Food
Love & Bagels
What started as a farmers market side hustle has turned into the American dream for baker and owner Lisa Schlatt, who makes bagels from scratch daily using a wild yeast starter and a three-day process. She bakes nine flavors with six different schmears, plus bagel sandwiches that push straight into Texas territory. I rolled and boiled my first bagels, then dug into chili bacon jam, brisket, egg and cheese on a fresh jalapeno cheese bagel. Grab a chocolate chip bagel with honey pecan spread for the road.
Vin de Paris
What do Parisians drink when they get thirsty? Wine, of course, and at Vin de Paris it comes with crepes. Owner Walt grew up in Paris, Texas, and opened this cozy spot because he figured any Paris ought to have crepes. The focus is Old World wines, with plenty from France and a level two sommelier ready to teach you as you sip. I tasted a white, a rose and a red from southern France, paired with a classic strawberry Nutella crepe and their original cookie butter crepe.
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Owner John Bratcher, a Paris native, turned a burned-out downtown shell into an indoor-outdoor beer garden, keeping the old walls and adding cantina lights and a see-through roof for rainy or 105-degree days. The kitchen serves burgers, fish and tacos, and isn’t afraid to get creative. Start with the fried okra tacos in a sweet and peppery vinaigrette with bacon and onions. I also loved the blackened fish taco and one topped with diced pickles, banana peppers and Tabasco-tossed pepper jack.
Culture
Eiffel Tower Paris Texas
No trip to Paris is complete without a photo at the Eiffel Tower, and ours is wearing a cowboy hat. The hat wasn’t original. When Paris, Tennessee built its own Eiffel Tower a wee bit taller than ours, this town raised them a red cowboy hat, putting the Texas tower just a head taller than Tennessee’s. It’s the second tallest Eiffel Tower in the world, and you didn’t even need a passport. Snap your souvenir shot and enjoy an international vacation without leaving Texas.
Lamar County Historical Museum
The Lamar County Historical Museum holds a wealth of artifacts, with rooms dedicated to military history, African American history and much more. You’ll find a shoe store X-ray machine from before anyone knew the risks of radiation, and the oldest cabin in Lamar County, built in 1854 and moved inside to preserve it. Panoramas tell the story of the 1916 fire that burned 1,400 structures. The town’s motto became Smile, and Paris rebuilt within a year. An organ rolled to safety still plays.
Sam Bell Maxey House State Historic Site
Built in 1868, the Sam Bell Maxey House survived the great Paris fire and is now a Texas historic landmark. General Maxey was an interesting guy. He served in the US Army during the Mexican War, became a Confederate general, received a pardon after a personal vouch from his West Point buddy Ulysses S. Grant and later served as a US senator. The ornate interior tells 150 years of stories and is well worth a stop for history buffs.
Jesus in Cowboy Boots
Sam Bell Maxey settled down for good at Evergreen Cemetery, but one monument stands uniquely above the rest: the grave of Willet Babcock, known locally as Jesus in Cowboy Boots. The statue looks ready to go two-stepping, and those would make for good snake-stomping boots. Supposedly Babcock was a bit of a humorist, and he left us all something to smile about. Pay your respects quietly, take a look and enjoy one of the most uniquely Texan sights in Paris.
Outdoors
Trail de Paris
I’ve always wanted to ride the Tour de France, and the Trail de Paris is pretty much the same thing. This rails-to-trails path follows an old railroad bed, so it’s flat and paved, stretching for over five miles across town. It ties into a much larger 130-mile system across northeast Texas, so you can go as far as your legs allow. I rode it in cowboy boots, because if they’re good enough for Jesus they’re good enough for me. Bring water, not barbecue sauce.
