CELINA PIKE

The Texas Main Street City of Celina, located 45 minutes north of Dallas, received the first Collin County highway designed for automobiles in 1915, a roadway known as the Celina Pike. (But it would be at least another decade before Celina citizens received electricity.) Travelers, via both highway and railway, could overnight at the Nelson Hotel, now a local landmark built in 1914 and in service until 1976. Today, visitors can learn all about Celina history at the Celina Area Heritage Museum where exhibits include photographs and artifacts from the early 1900s and during World War ll. In addition, the museum archives artifacts from the estate of Alla Hubbard, a Celina physician. The museum also sponsors changing exhibitions that explore Celina’s more recent history including a popular display of memorabilia depicting the local mascot – the Celina Bobcats.

You may want to time a visit to Celina during the annual Celina Balloon Festival, a celebration of hot air balloons that fill Celina skies every September. Lift-off happens at the Old Celina Park starting at 6 a.m. during festival days and continues through the evenings, lighting up the horizon with balloon glow. The festival also features carnival rides, games, live music, food vendors, giant inflatables, a zip line, and giant hamster balls for humans.