Uncertain, Texas | Pop. 94
Uncertain can be a place where you lose yourself or a place where you truly find yourself.
Last week I traveled about five hours from Austin to Uncertain, Texas for a family member’s wedding and I wanted to share this incredible place with my following.
My great grandfather, “Beer” Smith (nicknamed this because supposedly he looked like a long-necked beer bottle when he played football in high school) was one of the founders of this incredible town of Uncertain, Texas. There’s a myth that this name came to fruition because of the idea that the name of the township was not determined yet so when the application for the township came through, it said “Uncertain.” However, it’s believed that the name was on purpose and a huge part was due to the area being called Uncertain Landing because the steamboats had a difficult time anchoring there. Either way, I know Uncertain as my summer home from five years old to my early teenage years, coming out to visit my grandmother, Dottie Carter, and spend several weeks on the lake.
Uncertain is located on the only naturally formed lake of Texas, Caddo Lake, which is a beautiful, Spanish moss and cypress tree cathedral. It’s home to the oldest inland marina still operating in Texas, Johnson’s Ranch, that my family also now owns and operates. This marina is a full-service marina supplying live bait, fuel, lures, snacks, soft drinks, beers, and souvenirs.
“’Uncertain is not on the way to anywhere. You’ve got to either know where you’re goin’ or be lost to find it,’ says Sheriff Tom McCool of Harrison County, Texas.”
Activities
In a town where you can do absolutely nothing, relax, and enjoy nature, there is still so much to do!
Get Out On The Water
If I could say that you should do one, and only one thing in Uncertain, it would be to get out on the water and see beautiful Caddo Lake.
My grandfather, Billy Carter, offers boat tours for small and large groups along with fishing tours. He has been a licensed fishing and hunting guide on Caddo for over 40 years. He, along with the other men on his team holds extensive knowledge of the lake in order to successfully guide visitors through the intricate networks of bayous and sloughs for fishing, hunting, touring, birding, or photography.
Go-Devil Tours
Small groups of one to four passengers can enjoy the adventure of one of Billy Carter’s Go-Devil Tours. You might be asking me, “why would I want to go on a tour called a ‘Go-Devil Tour’?!” So, the Go-Devil motor was developed in the neighboring state of Louisiana with the purpose of shallow water and heavy vegetation travel, through places that even a kayak or canoe can’t venture.
Pontoon Boat Tours
For larger parties (up to 12 - 14), you’ll enjoy a leisurely ride through the bayous in the comfort of a pontoon boat. This is a great, relaxing experience but you won’t be able to get through the exciting, winding maze the go-devil boat can take you through.
Night Tours
Enjoy the mysterious Caddo Lake by starlight. (Early scheduling is required.)
Prices
Day Tours: $25 per person per hour | Night Tours: $30 per person per hour
For reservations, visit www.johnsonsranch.net or call 903-789-3213.
If you stay at any of the Spatterdock properties, you will have the ability to use the kayaks, canoes, rowboats.
Every Spatterdock cottage has a private pier or access to one, so you can enjoy some peaceful time on or near the water!
Explore
Along with the on-the-water fun, Spatterdock offers bicycles for you to explore Taylor Island and the surrounding area. You can ride your bicycle up to Johnson’s ranch to see what the fishermen bring in each day while enjoying some beers and snacks.
Chicken Fried Steak at Shady Glady Cafe
Food
Or you can visit Shady Glade Cafe to enjoy the largest chicken fried steak you’ve ever seen or some incredible catfish fillets.
Speaking of catfish, be sure to go head over to Big Pines Lodge and get some whole catfish along with some of their awesome spicy jalapeno hushpuppies.
Lakefront dining at Big Pines
If it’s late at night and you’re hungry, most likely the Light House Grocery + Bar (1805 Blairs Landing Rd, Karnack, TX 75661) will be open, so you can go order some food. While you wait for your food, you can also get a drink (they serve liquor & beer) and play a game of billiards. I’d recommend getting a pizza there, it’s hard to mess up a pizza. ;) Also, just a warning, they allow smoking inside, so if you’re sensitive to that, I’d definitely be sure to carry-out your food back to your cottage.
Spatterdock Cottages
The Gallery
[4 BR/3.5 BA - Sleeps 12]
The Gallery, Spatterdock's largest guest house is an incredible Caddo Lake retreat, especially for a group of friends and/or family. On the first floor, you walk in and straight down the call on one side are 3 spacious bedrooms and across the hall are 2 and a half bathrooms with one outdoor shower and an indoor shower. On the other side of the house is a large living area with a couple of comfortable couches, a modern kitchen, and a very long screened porch.
You’ll see a random door next to the living area, which leads you up to the upper level which is a large room that has room to sleep six, a bathroom with an indoor shower, kitchenette, and a peaceful veranda overlooking the garden below.
Outdoor cooking, bicycles, canoes, and kayaks are provided for guests plus pier access for guests at The Gallery is "Lost Dog walk", across the road, and a short walk through the garden at Wildfern.
Fun fact: The Gallery gets its name because it used to be an art gallery, which I personally remember going to and making prints with leaves, paint, and a print press. This house retains a lot of that artistic spirit with paintings, murals, stained glass, and tile mosaics throughout.
Duckweed
[1 BR/1 BA - Sleeps 5]
One of my favorite parts of Duckweed is the panoramic type porch with the map of Caddo as a mural on the floor. Cleverly decorated, Duckweed offers a distinctive taste of Caddo in a cozy setting which includes a large knotty-pine paneled living area, well-equipped kitchen, charming bath, (clawfoot tub) and bedroom, all air-conditioned. With a big patio out over the water, Duckweed's dock invites visitors to sit in the warm sun and watch a great blue heron fishing for his dinner, or perhaps a lazy otter, resting in the sun. A catwalk winds its way through the cypress to shady resting spots.
Fun fact: Duckweed is a myriad of tiny floating pads that cover the surface of the shallow waters of Caddo Lake in the summertime.
Spatterdock
[3 BR/2 BA - Sleeps 9]
Spatterdock is a spacious and comfortable lake house with a spectacular view of Alligator Bayou. Decorated with a unique collection of Caddo memorabilia, Spatterdock provides visitors with a large living area, well-equipped kitchen, three bedrooms, two baths (and an outdoor shower), all centrally heated and cooled. The screened porch, (with a painted floor mural) offers guests a restful spot to pause and absorb the sights and sounds that are Caddo Lake. Spatterdock can accommodate as many as nine.
Spatterdock's long meandering pier leads guests down a boardwalk and into the serenity of mothering cypress trees, draped in Spanish Moss.
New at Spatterdock: the installation of the vintage Volkswagen, titled Baby Buddha and the Teapots. The 1976 VW is entirely tiled with dinner plate shards and colored glass. It's "home" is an open chapel-like structure, with colorful butterflies hanging within. It's all about bringing a smile to your face and adding to your enjoyment of the light-hearted spirit found in Uncertain, TX.
Fun fact: The spatterdock is the most common of the lily pads. The dark green pad lays flat on the water and produces a yellow, globe-shaped flower.
Water Lily
[1 BR/1BA - Sleeps 2]
A 390-foot "cat-walk" leads Water Lily guests across the wetlands to an over-the-water screened gazebo and a marvelous view of "Goose Prairie," a game-filled pocket of Caddo Lake.
Water Lily is an enchanting retreat nestled within an acre of towering cypress, oaks, and hickories. This delightful little waterfront cottage is secluded and quiet. Equipped with full kitchen, queen bed, and bath with a shower, Water Lily features Saltillo floors, mosaic-tiled countertops, a floor mural, and a screened porch. Charming Water Lily is our "Honeymoon Cottage," suitable for two.
Barnstormer
[3 BR + Loft/3BA - Sleeps 10]
My favorite part of Barnstormer is the main room in the middle of the house which is so spacious, beautifully naturally lit with a very tall ceiling. Barnstormer is another one of Spatterdock's larger houses. Within an exterior, barn-like building, there is an interior with a unique "WOW" factor. Original artwork is included throughout the cottage. Stunning Caddo Lake photographs (graciously shared by Carolyn Brown, well known Dallas photographer) line the walls.
The main room contains a conversation setting, most unique tables and chairs made of gnarled roots, and a row of antique opera chairs. A sleeping loft rises at one end of the main room. In the loft is your great grandmother's iron double bed.
On the other side of the main room, you’ll walk into a country kitchen that is fully equipped for a fast snack or preparation for a gourmet meal. Along with modern appliances, the kitchen holds antique cupboards and tables.
Barnstormer has three bedrooms, a master with a king bed, and a private bath. The fisherman's room contains two full beds, and the Harley room has one queen bed.
Frog Trot
[2 BR/2 BA - Sleeps 6]
Unique and cleverly decorated Frog Trot joins the Spatterdock Guest Houses, offering pleasurable, relaxing visits to Caddo Lake. Frog Trot has a full modern kitchen, two bath/shower combinations, outside showers, two queen beds, and 2 single beds. A grand screened porch furnished with Mike Black Adirondack rockers and domino tables.
Frog Trot features a screened boathouse for picnics and a spacious dock leading to a 200-foot lighted boardwalk zigzagging through the cypress trees. A patio and fire ring provide more outdoor areas for visiting and relaxing.
Events
Weddings, Team Building, and Workshops
Barnstormer and Frog Trot, on an acre and a half of land, beside a small cypress-lined bayou, offers indoor and outdoor space for mini-conferences, team building, art workshops, and small lakeside weddings.
The large, well-lit living area inside Barnstormer offers comfortable and spacious room for activities. (Tables and chairs are available if needed.)
There is, outdoors, an over-the-water pavilion, a screened boathouse, and a large pier with an extended (150') walkway that winds through a forest of cypress. Kayaks and canoes are available to guests, as well as volleyball and horseshoes.
Uncertain Documentary
In 2015, a documentary was released named, Uncertain, by filmmakers Ewan McNicol and Anna Sandilands. My grandparents were also featured in this film, which was a cool experience to witness. The synopsis of the film follows: “Uncertain, Texas, an aquatic weed threatens the lake of this small American border town and the livelihoods of those who live there. As some of the men in town attempt to figure out their future, they confront a haunting past.”
You can download the documentary on YouTube, Amazon Prime, Google Play, Vimeo, or iTunes.
Another fun fact about Caddo Lake is that it’s been the background of many movies, including The Great Debaters!
When you go visit Uncertain, make sure to stay at a Spatterdock house and let Dottie and Billy Carter that Bianca sent you there. Also, you should go check out my grandmother’s book she wrote if you want to read about Caddo Lake and her experiences living in Uncertain, Texas. Buy her book by clicking HERE!
If you have any questions about staying in Uncertain, reach out to me through the Contact Us link!
I hope you enjoyed my write-up on this incredible, beautiful oasis hidden in East Texas.
Cheers!
