Things to Do in Kerens, Texas
Kerens is a small Navarro County town with an outsized claim to fame — it's the birthplace of Big Tex — and a giant fishing reservoir just down the road. Between big-water recreation, a bit of Texas-icon heritage, and nearby Corsicana, there's more to do here than the town's size suggests.
Here's what to do in and around Kerens.
Richland-Chambers Reservoir
Kerens's biggest outdoor draw is Richland-Chambers Reservoir, just south of town — a roughly 45,000-acre lake with some 330 miles of shoreline and a reputation as one of the best fishing reservoirs in North Central Texas. Boaters, water-skiers, and anglers all find room to spread out on its Y-shaped expanse.
The fishing is the headliner: Richland-Chambers is one of the area's most reliable crappie lakes, with plenty of catfish, white bass, and hybrid stripers as well. Boats launch from nine ramps around the lake, several of them free at full pool, and private marinas and cabins line the shore. For a day on the water or a weekend at the lake, it's a genuine destination.
The Birthplace of Big Tex
Kerens proudly calls itself the 'Birthplace of Big Tex.' In 1949 the town built a 49-foot 'World's Largest Santa Claus' over Colket Avenue to draw holiday shoppers — a stunt that made news as far away as Iran and Australia. When the novelty faded, Kerens sold the giant figure, and in 1951 the State Fair of Texas remade it into the cowboy Big Tex, who has greeted fairgoers in Dallas ever since.
That heritage is a point of local pride, and the town keeps the tie alive through community events. Kerens's annual Cotton Harvest Festival celebrates the town's farming roots and its Big Tex legacy, a small-town gathering that gives visitors a taste of local life and history.
Corsicana and the Region
Kerens's location keeps Corsicana, the Navarro County seat, within an easy fourteen-mile drive west. Corsicana offers a historic downtown, the famous Collin Street Bakery, the Pearce Museum at Navarro College, Lefty Frizzell's hometown country-music heritage, and the shopping and dining of a larger town.
The broader region adds more lakes, prairie heritage, and North Central Texas charm within a reasonable drive, with the Dallas–Fort Worth metro a couple of hours northwest. Between Richland-Chambers Reservoir, the Big Tex story, and nearby Corsicana, Kerens offers a well-rounded menu of things to do for a small community.
FAQ: Things to Do in Kerens
Kerens's top draw is Richland-Chambers Reservoir just south of town, great for fishing, boating, and water-skiing. The town is also the 'Birthplace of Big Tex' and hosts an annual Cotton Harvest Festival, and Corsicana is fourteen miles west for more shopping, dining, and museums.
In 1949 Kerens built a 49-foot 'World's Largest Santa Claus' to draw holiday shoppers. The town later sold it, and in 1951 the State Fair of Texas remade the figure into Big Tex, the towering cowboy who has welcomed fairgoers in Dallas ever since.
Yes. Richland-Chambers Reservoir just south of Kerens is one of North Central Texas's best fishing lakes, known for crappie, catfish, white bass, and hybrid stripers, with nine boat ramps around its 330 miles of shoreline.
Kerens hosts an annual Cotton Harvest Festival that celebrates the town's farming roots and its claim as the birthplace of Big Tex — a small-town community gathering that draws residents and visitors each year.
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