Jacksonville is located in the Piney Woods of East Texas. Jacksonville is home to the world’s largest bowl of salsa and is famous for being the “Tomato Capitol of the World.” Every June they host the annual Tomato Fest. Until recently the largest manufacturer of baskets in the world was based out of Jacksonville, Texas.
Jacksonville has a population of 14,000 people and was founded in 1847.
Location
Jacksonville, Texas is located in East Texas. It is in Cherokee County, but is not the county seat which is Rusk.
What to do in Jacksonville
Historic Downtown
Spend some time wandering around the historic downtown. There are coffee shops, cafes, and shops. The symbol of the town is the tomato, and many businesses have a decorated tomato out front. There are also a number of interesting murals.
Vanishing Texana Museum
302 S Bolton St, Jacksonville, TX 75766
Open Thursdays – Saturdays the museum has free admission. As part of its extensive collection it has the only Texas flag that has flown on the moon.
Love’s Lookout
43822 US-69, Jacksonville, TX 75766
Love’s Lookout is a rest stop on the route between Jacksonville, Texas and Tyler, Texas. When exiting the freeway look for the normal blue rest stop signs, they do not say Love’s Lookout on them.
I was pretty confused about what the place was before I went. It is a rest stop, like the others on the highways in Texas, but this one is at the top of a large hill that has a very nice view. There are picnic tables and the bathrooms are large and well maintained.
The back of the rest stop has a terrace that has flowers and a railing, and has a really great vista. It is a great place to take photos or have a picnic. It reminded me of the rest stop in Chamberlain, South Dakota.
Gourmet Gardens
300 Tena St, Jacksonville, TX 75766
Gourmet Gardens makes the canned foods that get sold in many of the truck stops and smokehouses in Texas. They package the products that then get resold under private labels. If you have ever stopped at Woody’s Smokehouse in Centerville, Jefferson General Store in Jefferson, or Cooper Farms in Fairfield you have seen their products being resold under those store’s private labels.
Gourmet Gardens are known for their pickled quail eggs, but also have canned peaches, and an assortment of relishes, pickles, and jams. They even sell Mayhaw jelly, which can be difficult to find.
Their production center has a small retail shop on site. When traveling in Texas I tend to buy some of their products to bring back home as gifts, so I was excited to get to go to their store. It was interesting to see all of the products that I recognized from other places.
The store itself was an alcove inside of their offices with shelves of products. They had a wide variety of different products available, but not that many of each type.
Coffee shops in Jacksonville
In addition to chain locations like Starbucks and Scooters, Jacksonville has two really amazing local coffee shops. Both of these coffee shops have lots of space and are great if you need to find a place to meet up with people or find a place to get some work done.
Neighbors Coffee
223 S Main St, Jacksonville, TX 75766
A large coffee shop with an assortment of baked goods. It is a friendly space and has many places to sit and work on a computer. They had a mural on the outside of the building, and another one inside. It was a incredibly welcoming space. In addition to my coffee I also tried a morning bun, which was an absolutely fantastic pastry that was something like a combination between a cinnamon roll and a croissant.
Postmaster Coffee
402-B E Rusk St, Jacksonville, TX 75766
This coffee shop is located in a stunning building. It is on the first floor of a converted historic post office. I was glad to see that they found a way to preserve such an amazing property.
Inside of the coffee shop was decorated very nicely, with a post office theme. They had a huge seating area with lots of tables. They had a large display of different pastries and also had some items for sale.
Where to eat in Jacksonville
For a town of its size, Jacksonville has a lot of great places to eat.
Ritual
A cafe in the historic downtown with beautiful decor.
Ritual Laboratories and Soda Fountain of Youth
An ice cream parlor in the historic downtown, across the street from the Ritual cafe.
Roma Italian Bistro
I didn’t get a chance to eat here myself, but it was highly recommended by the host of the Air BNB that I rented. It looked like a great place and I look forward to trying it the next time I am in town.
Sadler’s Kitchen
A local favorite that is also known for their pies.
Where to stay in Jacksonville
Larissa House Inn
Larissa House Inn is a beautiful historic home located relatively close to the historic downtown of Jacksonville.
What to do near Jacksonville, Texas
Tyler, Texas
Tyler, Texas is a thirty minute drive from Jacksonville. It is a much larger city, and is known for its rose cultivation. You can visit the municipal rose garden.
Palestine, Texas
Palestine, Texas is a thirty minute drive from Jacksonville. It is home to the Texas State Railroad and also has a Railroad Heritage Museum and a historic downtown. Get a slice of pie at Oxbow Bakery.
Rusk, Texas
Rusk, Texas is a twenty minute drive from Jacksonville, Texas. It is one of the terminals of the Texas State Railroad and is known for the Rusk Footbridge.