The other Paris
A large cowboy hat sits atop the 65-foot Eiffel Tower in front of me, said Jordan Breal in Texas Monthly. It’s an impressive sight, though no one would mistake it for the real thing any more than they’d confuse Paris, Texas, with its more famous namesake. This town of 25,000 on the western edge of the Piney Woods playfully embraces its Gallic connection, though. As I walk through the historic downtown plaza, I encounter T-shirts emblazoned with rhinestone Eiffel Towers and a bottle of Paris, Texas, eau de parfum. I also enjoy delicate pastries at the Paris Bakery and admire French farmhouse–style furnishings at Monique’s Antiques, whose owner is an actual native of the better-known Paris. Still, what stands out about this Paris is “simply its Texanness.” The town is full of small shops and good cooking, and no visit is complete without a trip to Evergreen Cemetery to see the “cross-hugging, cowboy-boot-wearing Jesus” on its most famous headstone.
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