CEDAR CREEK LAKE

Water Fun And Small Town Adventures

By P.A. Geddie

Cedar Creek Lake covers parts of Henderson and Kaufman counties. It offers a wealth of water recreation opportunities, beautiful views, and provides a vacationlike backdrop for many residents and visitors alike from country inns, lakeside Airbnbs, and nearby resorts.

The lake is popular for fishing, boating, and other water sports. Several marinas and public beaches and picnic areas provide access to the lake.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department maintains three islands in the lake as wildlife management areas for aquatic birds. While the islands are off limits to the public, birdwatchers enjoy viewing from boats or from the shore.

Along the water’s edges are popular restaurants. Other dining destinations are sprinkled throughout small towns near the lake, as are shopping boutiques and lodging. The area has plenty of vacation rentals.

Attractions include a skate park, movie theater, bowling center, three golf courses, and a family fun park with an arcade, batting cages, bumper cars, go-karts, kiddie cars, laser tag, miniature golf, a rockclimbing wall, and a game room.

Each small community around the lake has its own unique attributes. The towns include Kemp, Mabank, Gun Barrel City, Payne Springs, Enchanted Oaks, Eustace, Caney City, Malakoff, Star Harbor, Trinidad, Tool, and Seven Points.

Tom Finley Park sits on a centrally located island in Cedar Creek Lake with beautiful views of the surrounding natural setting. The family-friendly park has a dedicated swimming area with a sandy beach and a playground for children. Shaded picnic tables with grills, boating docks, a fishing pier, and pavilions for groups are available.

Gun Barrel City has a new waterfront development underway with a threelevel building with floor-to-ceiling glass windows overlooking the lake that offers venues for dining, shopping, and entertainment. The design allows the ground floor to provide access to 40 boat slips and a 4,000-foot signature restaurant on the top floor. Part of the plans also continued page 8

LAKE continued from page 6 include a food court on the second level and outdoor seating for all three stories. The outdoor area next to the lower level features a splash park and amphitheater, and there is ample room in the surrounding grounds to accommodate large events.

Near Trinidad, visitors enjoy the Triple N Ranch & Winery on 12 acres, featuring a herd of longhorn cattle, a vineyard, a first-class tasting room, food pairings, concerts, and special events. Guests enjoy wines with brick-oven fired pizzas, charcuterie trays, Italian-style salads with fennel and arugula, panini sandwiches, baked cookies, and s’mores along with occasional multi-course dinners presented by area chefs.

A popular Seven Points business is Cedar Creek Brewery, offering award-winning beers, live music, and special events throughout the year.

In the countryside of Kemp, visitors find a working dairy farm featuring some of the best artisan and farmstead cheeses and cheese spreads in Texas. Full Quiver Farms is operated by a Mennonite farming family that has a small store on the property. Their products are also sold at popular grocers across the Southwest and at regional farmers’ markets.

One piece of history in Kemp is an old “calaboose,” or jail cell, behind the current city hall, where notorious outlaw Bonnie Parker allegedly stayed overnight on April 19, 1932. The legend of Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow as robbers and murderers is a big part of the history of the Upper East Side of Texas. Their actions gained enormous media attention and people from all over the region were emotionally invested as the Barrow Gang committed their crimes in the early 1930s.

The City of Tool has a new inclusive community park in the works with an amphitheater, a walking trail, and a splash pad. A unique play area for kids incorporates music, climbing, and nets. Also included in the complex are a veterans memorial, dog park, botanical gardens, butterfly garden, mural wall, a food truck court and a fishing pond.

Malakoff is home to the Star Harbor Watercolor Society. The artists present their work at events during the year, often along with live music, art demos, and refreshments. The town hosts the annual autumn Cornbread Festival.

Nearby Eustace is the gateway to Purtis Creek State Park with a 350-acre lake offering bass fishing, swimming, boating, camping, and nature trails.

Special events take place around the lake each year, including the Wildflower Festival in Kemp, July Fest in Gun Barrel City, and Thunder Over Cedar Creek Airshow.

For more information about visiting Cedar Creek Lake the City of Gun Barrel City is a good place to start. Visit www. gunbarrelcity.net.

We at Winnsboro Center for the Arts in Winnsboro established a relationship with P.A. Geddie and County Line Magazine over five years ago. They worked with us then in developing an advertising plan and continue to work with us now on ad content and direction. CLM has always been responsive with the changes and edits that are a part of the changing needs of advertising and promotion. The staff at CLM has a passion for promoting the Upper East Side of Texas and all of the many events, concerts and activities in it. They have created a truly excellent magazine and it's not unusual for folks to tell us that they saw us in County Line Magazine.

Jim Willis, Director of The Bowery Stage Winnsboro Center for the Arts

County Line Magazine is our “go to” publication for marketing Mineola, Texas, to our target audience in the North by Northeast Texas area. We know that County Line Magazine will present our entertainment and leisure information in the best light possible with attractive ads and interesting articles that its readers will notice and enjoy. Visitors to our city often comment that they saw our information in the County Line Magazine. Fast response on ad proofs and changes make working with staff a pleasure. We love County Line Magazine.

Lynn Kitchens, Director of Marketing Asst. Director Economic Development City of Mineola

County Line has always been and continues to be a significant partner to our community. The magazine is beautifully laid out, filled with relevant information, and reaches our most important target market — the Northeast Texas drive market. The County Line Team is always very professional and the magazine is a great asset to the entire area.

Kevin Banks, Manager, Greenville CVB

P.A. Geddie and the County Line are a tremendous asset for us at Four Winds Steakhouse. We have worked together for about 14 years. Through the years I have seen the publication grow and consistently get better. It has been a great local tool for our business and its reach continues to grow. They do a great job putting our ads together and I enjoy working with P.A.

Frank Rumore, Four Winds Steakhouse