Provost Umphrey Travel Guide

[pwdonaldson]

My name is Paul Donaldson and I'm a special correspondent for StadiumJourney.com, a website devoted to all things sports stadiums. This fall, I'm scheduled to do approximately a dozen reviews for different college football stadiums. Included in that number will be one stop at each SLC stadium. Here's my SLC schedule:

 

9/22: SHSU @ UCA

9/29: SLU @ Lamar

10/13: SFA @ McNeese

10/20: McNeese @ SHSU

10/27: UCA @ SLU

11/3: Lamar @ SFA

11/10: SHSU @ Northwestern St.

11/15: SLU @ Nicholls

 

Along with the stadium review, I also try to do a "travel guide" of sorts that visiting fans can utilize to get tips on where to eat, where to stay, and what to do in and around the community.

 

I've been on the Lamar campus a few times, so I'm somewhat familiar with the area, but I'm petitioning feedback from SLC fan boards. So, if you were talking to an out-of-town visiting fan, how would you answer the following questions related to the LU/Beaumont area:

 

1. Best place for lunch:

 

2. Best place for dinner:

 

3. Top attractions you must see/visit while in the area:

 

4. Top venue for nightlife:

 

5. Best place to stay (not necessarily the most expensive, best blend of affordability and comfort).

 

[lu cards]

lunch-spicy chicken or gyro at campus corner

dinner-larry french market(groves,tx)live cajun music every weekend

attractions-saltwater fishing,some of the best saltwater fishing in the world

nightlife-boudain hut(port arthur,tx)

place to stay-hotel elegante

[Big T]

Lunch- Definitely can't go wrong with the Gyro.

 

Dinner- With out a doubt Larry's is the best Cajun food around and the bands are always great. I'll also throw in Sartans Seafood in Nederalnd TX, Cheddars both in Beaumont and Port Arthur, Texas Roadhouse in Port Arthur, Cattle Company in Beaumont. There are quite a few other great places to eat, but these are my favorites.

 

Attractions- It depends on what your interested in but I would say the Musems here are pretty decent and the Stark art museum in Orange TX. is exceptional. The beach is only about an hour and a half away as is Houston and the site of the Battle of San Jacinto. You can visit Gladys Town which is right next to the Campus. And of course you have the movies and malls and things like that.

 

Nightlife- Crockett Street.

 

Place to Stay- The Elegante

 

[LUSportsFan]

2. Dinner - It's been awhile since I have been there, but the Schooner in Nederland, about 7 miles away from PUS, has been one of my favorites since I was a kid.

 

Hey Locals - Is Sugas Deep South Cuisine and Jazz Bar in downtown Beaumont worth it? I read good things about it, but I've never been there.

 

I haven't been to Larry's French Market in Groves yet, but I have a friend from the Lafayette, LA area that highly recommended it. He's pretty picky with his food and ran his own catering service so if he likes it, I probably would also. Glad to see someone else has the same opinion.

 

3. If you like museums, the Texas Energy Museum in downtown Beaumont is very interesting...open 7 days a week. Another downtown museum is the Fire Museum of Texas. It's a few blocks away from the Texas Energy Museum and is open M-F 8:00 am to 4:30 pm (Free Admission!!). One point of interest right on the Lamar campus is the Gladys City Boomtown...Open 7 days a week. The McFaddin-Ward House and Carriage House in Beaumont is a good visit...open 7 days a week. There are several other homes in Beaumont, Port Arthur, and Orange like the W. H. Stark House in Orange that are worth a tour if you like that kind of thing. In Orange, Shangri-La Botanical Gardens and Nature Center is nice. It's a 252 acre site with gardens and natural preserve. It's open 7 days a week. While in Orange, you might catch an airboat ride. As mentioned in another response, the Stark Museum has an excellent collection. There are a lot of other museums and tour homes in the area. The sites above are just examples.

 

If you like nature, one option might be the Big Thicket National Preserve. There are a lot of trails of varying length through the units. There are some vendors that offer canoe trips also.

 

You might catch a boat ride and tour from Riverfront Park in downtown Beaumont. Neches River Adventures is a good two hour trip along the river and into one of the bayous. It's a nice trip. The boat leaves out from Riverfront Park in downtown Beaumont at 10:00 am and finishes up at 12:00 pm on Saturdays. First Saturday of each month has a National Parks Ranger from the Big Thicket National Preserve. It's a nice lazy and educational trip. I love the river and bayous in the area. If that is an interest, this trip is an easy and relatively inexpensive way to experience them.

 

As mentioned above, salt-water fishing is good. Also, if you are a fresh water fisherman, Lake Sam Rayburn and Toledo Bend are to the north.

 

If you like horse racing and wagering, just across the state line (about 30 miles away) in Louisiana is Delta Downs. There are a lot of people here in Houston that make the trip over there and on to Lake Charles (about 60 miles away).

 

4. Nutty Jerry's in Winnie might be a good place for nightlife? Haven't been there, but looks interesting.

 

5. Wife and I like LaQuintas, Marriotts, Fairfield Inns, Holiday Inns. At the intersection of I-10 and Hwy 69/96/287, there are a lot of hotels and motels including the Elegante mentioned above. There are a lot of restaurants at that interchange also (Cheddars, Cracker Barrel, Papadeaux's, Joe's Crab Shack) and moving eastward on I-10, Carrabba's and some others.

[Guest CardAmbassador]

Lunch - (in addition to what has been mentioned, these places are all in Beaumont)

Mexican - Elena's on College St.

Italian - Frankie's

Americana - Major League Grill

BBQ - Willie Ray's BBQ

Burger - Hamburger Depot

Pizza - New York Pizza and Pasta

 

I like lunch so I thought I would give a little variety.

[Mike]

 

5. Wife and I like LaQuintas, Marriotts, Fairfield Inns, Holiday Inns. At the intersection of I-10 and Hwy 69/96/287, there are a lot of hotels and motels including the Elegante mentioned above. There are a lot of restaurants at that interchange also (Cheddars, Cracker Barrel, Papadeaux's, Joe's Crab Shack) and moving eastward on I-10, Carrabba's and some others.

 

If you stay at one of these places there's a Pappadeaux's across the street and there's also Johnny Carinos, Joes Crab Shack and a Cheddars around the corner. There's also a Tinseltown Theatre in that stretch as well. Tyrell Park Golf Course is also right down the street if you want to play at a cheap public venue. (just stay away from the horse stables) ;D

 

I'll also add that there's a stretch down the road from PUS that includes Carrabas (great italian food), Outback Steakhouse, Tokyo's, Sartains in Beaumont and a La Cantina Mexican Cantina.

 

For lunch if you head 10 mins down the road to Nederland I highly recommend Finch-Hutton on Boston avenue. They are a little pricey but the Hutton Burger is solid gold.

 

Another night life spot noone has mentioned (I havent been out in years) is Whiskey River. I'll will agree that in Beaumont Crockett Street may be the best option due to the multiple places available right next to each other.

 

[LUSportsFan]

 

5. Wife and I like LaQuintas, Marriotts, Fairfield Inns, Holiday Inns. At the intersection of I-10 and Hwy 69/96/287, there are a lot of hotels and motels including the Elegante mentioned above. There are a lot of restaurants at that interchange also (Cheddars, Cracker Barrel, Papadeaux's, Joe's Crab Shack) and moving eastward on I-10, Carrabba's and some others.

 

If you stay at one of these places there's a Pappadeaux's across the street and there's also Johnny Carinos, Joes Crab Shack and a Cheddars around the corner. There's also a Tinseltown Theatre in that stretch as well. Tyrell Park Golf Course is also right down the street if you want to play at a cheap public venue. (just stay away from the horse stables) ;D

 

Reminds me, if you like botanical gardens...

 

The gardens (23.5 acres) at Tyrell Park are nice and there's the Warren Loose Conservatory next to the botanical gardens. Just found out that it's the 2nd largest conservatory in a public garden in the state of Texas.

[Big T]

Love Nutty Jerry's, how did I forget? Terrell Park is great. I used to work at the Stables there several years back. All of Cardambassoador's suggestions are fantastic. I love to eat so I can give recommendations to just about all of the restaurants in this area lol. Actually the best seafood around may be JV's Seafood on Twin City Highway about four or five miles from campus. It's a little hole in the wall that you really never notice is there. Their fried oysters are amazing and their servings are very large. I would also recommend Sun Wok for Asian food. Their General Tao's chicken is out of this world. If you don't mind paying a little then Tokyo's is the way to go.

[geezer]

The Babe Zaharius Museum on I -10 at MLK is small but might be worth a look if your a sports fan.

[Mr.KnowItAll]

The absolute best thing to do is tailgate! How can you forget or leave out that!

 

Also for lunch I recommend Willie burger as well. Its an old diner themed cash only burger joint in Beaumont.

 

As far as nightlife, it depends your age and music preference. College age then Crockett street, just out of college I would go to the West, Matisons, or the Pacesetter.

 

Also for daytime entertainment I would add Gator Country to the list with their alligator shows and such. And with the beach less than an hour away that's always fun. Finally, and CA would agree, Sports Connection is a blast. They have putt putt, batting cages, laser tag, and go carts.

[LUSportsFan]

Thanks for adding Gator Country. My Beaumonter family go there all the time. They like the food there also. Sad thing is that we're never in town when they go so we've never been there. It's still on the list though.

 

I'm actually using this thread as a personal reference since I was "exiled" (really transferred) from the area 23 years ago. Lots of places that weren't there when we left.

[LUSportsFan]

If you are traveling back to the west on I-10, another good place on the way is Al-T's in Winnie (18 miles away). Easy access on and off the interstate and good food.

[Guest bigredfan2]

2. Dinner - It's been awhile since I have been there, but the Schooner in Nederland, about 7 miles away from PUS, has been one of my favorites since I was a kid.

 

Hey Locals - Is Sugas Deep South Cuisine and Jazz Bar in downtown Beaumont worth it? I read good things about it, but I've never been there.

 

I haven't been to Larry's French Market in Groves yet, but I have a friend from the Lafayette, LA area that highly recommended it. He's pretty picky with his food and ran his own catering service so if he likes it, I probably would also. Glad to see someone else has the same opinion.

 

3. If you like museums, the Texas Energy Museum in downtown Beaumont is very interesting. One point of interest right on the Lamar campus is the Gladys City Boomtown. The McFaddin House and Carriage House in Beaumont is a good visit. There are several other homes in Beaumont, Port Arthur, and Orange (Stark House) that are worth a tour if you like that kind of thing. In Orange, Shangri-La Gardens is nice. While in Orange, you might catch an airboat ride. There are a lot of museums and tour homes in the area. The sites above are just examples.

 

If you like nature, one option might be the Big Thicket National Preserve. There are a lot of trails of varying length through the units. There are some vendors that offer canoe trips also.

 

You might catch a boat ride and tour from Riverfront Park in downtown Beaumont. Neches River Adventures is a good two hour trip along the river and into one of the bayous. It's a nice trip. The boat leaves out from Riverfront Park in downtown Beaumont at 10:00 am and finishes up at 12:00 pm on Saturdays. First Saturday of each month has a National Parks Ranger from the Big Thicket National Preserve. It's a nice lazy and educational trip. I love the river and bayous in the area. If that is an interest, this trip is an easy and relatively inexpensive way to experience them.

 

As mentioned above, salt-water fishing is good. Also, if you are a fresh water fisherman, Lake Sam Rayburn and Toledo Bend are to the north.

 

If you like horse racing and wagering, just across the state line (about 30 miles away) in Louisiana is Delta Downs. There are a lot of people here in Houston that make the trip over there and on to Lake Charles (about 60 miles away).

 

4. Nutty Jerry's in Winnie might be a good place for nightlife? Haven't been there, but looks interesting.

 

5. Wife and I like LaQuintas, Marriotts, Fairfield Inns, Holiday Inns. At the intersection of I-10 and Hwy 69/96/287, there are a lot of hotels and motels including the Elegante mentioned above. There are a lot of restaurants at that interchange also (Cheddars, Cracker Barrel, Papadeaux's, Joe's Crab Shack) and moving eastward on I-10, Carrabba's and some others.

Very comperhence posting.

The only thing I would add is the if you are from out of the area and have wondered about the French Cajun tradition and way of life, you can find it at Larry's French Market. You will find artifacts on the wall and on the right nights a live band and dancing reflecting the Cajun tradition. Larry is readily available and would be glad to answer any question you have about the Cajun life. The place is very entertaining as well has great food.

[gem]

lunch

kampus korner 4637 Rolfe Chroistopher Beaumont 409-832-6386

 

Dinner

Floyd's Seafood and steak House 2290 IH 10 S Beaumont 409-842-0686

Suga's 461 Bowie downtown Beaumont 409-813-0808

New York Pizza and Pasta 790n Neches downtown Beaumont 832-7032

Cheddar's restaurant 3815 IH10 S Beaumont 840-5333

 

Top atraction

Salt Water Fishing

[gem]

top attraction

museums

 

night life crockett street downtown beaumont

MCM Elegante Hotel 2355 IH 10 S. beaumont 409-842-3600