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Paris, Athens, New York, and Big Stinking Creek

© Joy Butler

Museums, art galleries, antique malls, beautiful old homes and, of course the Eiffel Tower are the delights of Paris. Visitors can gaze at the Italian marble and Bedford stone fountain in the plaza, attend a concert or enjoy lovely landscaping in one of the many sports and recreation parks. With population numbering around 26,000, Paris is located about a hundred miles northeast of Dallas and has been called the Best Small Town in Texas. Named after the romantic city of Paris, France, the small town shares with its namesake, a bit of movie fame as well. William Wenders won the Cannes Palme D'Or for Best Film in 1984 for the movie titled "Paris, Texas" starring Harry Dean Stanton.

Romance may or may not abound in Paris, Texas, but tourists can still enjoy a variety of entertainment. Each May, artists converge on Paris for its Art Festival, and every Labor Day weekend, dancers can be found swinging their partners during the Chaparral Square Dancing Weekend. The third Saturday in July, the Tour de Paris sees about 500 cyclists pedal their bikes through the gentle slopes of Lamar County.

Christmas in Paris is magical. Festivities begin with a Christmas parade while the Fairgrounds sparkle brightly, offering miniature train rides among many craft and concession booths. Winter Wonderland provides live performances throughout December and a holiday "Movie in Park" every Friday. The Christmas Tour of Homes features several decorated structures of Paris, including the 65 foot "Texanized" Eiffel Tower topped with a red cowboy hat.

Scrumptious holiday foods are always available and cheesecake is usually one of them. A highly recommended place to get good homemade cheesecake is Athens, a small town to the southwest, named in honor of Athens, Greece. Now Athens is known as the "Black-eyed Pea Capital" but it's a great place to buy a New York cheesecake.

Fayrene Miller actually began making and selling her homemade cheesecakes about 15 years ago, from a country kitchen overlooking the hills of New York, another north Texas metropolis with the population explosion of about 12. And yes, named for New York, New York. She, lovingly, makes her New York cheesecakes from scratch and continues to draw a loyal following. Her Turtle Praline, loaded with peanuts, Texas grown pecans, praline, chocolate and caramel, is definitely a creation to drool for. Among her other offerings are Pumpkin, Strawberry, Chocolate Fudge, Christmas Upside Down, and Black Forest, along with Cheesecake on a stick and peanut brittle. Although quantities are limited due to the fact that cakes are made by hand in small batches, New York Cheesecake takes orders by phone or online and will ship to lower continental states.

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