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Only in Lake Jackson can you drive down a street called This Way and turn onto one named That Way. The quirky names come from architect Alden B. Dow, who designed the town in the early 1940s as a home for workers at the new Dow Chemical plant in nearby Freeport, laying out curving streets around oaks and bayous instead of a grid.
The town takes its name from the lake and sugar plantation of Major Abner Jackson, whose brick ruins survive as a protected archaeological site. Today the city of about 28,000 serves as a hub for Brazoria County, with Brazosport College and its performing arts venue, The Clarion, anchoring cultural life.
The star attraction is Sea Center Texas, a free aquarium and fish hatchery run by Texas Parks and Wildlife. Nature lovers also find trails along the Brazos River, birding in the coastal prairie, and Gulf beaches at Surfside and Quintana only a short drive away.
A Texas Parks and Wildlife aquarium and fish hatchery with a large tank of Gulf of Mexico species, smaller habitat displays and a touch pool for kids. Outside, a boardwalk crosses restored wetlands busy with herons and ibis. Admission is free, and the hatchery raises red drum and spotted seatrout for Texas bays.
A downtown museum telling the story of the planned town, from Abner Jackson's plantation to Alden B. Dow's design and the arrival of Dow Chemical. Exhibits include photographs, artifacts and local memorabilia. Admission is low cost, and the staff can point you to the plantation ruins.
The brick remains of Major Abner Jackson's 19th-century sugar plantation, including the sugar mill and house foundations, preserved by the local historical association beside the oxbow lake that named the town. Archaeological work continues here, and access is usually by guided tour or special event, so ask at the museum first.
The modest office where architect Alden B. Dow worked while planning Lake Jackson in the 1940s, now preserved by the local historical association as a small museum. Drawings, photographs and furnishings show how he fitted curving streets and homes around the existing oaks. Hours are limited, so call ahead.
Brazosport College's performing arts center, a modern hall that hosts touring musicians, the Brazosport Symphony, student productions and community theater. Its season runs mainly from fall through spring. Check the college calendar for shows, and arrive early to find parking on the busy campus.
A wooded park on the Brazos River west of town with dirt trails through bottomland forest and quiet spots for fishing and birdwatching. It feels far wilder than its suburban location suggests. Bring bug spray in summer, and avoid the low trails after heavy rain, when the river often floods them.
A small pond right beside downtown Lake Jackson with a paved loop, benches and resident ducks and turtles, framed by the oaks Alden Dow worked to preserve. It hosts seasonal community events and makes an easy evening stroll after dinner. Pair it with a coffee from one of the nearby shops.
The two best-known streets of Alden B. Dow's plan curve gently through the original town center, and visitors love posing beside their signs. Driving or biking the area reveals other playful names and the curving layout around old trees. Combine the drive with a stop at the nearby historical museum downtown.
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Log in to add photosPhoto: Famartin, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo: Preiselbeere, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Preiselbeere, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Larry D. Moore, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Photo: Larry D. Moore, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Photo: Larry D. Moore, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Photo: Brian Reading, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Brian Reading, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Brian Reading, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Brian Reading, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo: Brian Reading, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
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Photo: Larry D. Moore, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Photo: Larry D. Moore, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Photo: Larry D. Moore, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 4.0
Photo: Michael Gras, M.Ed., Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
