Discover Beaumont Art,

Take art, history, culture, nature, food, and mix it well with oil and you have Beaumont.

The Art Museum of Southeast Texas displays art from the 19th century to the present. It ranges from portraits to comments on current affairs. One of my favorite works is the world’s first selfie.

There are three historic homes that help tell Beaumont’s story. They range from pioneer days to oil boom. The John Jay French Museum is one of Beaumont’s oldest dating to 1845. The McFaddin-Ward home represents Beaumont’s upper crust. This Beaux Arts Colonial Revival style covers an entire block. It takes you back to the first half of the 20th century and shows what oil field wealth can build.

Chambers House is a more middle-class reflection of Beaumont in the 1900s. Most of the 1924 time frame furnishings are intact. The family’s two sisters never married and were either collectors or hoarders, depending on your point of view; a wonderful thing for a house museum.

Cattail Marsh Wetlands looks like many other wildlife marshes but there is something very different about Cattail Marsh. It is an earth-friendly way to recycle Beaumont’s wastewater treatment system. You would never know its origin when you see the 900-acres of scenic wetlands with a new Educational Center. It’s an award-winning place for birding, hiking and just enjoying nature’s beauty.

Gator Country is a look at the wilder side of the animal kingdom. It’s home to rescued reptiles, mostly alligator but lots of other wildlife. This is the home territory of the TV show, Gator 911. You meet the world’s record holder for largest alligator, Big Tex, who is 13’ 8.5’’. His runner up, Big Al, at 13’4” and over 80 years old, also makes his home there. You get really up close with the residents. I got to hold a beautiful Burmese python.

Oil is what greased Beaumont’s wheels. On January 10, 1901, Spindletop made United States the biggest oil producer in the world and changed Beaumont, Texas, and the world’s economy forever. First thing you see is a replica of Spindletop, a full-sized oil derrick. You can watch it erupt just as the real one did but now they use water instead of oil.

Step into Gladys City, a replica of the small town