Kilgore, TX Road Trips

Kilgore College Rangerettes, Kilgore College. See their website for performance schedule. The Kilgore College Rangerettes is the world’s first precision drill team. Celebrated for their pioneering synchronized choreography and their steadfast adherence to traditions, each show dazzles with precision, innovation, and elegance. Their dynamic routines are a mesmerizing spectacle. (updated Feb 2025) The World's Richest Acre Park. On this 1.2-acre site in Downtown Kilgore once stood the greatest concentration of producing oil wells in the United States. Over 2.5 million barrels of oil were culled from this location. All but one of the original derricks had been dismantled by the 1960s, but the original remains along with 26 steel reproductions and a replica pumpjack. Open year-round. (updated Feb 2025) The East Texas Oil Museum, Highway 259 (at Ross St), ☏ +1 903 983-8295. Tu-Sa 9AM-4PM (Apr-Sep until 5PM), Su 2-5PM, special holiday schedule between Christmas and New Year's Day. Every aspect of the life of a 1930s oil boom town is recreated in this museum, which includes a full scale reproduction of a muddy Kilgore main street. Highlights include a virtual trip 3,800 feet deep into the Earth's crust to view simulated oil formations, and a restored 1930s-era oil derrick. Driller Park. This small ballpark, built in 1947, was once home to the minor-league Kilgore Drillers. A local treasure and Texas historical landmark, the park now serves as the home field of the Kilgore High School Bulldogs. Rangerette Museum. M-Th 9AM-4PM, F Sa 10AM-4PM.

The Texas Shakespeare Festival. East Texas' only professional theatre company, in residence on the campus of Kilgore College. Holiday Trail of Lights. Drive through the World's Richest Acre Park and marvel at the majesty of star-topped oil derricks that highlight Kilgore's skyline. November–January.

Zen Kitchen, 117 South Rusk St, ☏ +1 903-218-6070. M–Sa 11AM–9PM, Su 11:30AM-9PM. Local bakehouse and craft beverage destination that redefines artisanal baking of traditional breads and pastries. It embodies the spirit of “fresh from the kitchen”. (updated Feb 2025) The Back Porch Grill, 904 Broadway Blvd,, ☏ +1 903-984-8141. Local grill & bar offers a vibrant atmosphere with grilled specialties, inventive appetizers, and signature cocktails. The venue had live music and warm, inviting decor. (updated Feb 2025) Downtown D'Lites, 103 N Kilgore St, ☏ +1 903-987-0737. 11AM-8:30PM. Delicious sandwiches on homemade bread, great wraps and soup, and great frozen yogurt. $5-10. The Jalapeño Tree, 1520 Hwy. 259 N., ☏ +1 903-984-1076. 11AM-10PM. Traditional Tex-Mex fare. A local favorite.

Country Tavern (State Highway 31 & FM 2767, on the road to Tyler), ☏ +1 903 984-9954.

Motel 6, 3501 Highway 259 North, ☏ +1 903-983-3456.

The nearest airports serving the area around Kilgore are Tyler Pounds Regional Airport , and East Texas Regional Airport which is mainly a private airfield. However, American Airlines' commuter line, American Eagle, operates daily flights to and from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. As well, Kilgore is easily accessible via automobile, and maintains a bus station which serves Greyhound Bus Lines.

Kilgore is just south of the junction of US Highway 259 and IH20, and at the junctions of Texas Highways 31 and 42. US 259 is the city's main thoroughfare; most places of note and interest lie within a few blocks of it. Kilgore's historic (and revitalized) downtown area is easily accessed from Kilgore Street, one of the city's major east-west streets. The side streets can tend to be on the rough side, typical for a small East Texas town, but all are passable in essentially any automobile.