Woodbridge is centrally located as shown on the maps following.
A list of things to do in Tyler follows the maps.
Tyler, Texas
Rose Rudman Park
Rose Rudman Park is located adjacent to Woodbridge.
A closeup of the Rose Rudman Park and Trails...
Tyler has many things to offer its residents.
Each of the following are links for you to click on to see what Tyler offers.
While oil booms gave Tyler an economic head start in the 1930’s, azalea and rose blooms gave the city its beauty. Azaleas were introduced to Tyler in 1929 by Maurice Shamburger, one of the city’s early nurserymen. Pleased with results of a test garden of azaleas, Shamburger shipped the colorful plants here by the boxcar loads from Georgia.
Tyler Civic Theatre evolved from Tyler Little Theatre, formed in 1927. Stage productions were performed on a speaker's platform at Tyler High School and on the stage at the Women's Building on South Broadway. In 1939, the Little Theatre erected its own building at the corner of Houston and Glenwood Streets. During WWII, performances were discontinued and the building sold with proceeds held in trust by the City of Tyler. But Tyler's love of local theatre never waned, and when its men returned from the war, they brought new enthusiasm and ideas.
Caldwell Zoo is the culmination of one man’s vision and love of children. It started in 1937 when David King Caldwell opened a Child Development Laboratory for pre-school aged children in his home. The playschool—complete with donated parrots, monkeys, squirrels and more—was a huge hit that soon grew to host a variety of animals and span a patchwork of buildings and land. Mr. Caldwell’s vision of a proper zoo for the children of east Texas was realized in 1953 when the “Caldwell Children’s Zoo” officially opened on the site the Caldwell Zoo utilizes today. Early zoo residents included a lion and chimpanzee that had retired from careers in television.
Camp Ford was the largest Confederate Prisoner of War Camp west of the Mississippi River during the American Civil War. Established in August of 1863, the camp was not closed until May 19, 1865. At its peak in July 1864, over 5,300 prisoners were detained there.
The site of the Camp stockade is now a public park, owned by Smith County, Texas, and managed by the Smith County Historical Society.
The park features a kiosk with extensive graphics detailing the history of the camp, a walking trail with more interpretive signage, a picnic area, and a reconstruction of the cabin of Lt. Col J.B. Leake.
The Camp Ford Historic Park is located at 6500 US Highway 271, 0.8 miles outside Loop 323 in Tyler, Texas. It is open daily and admission is free.
The Park of East Texas, Inc. is organized to create commerce, celebrate heritage, and promote agriculture and education through activities and functions of the East Texas State Fair and Academic Rodeo. The Park is committed to providing quality, family-friendly entertainment, while creating social, educational, and cultural experiences.
The vision of Mrs. W. C. Windsor and efforts of members of the Music Committee of the Tyler Women’s Forum culminated in the creation of the Tyler Symphony Orchestra; first performing March 16, 1936. A four-concert season, under the direction of three successive conductors, was presented each year until the group disbanded during the Second World War. Community leaders whose ranks included Mrs. Varina G. Powell, a Tyler Symphony violinist, and Roger A. Harris, manager of the Chamber of Commerce, revived orchestra operations in 1950.
Historical Aviation Memorial Museum
The Historic Aircraft Memorial Museum (HAMM) was chartered on January 25, 1985 as the Historic Aircraft Memorial Foundation (HAMF), a Texas non-profit and tax exempt corporation. Original goals of the Foundation included building an Aviation Hangar and Museum at Tyler Pounds Regional Airport to offer a permanent place for the display of both active and static historic aircraft and aviation memorabilia.
When the HAMM hangar was first proposed in 1985, it was designed to house a PBY-6A restored by the Lone Star Wing of the Confederate Air Force. Tragically the PBY flying boat crashed in Laguna Madre off Padre Island, Texas. That same year construction was put on hold following the PBY-6A accident.
Today, the Hangar on Dixie Dr. serves as the restoration facility for aircraft and storage for excess memorabilia. The Hangar also is home to two MiG17s with FighterJets Inc., which is owned by 2 HAMM members and performs in air shows throughout the US and Canada. Since the Hangar is a working hangar, it is no longer open to the public.
The Center for Earth and Space Science Education at TJC (Planetarium)
In 1963, Tyler Junior College (TJC) opened the first planetarium located in East Texas. Originally known as the Hudnall Planetarium, it was reopened in 2011 after a major expansion and renovation of its facilities and renamed The Center for Earth and Space Science Education.
Home to the first 40’ Spitz nano-seam domed theatre in East Texas, the state-of-the-art Planetarium features an immersive, full-dome video experience. The new theater is equipped with Digistar 5, the latest in digital projection technology.
The facility also features interactive displays and exhibits, classroom and outdoor play spaces.
Liberty Hall is a downtown theater operated by the city of Tyler, Texas. The venue offers live music, comedy and revivals of classic films for the East Texas region. First opening in 1930, it was refurbished in 2011 in an art deco style and seats approximately 300 people.
The mission of Liberty Hall is to create an exciting, stimulating, arts and entertainment experience that will integrate the arts into the downtown’s social, economic and community fabric by providing diverse opportunities for entertainment, film, theater, comedy and music.
Tyler Rose Museum was developed to preserve and display the history of Tyler’s Rose Growing Industry and the Texas Rose Festival. Texas Rose Festival history and memorabilia is housed in the museum featuring fabulous costumes and items acquired since the first festival in 1933. Texas Rose Festival is to this day a volunteer based organization that promotes pride of Tyler and Smith County and the Rose Growers Industry.
The Tiger Creek Animal Sanctuary is a 173 acre wildlife preserve dedicated to over forty rescued big cats and other endangered species. We would love for you to come meet these majestic felines and to learn more about endangered species to find out how you can help ensure their future in the United States and worldwide.
In April 1952, the Tyler Service League formed the first Community Arts Committee. With no art museum within 100 miles of Tyler, League members knew many children in the area had no opportunity to experience works of art. “Picture Ladies” from the League took prints to fifth- and sixth-grade classrooms.
In 1960 the League purchased the Jamie T. Smith home and established an art center there. Members remodeled the house, designating space for traveling exhibitions and a children’s arts-and-crafts program. In 1965, the League sold this property and earmarked funds to establish an art museum for Tyler.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt created the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1933. The CCC provided jobs and job skills by hiring young men to work on conservation projects. The program enrolled men between the ages of 17 and 25 who qualified for public assistance. They earned clothing, food, medical care and $30 a month; they sent $25 of that home to their families.
Between 1935 and 1941, CCC men created this park. They built roads and buildings, planted trees, made check dams to control erosion, and erected an earthen dam to create the lake. They used local, natural materials for the culverts and bridges, to blend with the park’s landscape.
In the Beauchamp (beech-um) Springs area, they created group picnic grounds, a lily pond and a child’s wading pool. A man-made rock outcropping disguises the diversion of the spring to the lake.
State Parks Board architects designed the buildings here, using a more modern style than was used in most CCC parks. The CCC workers built a bathhouse, concession building, dance pavilion, boathouse and caretaker’s home. We still use several of these buildings today.
Smith County Historical Society
The museum is the home of the Twentieth Century of Progress permanent exhibit and our World War I commemorative exhibit. It offers new temporary exhibits and encourage everyone to check our upcoming schedule! The museum is located at our office at 125 S. College.