Everything Nac

     Downtown Nacogdoches is bustling with activity the next few weeks, and Friday night is no exception. “We are thrilled to be hosting this Cruise night in conjunction with Historic Preservation Month and Nacogdoches National Travel & Tourism Week,” said Main Street manager Sarah O’Brien. Tourism spending in Nacogdoches accounts for approximately $85.1 million in direct spending into Nacogdoches County EACH year. Texas’ Oldest Town is home to many successful preservation related projects and continues to attract heritage travelers from around the world to visit our red brick streets in historic downtown.

(Click to make larger) A 1929 Model A at a previous downtown cruise event

     Come downtown and join us for a fun filled Cruise nights and then head over to the Cole Art Center to catch a film. Classic cars will line the Plaza Principal on Pilar Street from Pecan to Fredonia beginning at 6 p.m. and will cruise until 8 p.m.

     Also going on this Friday, As part of its monthly independent film series, the Stephen F. Austin State University School of Art and Friends of the Visual Arts will present a free, one-night screening of “Ghost Bird” at 7 p.m. Friday, May 6, in The Cole Art Center @ The Old Opera House, 329 E. Main Street. Scott Crocker’s 85-minute documentary investigates the alleged 2005 sightings in eastern Arkansas of the ivory-billed woodpecker—a species presumed extinct for 60 years—and the resulting financial and political effects of the recovery effort for the lost species. Despite professed sightings by expert bird-watchers, credible evidence of the woodpecker is still absent, even six years later. According to The New York Times, “Crocker has turned a bird-watching tale into a multi-layered story that will fascinate practically everybody….” For more information, please call (936) 468-1131.

     Hotel Fredonia, 200 N. Fredonia will have live entertainment on the patio, and J McKinney’s will have some delicious fare on the menu.

     If you or anyone you know has any questions concerning First Friday Cruise Nights feel free to contact Sarah O’Brien at 926-559-2573 or send her an email at obriens@ci.nacogdoches.tx.us.

     Downtown walking tours are back for the spring and will be offered at 10:30 a.m. each Saturday in May at the Visitor Center, located at 200 E. Main St. Tickets are $2 and can be purchased beginning at 10 a.m. the day of the tour. Children 12 and under are free. The walking tours are one way Nacogdoches recognizes Historic Preservation Month.

(Click to make larger) The Durst-Taylor Historic House and Gardens is one of the many sights to see during the historic downtown walking tours in May.

     “The walking tours are a wonderful opportunity for locals and visitors to learn more about the city of Nacogdoches and the history that makes it unique,” said Sherri Skeeters, assistant director of the Nacogdoches Convention & Visitors Bureau. “Our volunteer guides are very knowledgeable about local history and help make the tours entertaining, as well as informative.”

     Historic sites on the tour include the Caddo Indian burial mound, Oak Grove Cemetery, the Old Nacogdoches University Building, Zion Hill Baptist Church, the Sterne-Hoya House Museum and Library, Durst-Taylor Historic House and Gardens, and much more. The walking tours take about an hour and a half to complete.

     For more information, contact the Nacogdoches Convention & Visitors Bureau at 888-OLDEST-TOWN or www.visitnacogdoches.org. Be our friend on facebook @ See Nacogdoches.

     The City of Nacogdoches Main Street Program is excited to announce tickets are on sale now for our 2nd Story Tour event, set for Saturday, May 7th from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in historic downtown Nacogdoches. The event is held in conjunction with National Preservation Month. “Preservation has played such an important role in the redevelopment of downtown that we try to do something special to honor it each year,” said Main Street Manager Sarah O’Brien.

(Click for a larger photo) The newly renovated loft apartment at 106 Church Street will be on display. Owner, John Sloane and tenant, Marissa Church were kind enough to agree to be on the 2nd Story Tour.

     This year’s 2nd Story Tour has four properties lined up for ticket holders to tour: 203 E. Main, 300 Commerce, 316 E. Main and 106 N Church. Tickets are $10 and are available now at the Visitor’s Center, located at 200 E. Main Street. All proceeds go back to the beautification of historic downtown Nacogdoches. “This is a great opportunity to spend Mother’s Day downtown shopping and touring properties, that the general public rarely get to see,” said O’Brien. For more questions on 2nd Story Tours or historic downtown Naocgdoches contact the Main Street Office at 936-559-2573 or obriens@ci.nacogdoches.tx.us.