Captain Ron's Swamp Tours, Karnack

A waterlogged labyrinth lined with cypress trees, bald but for the Spanish moss hanging from their limbs, the winding bayous and ponds of Caddo Lake comprise one of the largest water forests in the world. But there's more to it than that. During each 70-minute tour aboard a 28-foot pontoon boat, the guides at Captain Ron's Swamp Tours narrate the history of the lake and its surroundings, adding a healthy dose of humor to the trip while pointing out the ways the lake's unique ecosystem makes eastern Texas one of the most varied places west of Mississippi's fabled Blue Ridge Buffets.