Stephen F. Austin State University in 2 Days: A Nacogdoches, Texas College Visit Fly-In Trip
A parent-first plan for visiting Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas: how SFA's 90-minute guided tours and Showcase Saturdays work and where to sign up, paid visitor parking in the Student Center garage, four Nacogdoches hotels from budget to mid-range, drive times from the Shreveport, Longview and Houston airports, sibling stops at the free SFA Gardens, and Nacogdoches weather by season, every fact sourced and checked Oct 30, 2026.
The Baker Pattillo Student Center at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas (August 2017). Photo: Michael Barera · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · resized and cropped
Last checked Oct 30, 2026. Every fact comes from the pages listed in Sources at the bottom. Some hotel and tour links are affiliate links (disclosure).
The short version
Trip at a glance
School
Stephen F. Austin State University (Nacogdoches, TX)
Days
2 days: fly in and drive to Nacogdoches, then an SFA guided tour the next day.
Fly into
Shreveport Regional (SHV), about 1 hr 58 min from downtown Nacogdoches with no traffic. East Texas Regional (GGG) in Longview is about 1 hr 15 min, and Houston Bush (IAH) about 2 hr 30 min.
Best base
The Fredonia Hotel downtown, about a 4-minute drive to the Rusk Building on campus.
Car or no car
Rent a car. Every airport is an hour or more away, and visitors pay to park on campus.
Registration
Sign up online for a guided campus tour, or watch SFA's events page for a Showcase Saturday.
1. Who this guide is for
This plan is for parents bringing a high schooler, and maybe younger siblings, to see Stephen F. Austin State University, home of the Lumberjacks in Nacogdoches.
SFA is part of the University of Texas System and has six colleges. The photo in this guide shows the Baker Pattillo Student Center, one of the buildings next to the visitor parking garage.
Why this order
Day 1: fly in, drive to Nacogdoches and check in downtown, about 1 hr 58 min from Shreveport, 1 hr 15 min from Longview or 2 hr 30 min from Houston Bush with no traffic.
Day 2: take SFA's 90-minute guided campus tour, which ends at the Rusk Building with a chance to meet an admissions counselor.
With extra time, the free Mast Arboretum, part of SFA Gardens, is about a 15-minute walk from the Rusk Building.
Plan ahead: registration and timing
SFA offers three guided tour times a day, each about 90 minutes, rain or shine. Pick an open time on SFA's tour calendar and register there.
Tour stops include academic buildings, the tutoring center, well-being facilities and a first-year residence hall. Wear comfortable walking shoes.
Want to meet an academic dean, department chair or advisor? Schedule that appointment in advance.
Showcase Saturday is SFA's big open house, with campus group tours, an academic fair covering every area of study, deans and faculty to talk with, and select residence hall tours. Check the events page for upcoming dates.
Tour availability varies by season.
Summer is hot: August averages about 93°F highs and 73°F lows at the Nacogdoches station.
Winter is mild: January averages about 58°F highs and 36°F lows, with almost no snow.
Rain is spread through the year, about 4 to 4.8 inches most months, so pack an umbrella, since tours run rain or shine.
Check the Lumberjacks schedule before you book, since home games bring extra traffic to campus.
2. The suggested 2-day plan
Drive and walk times are no-traffic estimates from OpenStreetMap routing, with addresses geocoded by OpenStreetMap Nominatim. Campus times are to the Rusk Building, home of the Office of Admissions, where guided tours end.
Day 1: fly in and drive to Nacogdoches
Shreveport Regional Airport (SHV) → The Fredonia Hotel
Driving (no traffic)
~1 hr 58 min, 93.6 mi
Driving
Rental car
East Texas Regional Airport (GGG), Longview → The Fredonia Hotel
Driving (no traffic)
~1 hr 15 min, 59.5 mi
Driving
Rental car
George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH), Houston → The Fredonia Hotel
Driving (no traffic)
~2 hr 30 min, 128.5 mi
Driving
Rental car
The Fredonia is downtown, about an 18-minute walk from campus by Expedia's estimate. The other three hotels sit together on South Street on the south side of town, about 8 to 9 minutes from campus by car.
Day 2: Stephen F. Austin State University campus visit
The Fredonia Hotel → Rusk Building (Office of Admissions)
Driving (no traffic)
~4 min, 1.4 mi
Driving
Drive
La Quinta Inn & Suites Nacogdoches → Rusk Building (Office of Admissions)
Driving (no traffic)
~8 min, 4.0 mi
Driving
Drive
Hampton Inn & Suites Nacogdoches → Rusk Building (Office of Admissions)
Driving (no traffic)
~9 min, 3.9 mi
Driving
Drive
Comfort Suites Nacogdoches → Rusk Building (Office of Admissions)
Driving (no traffic)
~8 min, 3.8 mi
Driving
Drive
Rusk Building → Mast Arboretum (SFA Gardens)
Driving (no traffic)
about a 15-minute walk, 0.7 mi
Driving
Walk
Rusk Building → Shreveport Regional Airport (SHV)
Driving (no traffic)
~1 hr 55 min, 90.2 mi
Driving
Drive
Rusk Building → George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH)
Driving (no traffic)
~2 hr 52 min, 133.9 mi
Driving
Drive
Park in the Student Center Parking Garage, which is next to the Rusk Building and the Baker Pattillo Student Center. Pay with the ParkMobile app: $5 for the first hour and $3 for each extra hour, up to $20 a day, credit card only.
Lot 14, near the Wilson parking garage, also has paid short-term spaces at the same rates.
3. Campus by campus
The Baker Pattillo Student Center at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas (August 2017). Photo: Michael Barera · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · resized and cropped
Campus
Stephen F. Austin State University (Nacogdoches, TX)
Guided tours last about 90 minutes and end at the Rusk Building, home of the Office of Admissions (Suite 206), where you can meet with an admissions counselor.
Tour highlights include the student center, the library, the campus recreation center and academic buildings.
Visitor parking
Visitors park in the short-term paid areas: the Student Center Parking Garage and designated spaces in Lot 14. Pay through the ParkMobile app with your license plate number.
The garage is closest to the Rusk Building, the Baker Pattillo Student Center, the Austin and Boynton buildings, the Cole STEM Building and Kennedy Auditorium.
Questions? Parking Services is at 936-468-PARK, open 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Getting there
Campus is about 1 hr 55 min by car from Shreveport Regional (SHV) and about 2 hr 52 min from Houston Bush (IAH) with no traffic.
What to know
SFA Gardens covers 138 acres with six themed gardens and nearly seven miles of trails, open daily dawn to dusk with free admission.
Can't make the trip yet? SFA also offers virtual info sessions, listed on its visit page.
Contact
SFA Office of Admissions: admissions@sfasu.edu, 936-468-2504, Monday through Friday 8 a.m.-5 p.m. (closed university holidays). Rusk Building, Suite 206, Nacogdoches, TX.
Last checked Oct 30, 2026. Tour and admissions details change often, so confirm them on the school's official visit page before you go.
4. Where to stay: Nacogdoches hotels downtown and on South Street
Price tiers (Budget, Mid-range, Upscale) follow each hotel's star class on Expedia. Rates vary by date, so check your dates on Expedia.
Hotel · Our pickMid-range
The Fredonia Hotel and Convention Center
200 N. Fredonia St., Nacogdoches, TX 75961
Why here
It's downtown, about a 4-minute drive to the Rusk Building with no traffic, and Expedia puts it about a 3-minute walk from the Nacogdoches Visitor's Center.
Expedia lists this hotel as a 3.5-star property, so we place it in the Mid-range tier. Rates vary by date, so check your dates on Expedia.
Good to know
Expedia lists an outdoor pool, two restaurants and two bars, breakfast for a fee, free self-parking, pets for a fee and a minimum check-in age of 21. Confirm details on the Expedia listing before you book.
Expedia lists this hotel as a 3-star property, so we place it in the Mid-range tier. Rates vary by date, so check your dates on Expedia.
It's about an 8-minute drive to the Rusk Building with no traffic.
Good to know
Expedia lists a free breakfast, an outdoor pool, a fitness room, free self-parking, pets for a fee and a minimum check-in age of 21. Confirm details on the Expedia listing before you book.
Expedia lists this hotel as a 2.5-star property, so we place it in the Budget tier. Rates vary by date, so check your dates on Expedia.
It's about a 9-minute drive to the Rusk Building with no traffic.
Good to know
Expedia lists a free buffet breakfast, an outdoor pool, free cribs, free self-parking and pets for a fee. Confirm details on the Expedia listing before you book.
Expedia lists this hotel as a 2.5-star property, so we place it in the Budget tier. Rates vary by date, so check your dates on Expedia.
It has the only indoor pool of the four, and it's about an 8-minute drive to the Rusk Building with no traffic.
Good to know
Expedia lists a free buffet breakfast, an indoor pool, a fitness room, free self-parking, no pets and a minimum check-in age of 21. Confirm details on the Expedia listing before you book.
The Fredonia puts you downtown, about 4 minutes from campus. The other three sit together on South Street, about 8 to 9 minutes away. Nacogdoches has no 4-star hotel on Expedia, so these run from budget to mid-range.
5. Meals between tours
Hours change, so check before you go.
At the hotels
La Quinta, the Hampton Inn and Comfort Suites include breakfast, and the Fredonia has on-site restaurants and serves breakfast for a fee.
6. Things for siblings along the route
With siblings
Mast Arboretum (SFA Gardens)
Along Lanana Creek on the SFA campus, Nacogdoches, TX
A 10-acre garden along Lanana Creek with more than 7,500 kinds of plants and the oldest university arboretum in Texas. SFA Gardens is free and open daily dawn to dusk. It's about a 15-minute walk from the Rusk Building.
East College St., west of the William R. Johnson Coliseum, Nacogdoches, TX
A children's garden on East College Street, west of the William R. Johnson Coliseum, built around a timber frame pavilion from 1998. It's part of SFA Gardens, which is free and open daily dawn to dusk. Parking is on East College Street after 4 p.m. on weekdays and all day on weekends, or in the SFA Commuter Lot off University Drive.
Head for the Student Center Parking Garage, next to the Rusk Building, and have the ParkMobile app ready.
Flying in and out
Shreveport Regional (SHV) is about 1 hr 55 min from campus, East Texas Regional (GGG) about 1 hr 15 min from downtown, and Houston Bush (IAH) about 2 hr 52 min from campus with no traffic, so leave plenty of time after your tour for the drive back.
Weather by season (1991–2020 NOAA normals: Nacogdoches station)
Spring: April averages about 76°F highs and 53°F lows, with about 4 inches of rain; May warms to about 83°F/63°F.
Summer: July averages about 93°F/74°F, with about 2.9 inches of rain, the driest month.
Fall: October averages about 78°F/56°F, and November cools to about 68°F/45°F.
Winter: January averages about 58°F/36°F, with about 4.5 inches of rain and almost no snow.
Parent checklist
Register for a guided campus tour on SFA's calendar, or check the events page for a Showcase Saturday.
Check that your dates don't fall on a university holiday, when the admissions office is closed.
If your student wants to meet an academic dean, department chair or advisor, schedule it in advance.
Book flights into Shreveport, Longview or Houston and plan a rental car.
Book a Nacogdoches hotel.
Download the ParkMobile app for campus parking, and save the Rusk Building in your map app.
After each visit, take five minutes to jot down what stood out to your student.
8. Student-athlete recruiting visits
For families whose student hopes to play a college sport. Rules below are the NCAA's; each school's links were checked Oct 26, 2026.
Coaches arrange the recruiting part of a visit, not the admissions office. The tour sign-ups in this guide are for the regular family visit. An official (school-paid) visit is offered by the school, and contact with coaches follows NCAA rules that vary by division, sport and grade level.
Start with your sport's questionnaire, then email the coaches. The NCAA suggests emailing coaches with your achievements, highlight videos and interest in their program, including your name, position, NCAA ID and graduation year.
1 Division I
Athletics
Stephen F. Austin State University
NCAA Division I Southland Conference
RecruitingWe found no department-wide recruiting page. Look for a questionnaire on your sport's team page at the athletics site ↗, or email the coaches.
Unofficial visit: any campus visit you or your family pay for. You can take as many as you like; in Divisions I and II each one has to come after the first permissible date for your sport.
Official visit: a visit paid for by the school. Each school can offer your student only one. Before a Division I official visit, your student must be registered with the NCAA Eligibility Center, be on the school's institutional request list, and the school must have their high school transcripts.
Division I (Stephen F. Austin State University): on an official visit the school can pay for travel for the student and up to two family members, lodging, up to three meals a day for the student and up to four family members, and up to $60 a person in entertainment, including five home-game tickets. On an unofficial visit there are no free meals, but the school can give up to three home-game tickets. Division I uses recruiting calendars with contact, evaluation, quiet and dead periods; in a dead period, no in-person contact and no visits.
Rules change. Confirm with the coach, or check the NCAA's recruiting page and recruiting calendars, before you plan dates.
Planning around the season
Check each school's athletics schedule (linked above) before you pick dates, so a coach meeting doesn't land on a road trip or game day for your sport.
Our recommendation, not a school rule: ask the coach whether they can line up an admissions session or tour around your meeting. If not, book the regular family tour yourself through the official sign-up links in this guide, and leave time between the two.
Add your dates and how you're getting there, and we'll pull this guide into one plan: tour sign-up links, the hotel base, parking or airport notes, the route and meals.
Coming soon
Planning more college trips?
Visit-season reminders and new trip guides from College Visit Guides. Newsletter coming soon.
Sources
All checked Oct 30, 2026. Tour schedules change constantly, so always confirm on each school's official sign-up page. Photo credits are under each photo and on our About page.
Expedia listing: The Fredonia Hotel and Convention Center (star class, amenities and address, checked 2026-10-30 via same-id Hotwire listing) (not linked: https://www.expedia.com/Nacogdoches-Hotels-The-Fredonia-Hotel-And-Convention-Center.h19306098.Hotel-Information)
Expedia listing: La Quinta Inn & Suites Nacogdoches (star class, amenities and address, checked 2026-10-30 via same-id Hotwire listing) (not linked: https://www.expedia.com/Nacogdoches-Hotels-La-Quinta-Inn-Suites-Nacogdoches.h907285.Hotel-Information)
Expedia listing: Hampton Inn & Suites Nacogdoches (star class, amenities and address, checked 2026-10-30 via same-id Hotwire listing) (not linked: https://www.expedia.com/Nacogdoches-Hotels-Hampton-Inn-Suites-Nacogdoches.h1397834.Hotel-Information)
Expedia listing: Comfort Suites Nacogdoches (star class, amenities and address, checked 2026-10-30 via same-id Hotwire listing) (not linked: https://www.expedia.com/Nacogdoches-Hotels-Comfort-Suites-Nacogdoches.h1828345.Hotel-Information)
