Every visitor center is unique. The Interstate 10 visitor center on the west-bound side just over the Sabine from Louisiana certainly proves the point. It has all the modern conveniences. There's a row of sturdy and functional picnic tables, clean restrooms, ample parking for any type of vehicle, and even a pet "rest area." But that's what any traveler would expect. Up the ramp and around the corner from vending machines and restrooms there's a cavernous welcoming center lobby with thousands of brochures on every imaginable place in Texas. The fun doesn't stop there.
Interstate 10 crosses the Sabine at a place called the Blue Elbow Swamp. The visitor center takes advantage of its location by highlighting this Texas wetland area. Several displays within the center describe the swamp area. Through the back doors of the center visitors discover a large deck overlooking the swamp and a lengthy walkway out into the swampland. Various native plants and animals are highlighted on placards along the way. With a bit of patience and some luck anyone can catch a glimpse of white herons, swamp turtles and all sorts of swamp life. Bird enthusiasts might delight in watching a kingfisher dive for food or recognize the cry of barred owls deep in the swamp. Back inside and out of the weather travelers can learn more information in the video theater.
Nobody really knows where the name "Blue Elbow" came from. Some speculate it comes from the color of the water-darkened from decaying matter-and the sharp bend in the river nearby. The swamp and adjacent river basin is a favorite for fisherman from Texas and Louisiana. A boat dock lies on the river not far from the visitor center underneath the tall river bridge.
Although within a stone's throw of Orange, Texas city limits the swampland has forever been a place where only the brave dare to go. The only way to access the swamp, other than by strolling the walkway behind the center, is by airboat. Not even Native Americans could settle in the area. A little known group of tribes collectively called Atakapan lived near the swamp and fished its waters. The Atakapan were a short and stocky people who wore few clothes, adorned their bodies with tattoos and added to their diet, it is said, by dining on a few enemies. But the Atakapan are long gone so there won't be a canoe full of Native Americans in sight from the visitor center walkway.
Travelers on interstate excursions will certainly find all they need at the Texas Visitor Center near Orange. Truck drivers needing a quick stop or hitting the end of their drive time know how welcome and convenient a Texas Travel Center can be. Locals, too, stop into the center, either as a quick stop to pick up new info on local attractions, use the restrooms and vending machines, or simply a respite from a day of fishing on the Sabine. Everyone who stops in gets the opportunity to learn a lot more about Texas history, flora and fauna, and geography. In fact, this visitor center should be a considered a destination for fun and adventure itself.
Like all Texas travel facilities the center is well lit, has 'round the clock security, picnic and group facilities and is handicap accessible. The state is even kind enough to provide free wifi service, a great benefit when so many travel with and communicate by laptop computer.
Visitor Center main lobby ours are 8 am to 5 pm, or to 6 pm during the summer. They're open seven days a week, closing only for major holidays. Wherever anyone is coming from or going, the Texas Visitor Center on Interstate 10 in South East Texas is a stop worth making.
References:
Texas Travel Centers, TexDOT - http://www.txdot.gov/travel/information_centers.htm
Atakapan Indians - http://www.texasindians.com/atakap.htm
Blue Elbow Swamp - http://www.sra.dst.tx.us/basin/recreation.asp?page=site&ID=28
Forests: A Naturalist's Guide to Woodland Trees By Laurence C. Walker (available on Google Books)
"Forgotten Places" by Griffin Smith, Jr., Texas Monthly August 1975 (available on Google Books)
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