneers with everything they owned in a wagon. Milam had racetracks, busy inns and a customs collector at the door of the Republic. You can still see log cabins from those days, including the Causey House, standing just inside the park.

Milam was the county seat until 1858. Then the courthouse went to Hemphill, the cotton faded out, the school closed, and families scattered. But the road never left and neither did the pines.

Today the marker stands in El Camino Park, right where those travelers came through.

Save this for your next drive through East Texas. Milam is the first stop in Texas on El Camino Real. Start your trip where Texas started.

10/22/2026

Youth and junior anglers, ice cold on the scales.
Texas Bass Nation Youth BASSMASTER

10/22/2026

The bags were full. The fish were huge. And these kids came to compete. Texas Bass Nation Youth

Last weekend, Texas Bass Nation’s youth anglers took on Toledo Bend Lake and the lake showed out. Multiple fish over 9+ pounds crossed the scales. Heavy limits came in all day. The energy at weigh-in was something else.

This is the future of the sport, and they’re learning it on one of the best bass lakes in the country.

Congratulations to every angler, boat captain, parent and volunteer who made it happen.

Want your shot at a Toledo Bend giant? Fish where the next generation of pros is getting its start. Book a guide, grab a cabin and plan your trip to Sabine County.

Toledo Bend grows ‘em big. Come catch you one. 🎣

BASSMASTER
Bassmaster High School & Junior Series

10/20/2026

Fall in East Texas looks a lot like last weekend in Sabine County.

Cool weather. Classic cars lining the lot. Barbecue smoke drifting through the crowd. Live music, local vendors, and a whole community turning out for the Sabine County Youth Foundation’s annual fundraiser, complete with a silent auction and a 4-H baked goods drive.

This is what weekends here feel like. Small-town events with big hearts, set between the pines of the Sabine National Forest and the shores of Toledo Bend Lake.

Missed it this time? Plan your fall trip and see what’s happening next at visitsabinecounty.com.

sabinecountylivestock

10/19/2026

Where the El Camino Real crosses the Sabine River into Texas, seven miles east of Milam sits one of the oldest homes in the state.

Before Texas was a state, before it was even a republic, travelers headed west crossed the Sabine River at Gaines Ferry on El Camino Real de los Tejas. Some stopped here for the night. Sam Houston was one of them.

Frederick Law Olmsted came through too. Years before he designed New York’s Central Park, he crossed into Texas at Gaines Ferry on a stormy day and wrote about it in his 1857 book, A Journey Through Texas. He called it the first house in Texas. It was two stories of log, and it was the first home he had seen with glass windows. He wrote that it “takes high rank for comfort on the road,” and that supper was mallard ducks from the river.

James Taylor Gaines built this house in the early 1800s alongside his ferry, tavern and store. It is a 1½-story dogtrot, with open hallways upstairs and down to catch the breeze. Longleaf pine planks. Cypress beams. Hand-planed floors. Two chimneys of local stone and handmade brick, mortared with shell from the Sabine River.

Walk upstairs and look at the walls. Around 1845, a young F***y Oliphint wrote out the schedule for the riverboat Buffalo in chalk, along with her family’s names and the initials of the man she would marry. It’s still there.

The house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is cared for by the local Daughters of the Republic of Texas chapter.

Milam is The Gateway to Texas. Where Texas history begins.

El Camino Real de los Tejas
Olmsted Network
Texas Historical Commission
Texas State Historical Association
Daughters of the Republic of Texas

10/16/2026

This weekend, the Sabine County Youth Foundation BBQ Cookoff takes over the fairgrounds, and every plate helps local kids.

Tonight is free. The cookers are moving in and firing up the pits, so stop by, say hey, and see who’s bringing their best.

Saturday is the big day. Gates open at 10am. You’ll find a classic car show, the Chamber’s Salsa Slam, live music from noon to midnight, a mechanical bull, a gun auction, and $500 to one lucky person still there at midnight. Kids 12 and under get in free.

Not staying? Grab a $15 to-go plate of brisket, pork loin and sausage with all the sides. No entry fee needed for to-go orders.

Swipe for the full schedule, and check the Sabine County & Agricultural Improvement page for details and contacts.

Great BBQ for a great cause. We’ll see you out there.

10/16/2026

Fall is in the air and Hemphill Flower Shop and Boutique is ready for the season. Stop in for fall scents, home decor, books, clothes, snacks and much more. It’s the kind of shop where you come in for one thing and leave with five.

While you’re there, say hi to Angie, the local owner who’s filled this place with so much good stuff. And don’t forget Denny, the shop cat. He’s usually somewhere close by.

Shop local this fall. It keeps our small towns going.

📍Location: 201 Starr Street Hemphill, TX
🕰️ Hours: Mon - Fri | 9 to 4 PM
Sat | 10 to 1 PM

10/14/2026

Hemphill Little Theatre opens “Man or Mouse” this Friday night. Enjoy a night at the Theatre 🎭

Shows are Oct 16th, 17th, 23rd and 24th at 7:00 PM with 3:00 PM matinees on Sunday the 18th and 25th. You can pick up tickets at Hammock Furniture or Premier Appliance Depot, or buy online at HemphillLittleTheatre.com.

These folks put a lot of work into every show. Go see them, bring a friend, and clap loud.

10/09/2026

Day one of Savor ETX started on the trail.🌲

We spent the morning starting at SRA Lakeview Recreational Area with Texas A&M Ag Extension Agent Chanelle Svehla and two more county agents, learning to identify trees, native plants, invasive species, birds and our rare orchids, plus the history of the Trail Between the Lakes. We may have tried a couple of berries. Only with the experts’ okay.

Make sure you come downtown to Hemphill the next two days for more Savor ETX. It’s free. Details at savoretx.com.

10/07/2026

Toledo Bend Lake is known as the Bass Fishing Capital of Texas. Last week it was also where a group of Sabine County kids caught their first fish with CAST for Kids Foundation , right at the gorgeous Pendleton Park Recreation Area. That’s the part we love most. The lake isn’t only for the pros. It belongs to the families who live here and the ones who come to visit.

Thank you to organizer Alissa Ross for making this day happen. Thank you to every sponsor who believed in it and every volunteer who showed up to bait hooks, untangle lines, and cheer on every catch.

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Sabine County, TX
75948

Website

http://visitsabinecounty.com/

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