As someone that was born and raised in Houston, I’ve always known that I-10 East leads to Beaumont, and during my early driving years, I knew that was the way that I needed to take to get to my father and grandparent’s house. However, it wasn't until my brother decided to make Lamar University his school of choice that I ever truly visited this gem of a city that is truly “up the street.”
While I have five siblings in total when you count my step-siblings, my only biological brother, Rodney, is exactly three years and 5 days younger than me, so when he made his college decision, I was already a couple of years into my own college journey mixed with a lot of cheap booze and college parties in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Siblings from Left to Right:
Dexter, Rodney, Carrington, ME, Yaminco, Keairra, Summer (Sister-in-Law)
The first time that we ever discussed how/why he ended up at Lamar University in Beaumont, of all places, was on our weekend trip to revisit his alma mater and enjoy the city for Juneteenth, a now federal holiday that celebrates the day that black slaves in Texas found out they were free and had been free since 1865. While his answer might be comical to most and brutally honest to others, it was simple:
“Lamar had new dorms.”
Unless you were in the car with my family the fateful day at the end of the summer in 2003 that I was dropped off at Southern A&M University and behind me when I opened the door to my freshman suite in “historic” Boley Hall that boasted a hole big enough to crawl-in, a smell that I’m still to this day trying to identify, and dorms that had probably been standing as long as the school, I understood in my soul why that one thing was enough to seal the deal. And so in August of 2005, he made Lamar University his home for the next four years, complete with enough memories, life lessons, and nostalgia to last a lifetime.
Fun Fact: My brother and his roommates were the first tenants to stay in apartment 313, off-campus apartments that were located near Lamar University. This was their first real apartment, and let’s just say, it was party central.
In all transparency, I have not been to Beaumont since my brother’s graduation, but I was excited to collaborate with Visit Beaumont to give fresh eyes to the city that I knew very little about outside of Lamar University and White House Wednesday, a standing weekly epic college party curated by my brother and his friends, that was so legendary that I would receive calls in Louisiana from friends to help them find the little white house near the campus. It's always enlightening to view cities from the lenses of the people that have called it home at one point or another, so of course, I invited Rodney along for the ride to revisit Beaumont old and new.
For years, I’ve heard about John’s Seafood and their salt and pepper chicken, so of course, it was the first stop on the list on our arrival to the city. And while it might not fit your definition of fine-dining, it lived up to its reputation and reminded me of Timmy Chan’s, a Houston legend for fried chicken wings and fried rice.
According to my brother, salt and pepper chicken is a Beaumont staple and the best options can be found at John’s or Kickin Chicken.
Fun Fact: One of the things that almost all of my siblings have in common is that they worked at Target during college. That wasn’t my ministry, but I definitely remember the nights pulling up on my brother at work on my way home from college when he worked at this Target in Beaumont. Needless to say, our first day in Beaumont was spent taking a walk down memory lane that included a quick tour of Lamar University, his first apartment, “his” Target, and a drive past the new and renovated White House. Unfortunately, the original was destroyed during Hurricane Ike and had to be demolished and rebuilt a few years ago.
In typical sibling fashion with a splash of Kanye, I allowed him to show his wife, Whitney, and I, “his” Beaumont, but I knew from stalking Visit Beaumont’s Instagram page and website that Beaumont has grown and evolved tremendously since he called it home as a college student. That night and Day 2 were my time to shine, and as a travel blogger and travel company owner, I have a niche for locating gems in any city. Before embarking on any trip, I create a travel itinerary using my wanderlust planner, and I had more than a handful of gems that I knew I wanted to try and visit over the weekend. After visiting with some friends, I took Rodney and Whitney to dinner at Ko Korean, a Korean BBQ gem located next to Beaumont’s only rooftop bar, Pour09. The food at Ko Korean was delicious, and the decor created the perfect dinner vibes.
The next day, we were able to see the true evolution of the city of Beaumont on our city tour with the Spindletop Cruisers. You can click here to view their cycling tour options, and I recommend trying one of evening rides.
Beaumont had truly evolved since my brother’s college graduation in 2009, and in discussing the three biggest changes that have occurred since he left, we identified the key changes below:
-Lamar University has grown and expanded substantially since his graduation.
-There are many MORE things to do and places to go in Beaumont.
-Beaumont politics have become more diverse, and there are more younger black people in office than ever before Beaumont’s history. During our stay in Beaumont, the city even elected its first black female mayor.
The finale of my Beaumont trip was Sunday brunch at Suga’s, and we truly had a good Southern style meal complete with live music. I’m looking forward to my next trip to Beaumont, and you can checkout my Beaumont reels with additional gems by clicking here.
This post was a collaboration with Visit Beaumont, however, all opinions expressed are my own. Also, some of the links in this blog are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, I will earn a commission if you click through and make a purchase.