Comments (1) Best Day Trip - 2009
Beaumont
It doesn't matter if art, food or music is your thing — Beaumont's got it. Beaumont's 1901 Spindletop gusher made ordinary oilmen overnight millionaires and gave birth to the companies that would eventually become Texaco, Chevron, Mobil and Exxon. Over the years, that oil money has benefited Beaumont's arts community, including the Art Museum of Southeast Texas, making it one of the best small museums in the state. If you'd rather find a dance floor instead of an art gallery, try Larry's French Market & Cajun Cafeteria. Rebuilt since Hurricane Rita, Larry's is part restaurant, part grocery store and all honky-tonk. Buckets of mudbugs and piles of corncobs litter tables that have been abandoned by folks anxious to get on the dance floor. Live music three nights a week offers zydeco, country and plenty of polkas to keep everyone happy. Larry's closes early (10 p.m.), but you can keep the fun going over at Crockett Street Entertainment District, a cluster of historic buildings (including a former house of ill repute) that now house restaurants and bars. Set on the waterfront, Crockett Street also regularly offers outdoor music festivals.
