Caddo Lake State Park

"Karnack, Texas At nearly 30,000 acres, this state park on Texas’ east side—the polar opposite of desolate deserts of west Texas—is an absolute maze of bayous and sloughs, of quiet wetlands and waterways stunning in daylight and eerie by moonlight. Run your paddle through the placid, misty waters of Caddo Lake, ducking beneath Spanish moss hanging like serpents from the branches of ancient bald cypress trees. These giants tower over you and stand, waist-deep, in every direction—this is the largest cypress forest in the world. See if you can scout out Dick & Charlie’s Tea Room, a stilt house on the water that served as a Prohibition-era speakeasy. A sign tacked to a nearby cypress reads “House Rules: 1. There ain’t none.”"