The tall pine forests of east Texas bear more relation to Louisiana than to the rest of the state; while undeniably Texan, the locals also identify themselves culturally and geographically with the adjacent corners of Arkansas and Louisiana - the " Arklatex " - and you'll find jambalaya and gumbo in restaurants along with standard Texan dishes.

Burial sites and reconstructed dwellings of the sophisticated Caddo Indians, an early southeastern mound-building culture, can be seen at the Caddoan Mounds State Historic Site , thirty miles west of Nacogdoches on Hwy-21. Active between the ninth and fourteenth centuries, the site includes a self-guided walking tour and videos on Caddoan history (Mon & Thurs-Sun 9am-4pm; $3 per car, $1 for pedestrians and cyclists; tel 936/858-3218).

East Texas

• East Texas

Explore East Texas

• Big Thicket National Preserve
• Nacogdoches

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