Unearth Lunar History: Lufkin’s Hidden Gem – The Biggest Publicly Displayed Moon Rock

Lufkin, Texas might be a small town, but it holds an out-of-this-world secret. Skip the crowded beaches and discover some unexpected things to do right here.

Explore the newly renovated downtown area and check in on the animals at the Ellen Trout Zoo. Family fun in Lufkin includes riding on the Z&OO railroad and hiking the long, winding walking trail in the woods.

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You can't forget to stop at the Texas Forestry Museum. You could also casually check out the biggest moon rock on Earth at the Naranjo Museum of Natural History.

Lufkin Is Home To The Biggest Moon Rock On Public Display

Thanks to our proximity to Houston, we have an actual piece of the moon on permanent loan from NASA to the museum. This chunk is called "breccia".

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That means it is a rock made up of other rocks from the moon. It was picked up in 1971 on the eighth Apollo mission.

The crew was only the third to land on the lunar surface. They collected nearly 100 lbs. of moon rocks to bring back and study.

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Firefly, an Austin area aerospace firm, landed their Blue Ghost One on the moon this past Sunday. Their lunar module has a vacuum on one of its legs to suck up moon rocks.

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Even over 50 years after the Apollo mission, rocks from the moon's surface still have substantial scientific value. See the biggest one in person at the Naranjo Museum of Natural History located at 5104 South First Street in Lufkin.