Old Mill Pond Museum (formerly Parrot Park)

If you'd rather walk through history than read about it, a visit to Parrot Park in Lindale, Texas, is suggested. The place seems like a quiet hub of activity with several small groups of people and individuals working on personal projects around the grounds. The groups - and their efforts to restore some of the machinery that drove the southern agriculture and oil industries forward once upon a time - bring the area's history back to life.

One of those personal projects is a model railroad that recreates the transportation route between Lindale and Tyler around the 1920s and 20s. Small features include a track built entirely by hand, piece by piece, including cross ties and rails.

Walking throughout the park, you'll spot several other interesting projects. A restored old Model T, about 20 tractors that date all the way back to the era of Eli Whitney, a replica gas station, an impressively large water mill, and much more.

Free access and plenty of parking, as well as picnic tables, make this a great stop if you are passing through the area. And maybe even a destination if you care to stop and talk awhile with some of the friendly folks who run the place.