Best Texas Waterfront Campsites for your RV - Lakefront Edition

Full Disclosure: I haven’t been to all of these to test them out myself. This list is compiled from a Texas Camping Facebook group’s list of favorites.

Texas Waterfront Camping - Lakefront edition

If you’re anything like me, you love water (and trees). That tree part is probably a whole other list of campsites, but for the purposes of this blog post, let’s focus on water for today. What kind of water you ask? Does it matter? I love them all. I’ll take any RV camping spot as long as it’s on a lake, ocean, bay, river, or even a pond. There’s just something about adding water that takes camping to a different level for me. But for today, let’s just go with lakes because the list I got was overwhelmingly lakes.

When I saw a few different Facebook posts asking for waterfront campsite suggestions anywhere in Texas, I thought this would make the perfect blog post. Here’s what actual Texas campers shared with the group.

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Texas Lakefront Campsites

Lake Mineral Wells State Park - Specifically Site 66 mentioned

100 Park Road 71
Mineral Wells, TX 76067

I know site 66 was mentioned, but this is 65 and it seems to have a better water view… if that’s your thing.

Wind Point Park on Lake Tawakoni

6553 St Park Road 55
Lone Oak, TX 75453

Wind Point Park

Lake Livingston State Park (Specifically Piney Shores loop Sites 53-71 mentioned)

300 Park Road 65
Livingston, TX 77351

Campsite at Lake Livingston

Airport Park, Lake Waco

4600 Skeet Eason Rd. Waco, TX 76708

Airport Park Campsite 022

View from the campsite

Speegleville Park

3400 Over Flow Rd, Waco, TX 76712

Walleye RV Park on Lake Cypress Springs

County Rd SE 3122, Mt Vernon, TX 75457

Inks Lake State Park

3630 Park Road 4 West
Burnet, TX 78611

From behind our campsite

Launched this boat from the campsite

view of our campsite. Site 43. We only sort of fit in this site. Our 5th wheel is 39 ish feet.

Lake Corpus Christi State Park

23194 Park Rd. 25
Mathis, TX 78368

Tyler State Park

The Boulders at lake Tyler

16822 McElroy Rd., Whitehouse, Texas

On the Lake RV Park in Onalaska

15152 US Hwy 190 West Onalaska, TX 77360

Hickory Creek on Lake Lewisville

1201 Point Vista Rd, Hickory Creek, TX

Martin Dies, Jr. State Park

634 Park Road 48 South
Jasper, TX 75951

Mill Creek Park, Sam Rayburn

Mill Creek Park Rd, Brookeland, TX 75931

The Vineyard in Grapevine

1501 N. Dooley Street, Grapevine, TX 76051

Pilot knoll Park, Lake Lewisville

218A Orchid Hill Rd.
Argyle, TX 76226

Brushy Creek campground, Lake O’ the Pines

2669 FM 726, Jefferson, TX 75657

Powell Park Resort and Marina, Lake Sam Rayburn

971 County Rd 459, Broaddus, TX 75929

Possum Kingdom State Park

3901 State Park Rd. 33
Caddo, TX 76429

Rockaway RV Park on Inks Lake

201 Co Rd 301, Burnet, TX 78611

Loyd Park

3401 Ragland Rd, Grand Prairie, TX 75052

Wolf Creek, Lake Livingston

21 Wolf Crk Pk Rd, Coldspring, TX 77331

Lake Bastrop South Shore Park

375 S Shore Rd, Bastrop, TX 78602

Community Park area in camping loop

view from trail at back of campsite

Looking back towards camp from the water

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Didn’t see your favorite Texas lakefront campground?

Share it in the comments for others to see. I know there are many more than what I have listed here.

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Another blog post you might enjoy / find helpful

We went back to Lake Bastrop South Shore

If you know me at all, you know Lake Bastrop South Shore is our go to campground for when we want to getaway, but we don’t have that much time. It’s just far enough and different enough to feel like you’re somewhere else and if you wake up early enough on the right morning, you get to see this view. It’s like 50% of why we go there.

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Here is a link to my original Lake Bastrop South Shore post from the very first time we went there. Give it a click. My kids have grown A LOT.

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Where did we stay?

Lake Bastrop South Shore Park (an LCRA Park), but not in one of our regular sites. We stayed in 16 this time with family all around us in the adjacent sites and it was the perfect set up for us. I have a feeling this crew will be booking these sites again in the future. Here is a view from our campsite.

view from our campsite (Site 16) / Nikon Z6, ISO 400, Lensbaby Edge 35, 1/400 sec

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What did we do?

Just the normal camping stuff plus some mini golf. I think this was our 4th or 5th time there, but the first time we’ve ever done mini golf. We’ve rented kayaks before, but it was a little cold on the water for that this go around. It’s always a gamble to book a mid January camping trip, but there’s always a 3 day weekend and a birthday so we do it anyway.

mini golf

It’s cool because you don’t even have to leave the park to play mini golf. Just stop by the office for a putter and a ball and head over to the main day use area.

Hiking

We did the absolute minimum in hiking this trip. I love the Loblolly trails, but we didn’t even make it over there given I’m currently dealing with some chronic foot pain that needs worked out this summer. We did take one short little hike though.

Had a Party

Corbin turned 7 while we were camping so I hit up the H-E-B for a cookie cake and made burgers for dinner.

Found this sign down at another campsite. It was technically the day before his birthday.

I’ll take a giant cookie over an actual cake any day.

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Lake bastrop south shore Photo Dump

The rest was just chill camping. We just enjoyed each other’s company and the scenery. Photo dump below.

My dad heading out for some early morning fishing. Nikon Z6, ISO 200, Lensbaby Edge 35, 1/400 sec

I don’t know those people, but I love this picture. Nikon Z6, ISO 100, 35MM, F/4.5, 1/2500 sec

I love this common area in the camping loop sooooo much! Nikon Z6, ISO 200, Lensbaby Edge 35, 1/640 sec

Mack (the dog) loves to camp too.

Last night as a 6 year old

Learning from mom

He’s 7!

Me and my baby boy.

Even Po the hamster went camping this time. Don’t get judgy, this cage was just for car rides. We had his big one too.

Camping at Big Chief RV Resort and Other Things

This one time (just this Fall) we decided to go see an off market house with land real quick before leaving to go camping and then put an offer in on it and had it accepted and then we decided we’d rent our old house instead of selling it and that I’d get a job after 6 years of being a stay at home mom (because 2 mortgages) all in the same 60 days. It was wild.

I didn’t take a ton of pictures on that camping trip, but the ones I did take were definitely calm moments I took just for me. I remember being at peace and trusting that whatever was about to happen, was what was supposed to happen. We waited that entire trip to hear back about whether our not our offer was accepted. I’m currently typing all of this in my new office, which has a front porch view of the tree swing I’ve always wanted.

Buchanan Dam just around the corner from Big Chief RV Resort

looking out onto the lake from Big Chief RV Resort

Saida and her cousin doing a little exploring/probably trespassing. My nephew thanked me for taking them on this adventure.

inseparable cousins

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Where did we camp?

Big Chief RV Resort Now referred to as lake buchanan rv resort

Well, we tried to get into Inks Lake State Park, but we were a little late to the game. We ended up at Big Chief RV Resort on Lake Buchanan instead. We were actually pretty excited about it though because Facebook says good things.

Would I recommend it?

It’s a nice RV park. I would recommend it if you don’t have kids. I would NOT recommend it if you have kids who even considered having any kind of fun in a pool ever. A simple “No Fun Allowed” sign probably would have made more sense because every time a kid so much as smiled, the staff was there on the golf cart correcting the behavior. And honestly, we have good kids. They’re not the kids you’re thinking of when you think of terrors at the community pool so the whole thing just felt a little over the top. We watched the staff target all campsites with children. On the plus side, they didn’t have an issue with my super well behaved dog being off leash, but maybe that’s because they were too focused on my well behaved kids to even notice the dog.

So yeah, I’ll just leave that there and then encourage you to book early enough to get into the state park instead.

Around Camp

The men smoked meat all day.

Tracks we found while exploring one morning.

Texas/OU weekend. We finally installed that TV mount in the pass through.

The kids watching Diary of a Wimpy Kid at one of our camp sites and learning about the cheese touch.

These birds were brave.

Smiling at their own risk. I’m sure the fun police showed up within minutes after this.

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What else did we do?

The Pottery Ranch

We visited their Marble Falls location while on an outing with the ladies. It was a great place to kill some time and enjoy each other’s company. Outside is covered in an abundance of pottery and inside is everything from leather purses to Mexican vanilla. I bought the big bottle and joked with Tyler about buying this sign (which I believe was $200). I didn’t though. Don’t forget to show them the free pot coupon on their website.

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Wedding oak winery

After the Pottery Ranch, us ladies stopped by a local winery for a tasting at the recommendation of a neighbor friend of mine. The building was very cool with a fun history and us dry red wine lovers loved our tasting. The others weren’t as keen on it as the sweeter wines were apparently a little over the top in sweetness. Of course we still enjoyed each other’s company and the overpriced cheese plates. My suggestion is get lunch before you go.

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Longhorn Cavern state park

Longhorn Cavern is just a few miles from Inks lake State Park and maybe 20 minutes from where we camped. We’d been there before when the kids were younger, but thought this might be a fun activity for the extended cousins. It takes about 90 minutes to complete the guided tour and the kids actually loved it. Corbin and one of his cousins he’d only just met were great entertainment as they had approximately 100 ridiculous questions for the guide and claimed things like having been to the moon. I just loved that they had a great time and didn’t make our lives miserable in place where there was no escape for 90 minutes. I take my wins where I can get them. It’s a great cave tour, especially on a hot day. I highly recommend.

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Okay so now about that move…

So basically we’ve been looking for our next house since we bought the last one. We knew it wasn’t our forever house, but it was the house we needed at the time.

When we saw the previous owners of our new house post about it on the Nextdoor app, we decided to go see it simply because the price was right. The pictures were terrible and I honestly thought we were going to have another walk in, be underwhelmed, walk out type situation. We walked in the front door for our showing and I was immediately kinda stunned. Did it need some updating? Yes!!! Did it have high ceilings and loads of potential with fantastic trees? Also YES! I turned to my fabulous realtor and told her we were buying this house. We continued to walk it waiting for the deal breaker to show up and it never did. It felt too good to be true.

Turns out the owners just wanted it to go to a family who they thought would value the home and give it what it needed. It belonged to his mother who had passed over the summer and they just live a few minutes away in the same neighborhood. They liked us and we liked them. We were incredibly lucky. It’s already received a ton of love from us in the form of lots of gallons of paint, lots of hours on the chainsaw, among other things. Did I mention it’s 2 acres? Our previous house was less than 1/4 acre.

Our lender also held our hands as we explored the idea of keeping our old home to rent it out. It was a chore, but I just received payment for the second month’s rent from our renters (who also seem to be really awesome people and we’re thrilled to have them living in our house).

This has definitely been one of the most challenging and terrifying experiences of our lives, but one that we knew would pay off years from now if we saw it through. Wish us luck!

By the way, here’s that tree swing I was referring to.

Airport Park Lake Waco and Some other Waco Things

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Airport Park

More back blogging. This trip was from February.

Airport Park has been on my list for quite awhile actually. A few years ago we had it booked for the Heart of Texas Airshow and it flooded (they canceled our reservation) and I never actually bought the airshow tickets. That’s when we ended up taking our first trip to Lake Bastrop South Shore which has since become kind of our go to and the kids’ favorite. Taking the kids to an airshow is actually still on my list too.

People rave about Airport Park because it’s on the lake and got a state park feel, but without the trails. The sites are pretty spacious and treed is what I mean by a state park feel.

About the Sites

We stayed in site 22 which was a pull through on the water. It was a bit windy, but I assume it probably always is. I honestly didn’t see one bad site while driving around Airport Park. They all looked pretty decent. There was crushed granite around the picnic table and everything seemed pretty well kept. We were gone during the day mostly, but only ever heard a few planes in the evenings (the airport is across the street, hence the name). We didn’t take the kids this time, but I kept thinking they’d probably love it here.

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What We Did

This was one of those trips that was less of a camping trip and more of a I don’t want to pay for a hotel trip. We left the kids at home and did Magnolia (kid free!) and stopped by a few breweries. All of this was a pretty quick 15 minute drive from the RV park.

Magnolia

Look, I know some people are way over it, but I’m still a Chip and Jo fan. I love interior design and it feels good to just be in a pretty space surrounded by pretty things. I also had some birthday money to blow through. We did The Little Shop on Bosque first and honestly I wasn’t super impressed. The Silos area had grown so much since our last trip though and I’ve got to say, all the new stuff made getting around so much less frustrating. In previous trips you would wait FOREVER and stand in long lines for just about everything. Having more things covering more space really helps spread the people out and makes each thing much more enjoyable and quicker to get through. We actually did the whole thing pretty quick which meant we could move on to the brewery part of the trip, which was Tyler’s preference.

I took exactly one picture at Magnolia. Honestly I just wasn’t interested in having the masses in any photos, but I was pumped to finally get the try Magnolia Press without having to wait in hella long lines.

I also love that you can buy cupcakes from a food trailer on the grounds now instead of waiting in the bakery line. I would recommend the bakery for first timers, but the trailer works fine when you’ve already done the bakery twice. The Cup o’ Jo cupcake is my personal favorite.

where we drank (breweries)

We did a total of three breweries while we were there. We enjoyed all three, but each had their own vibe.

Brotherwell Brewing

We were highly entertained with people watching at Brotherwell. We got there on the early side for a Friday and watched them set up a vintage market while we had our flights. Honestly this place made me feel a little old (or maybe it was the fact that we were on senior citizen time in our late 30s), but most of everything we tried was good and the atmosphere was interesting. We drove back by after dinner and this place had come alive with patrons.

For the most part they live up to their reviews and it’s worth a stop. I’m a light beer kind of girl so the Bridge Street Wit was my favorite and I didn’t much care for the Radler.

Waco Ale Company

Ok I really liked this one. Waco Ale Company was more downtown while Brotherwell was more in what they call Eastside Waco (still on the west side of I35). Everything we tried was good and I was a little disappointed we weren’t there at a meal time. The food menu looked awesome. I mean, there’s not a ton on it, but I wanted to try one of most things. I would definitely go here again (for lunch or dinner) and I’d recommend it with some disclaimers. Dude behind the bar was DRUNK before we left and it was just the middle of the afternoon. The more drinks he took, the more colorful his language got which doesn’t bother me so much, but I was a little bothered for the family trying to have a late lunch with a few younger kids. This one may not be the most family friendly, if that’s a thing you’re looking for. I will say he was super knowledgeable about their beer and made some great suggestions for our flights which I was super appreciative of.

Southern Roots Brewing Co.

Southern Roots Brewing is just a couple blocks from Waco Ale Co. and I loved their vibe. This place definitely invites you to stay awhile. I didn’t do a flight here, just a beer, but I enjoyed it and the smell of pizza cooking in the back. The pizzas looked and smelled delicious, but a regular did tell me they’re hit or miss. Just depends on who’s cooking that day I guess. This one is 100% family friendly (including furry family members) and I love that they have board games and things available for you enjoyment. In terms of hospitality, this was my favorite. I don’t have any pictures of this one unfortunately, but I’d consider their lifetime membership, if I lived in Waco.

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where we ate

Revival Eastside Eatery

The guy behind the bar at Brotherwell Brewing sent us to Revival Eastside Eatery when we asked for dinner suggestions. We both ate a Golden Calf burger, which had me at caramelized onions and goat cheese. I love goat cheese. Their beer taps are constantly changing from what we were told so there is always something new to try in the local beer department. It seemed like a trendy spot with good food that I’d eat again.

Cheddar Box

Cheddar Box is a food truck on the Magnolia grounds. Tyler ate, not me, but I’ve had them before. They make a pretty solid adult grilled cheese. My personal favorite is The Boss which includes bacon, gouda, and basil on sourdough bread. I’m seeing a theme here in the food section of this blog post and it’s cheese.

Ninfa’s Mexican Restaurant

This was more of an old school, been in Waco forever option. Less trendy, but still super popular. I can’t complain. I’m always a little unsure of the places that are considered tried and true because sometimes they’re just not what they used to be. We’ll let this one keep the tried and true label. It’s solid old school Tex Mex.

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My Favorite Photographs from the Trip

Mother Neff State Park

We aren’t the “thou shalt not poop in the camper” kind of people (I mean, I didn’t pay what I did for a second home on wheels to not poop in my own toilet), but even I was curious about these bathrooms at Mother Neff State Park that every Texas camper on social media was raving about. Apparently they’re basically the Buc-ee’s of State Park bathrooms and you can find them southwest of Waco, Texas just outside a little town called McGregor.

Side Note: If you’re not from here and you don’t know what a Buc-ee’s is, may I suggest you stop at one if you ever come to Texas. It’s a gas station, yes, but it’s so much more than that. It’s one of those things you really can’t prepare someone for. They just have to experience it for themselves. A pee break will cost a minimum of $40 so just be prepared to be distracted by all the things and to go home with some of it.

So we decided to make Mother Neff State Park our January camping trip. I swear we didn’t choose it for the bathrooms, but rather for the availability, nice concrete parking pads, and full hookups. It’s also technically only 2 hours from the house, but in reality with traffic, weather, and bathroom breaks, it took us about 4 hours to get there. It may have been more actually, but I’m trying to forget that particular experience. It’s just lovely when you’re stuck in rush hour traffic on I35 in downtown Austin and your kid announces they really need to go to the bathroom.

Sorry y’all, but all this bathroom talk has me thinking it’s the perfect time to share what might be my favorite photo from the whole trip.

So were the bathrooms everything the internet promised?

It wasn’t until after we were hooked back up and ready to go home that I actually went in them and I’ve got to say, they are most definitely the nicest Texas State Park Bathrooms I have ever seen.

Would I still wear flip flops in the shower?

Yes, absolutely. Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

Did I take any pics?

No. That’s weird.

Mother Neff in a Nutshell

Clean, small, partially closed due to flooding, very nice campsites, full hookups, very easy to approaching moderate trails, great playgrounds, and overall just very kid friendly. There’s also a dog. Nobody lost him so don’t try to find his owner. He’s friendly and basically their mascot now.

Site Info

We stayed in site 15. It’s pretty private and backs up to those really nice bathrooms I was talking about. There’s a spacious crushed granite area with a picnic table and firepit and the parking pad was extra wide. I’d stay in that spot again, but I think we also want to try site 12 in the future. 12 is a really long pull through site that also looked pretty private. All sites have full hookups but some definitely seem more exposed than others. The in-laws stayed in 16 and I’d also recommend that one and site 14 as well.

Site 16

Site 16

Site 15. Firepit is just out of frame over to the left and you can kind of see the bathrooms through the trees.

The Trails

Let’s just be really real for a sec. This isn’t the kind of park we’re used to when it comes to scenery. The “scenic overlooks” were pretty anticlimactic (we legit had to look at the map to make sure we’d actually made it to the scenic overlook), but the upside is that the trails were super easy. The kids (age 4 and 6) had zero issues getting around and the only complaints while on the trails were regarding hunger (from Corbin obviously) and when we were going to get to the playground (both kids). About half the trails are pretty exposed and the other half are through treed areas.

The Playgrounds

We don’t go camping for the playgrounds, but I’ve got to admit, we love having them at parks. Mother Neff had two that were equally awesome in very different ways. The first was a Nature Playscape near the camping loop. I loved this concept which included a slide built into the hill, tic tac toe from wood, logs for climbing, and things of that nature. Get it? Nature, lol. The second was a regular ole old school playground which was just a couple minute walk from the other. This was my favorite for photographing the kids and is where most of my favorite photos from this trip came from.

What’s that noise?

It’s SpaceX. You can read about it over by the bathrooms, but I guess they do engine testing there. We actually didn’t experience anything other than a couple not so crazy booms, but it’s my understanding that if you’re not aware SpaceX is just right down the road, the booms can sometimes be quite alarming. It’s not like they’re keeping you up all night so it’s really not much of a bother, but something worth noting.

Other Pics From Our Stay

Have any questions about our experience at the park? Let me know.

-Monica

A Week At Padre Balli RV Park in Corpus Christi Texas

I cannot express to you how good it actually felt to be in our camper again. It had definitely been way too long since we’d made a trip (3 months). I let it slide though because I knew we’d be staying for a week this time and I have a certain amount of nights I insist we spend in the camper each year to make paying the price worth our while.

This wasn’t really a traditional camping trip for us. It was one of those situations where the camper is basically a condo on wheels and an affordable way for us spend an entire week at the beach. We showered regularly, went souvenir shopping, ate some dinners out at restraunts, and civilization was at our doorstep… or close enough (Thank goodness because we needed it to be on Thursday night).

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Why We Chose Padre Balli Park For This Trip

Morning walk on the beach before the crowds showed up

The main reason we chose Padre Balli Park was for the proximity to people we were going to the beach with. Yes there are nicer RV parks within 30 minutes of where we stayed, but those parks weren’t a 5 minute car ride to the family we were spending time with at the beach. Also we knew we weren’t going to spend a lot of time at the park so paying a higher price for one of those other nicer parks just didn’t make any sense. My parents ended up tagging on to the end of this vacation so we did end up driving 15-20 minutes each way to hang at the beach in front of their beach rental too, but we still weren’t hanging out at the RV Park so paying the price for a “nicer” one just didn’t make sense. In this way Padre Balli Park definitely seemed like a good choice.

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My Thoughts on Padre Balli Park

Pros:

• Park is on the Beach

• There is a restaurant and gift shop on the fishing pier at the park

• Easy drive to Dollar General, Gas Stations, and Restaurants

• 50 Amp area is new

• Shower Houses and Laundry onsite

• Full Hookups in 50 AMP area

• Concrete pads in new section

• Friendly staff

• Affordable (we paid $275 for an entire week in the 50 AMP area with full hookups and it’s on the beach. The 30 AMP area is $150 a week and doesn’t have sewer. There is a dump station.)

Cons:

• No pool

• Basic sites (not too close together, but not too far and zero landscaping)

• Quiet hours not enforced and people like to party. Thank goodness for AC units being so loud.

• Old 30 AMP area is run down and cramped (pot hole parking lot with hookups)

• The beach at the park is very crowded

• Lots of trash left behind on beach and at the campsites and the park doesn’t seem to prioritize cleaning it up.

Notes:

They do things a little differently than most. They don’t actually take any payments from you until you show up. When you call to book, you get a reservation confirmation number and that’s basically it. Write it down and hang on to it. You don’t hear from them again until about a week before your trip when they call to confirm your stay. It was my first time experiencing this and it honestly made me a little nervous that we might not have somewhere to stay when it was time to show up. Fortunately that wasn’t the case. They seemed to have it together in this department.

Would I stay at Padre Balli Park again?

Yes, absolutely. We definitely want to try out Gulf Waters sometime in the future too, but we want to do that when we plan to stay there and not rush off each day to go see other people staying in other places. When we pay the price to stay at Gulf Waters, we want to take advantage of their scenery, pool, and easy access to a beach that’s clean and beautiful. Padre Balli Park is absolutely a great go to for situations similar to this trip we just had. And honestly, if you’re not a little beach spoiled like me and you want to save a few dollars, Padre Balli Park is really a great choice even if you plan on taking advantage of the beach without driving elsewhere.

The highlighted site is site 16 which is the site we stayed in.

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What I Learned on This Trip

More than I was prepared to learn, that’s what. But seriously though, Tyler had to go back to work for a couple days so we spent night 2 with just me and the kids in the camper. I was laying in bed about 10 PM that night thinking it had all gone so smoothly without him when the power goes out in the camper. It’s July in Texas and I like AC. Saida is already passed out and Corbin is making every excuse to stay up just a little longer, but I finally have him laying down in Tyler’s spot in my bed when this all goes down. I check to make sure we didn’t trip the breaker, but the entire Park is out. Turns out a transformer blew and the estimated time of restoration is 3 AM. YES 3 AM. If we don’t get the generator going, we’re going to be hot as hell and lose the food in the fridge and we’re one of the lucky ones with a generator. Unfortunately there isn’t any gas in it so that means I’m hauling kids out of bed at 10:30 at night to go buy gas cans and gas so we can get through these next few hours in comfort. All of these things were new for me, but a momma’s gotta do what a momma’s got to do and I wanted AC for my kids and to save the milk I just bought for them that evening.

Once the transformer was fixed, they blew another one and the new estimated time of restoration was 5 AM. I didn’t buy that much gas so I dropped us down to 1 of 3 ACs and everyone still managed to sleep comfortably. Power was back on by 3 AM anyway and we still had enough gas to get us through another power outage (this time for the entire island) that happend a couple days later.

We’re buying a nice gas can and taking some with us on every trip going forward for situations like this. The other option is our camper does have a fuel station and we could keep some gas in there with a stabilizer to make it last a little longer. And I’m happy to say I now know how to start the generator and keep things going when things don’t go as expected.

I really hate to wake sleeping kids, but they did an awesome job hanging with me and holding the flashlight while I filled the generator.

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Places We Ate

Snoopy’s

13313 South Padre Island Drive

Corpus Christi, TX78418

A family favorite on Padre Island at the JFK Causeway. We’ve been going here for years and fish is always fried to perfection and the view is great. The secret is out though so go early or be prepared to wait in line to order.

A La Mode Gelateria

14254 S Padre Island Dr Ste 101

Corpus Christi, Texas 78418

Our friends introduced us to this place. It’s also on Padre Island and Saida and Tyler are obsessed with the banana pudding gelato. The staff is super friendly and welcoming and it’s definitely a new tradition for us.

La Playa Mexican grille

222 Beach Ave.

Port Aransas, TX 78373

Cash only in Port Aransas and this one isn’t a secret anymore either. The restaurant itself is super tiny so there is almost always a wait and then we show up with 16 people. I love it here because they actually know how to make a fish taco. I love cheese, but you don’t put cheese on fish tacos, you don’t put fruit salsa on fish tacos (IMO), and you don’t use flour tortillas on fish tacos. They do none of those things, thank goodness.

Brooklyn Pie Co.

15326 S Padre Island

Corpus Christi, TX 78418

We were first timers here. I wanted to just walk over to Mikel Mays on the pier at Padre Balli Park the night it was just me and the kids, but Saida insisted on Pizza and we had seen this place just up the road at the next stop light. We ordered their large cheese pizza, went and roamed around at ACE Hardware for about 15 minutes and then came back to pick up our pizza to go. The kids loved it and it came with one of those little plastic barbie tables… I mean pizza savers… which the kids have never seen before and Saida is excited to use it as a barbie table (as it was obviously meant to be).

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Favorite Camping Hack of the Trip

I stole this hack idea from one of the RV Camping Facebook pages I’m on. As soon as I saw it I was on Amazon ordering these suction cup hooks to hang our beach towels and swimsuits on the outside of the camper. It was a great solution for not having to bring our wet and sandy towels into the camper.

Disclaimer: The link to Amazon below is an affiliate link. If you purhase from Amazon after clicking this link, I will receive a super teeny tiny commission at no additional cost to you. Also if you purchase these after clicking this link, THANK YOU! You doing this allows me to keep creating quality content for my readers and I think that’s pretty awesome.

Buy on Amazon

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Drink of the Trip

Overall this trip was a family success, just not without drama because who would even know what that looks like. Lots of margaritas were had; spicy grapefruit ones. Click below to see the recipe I found on Pinterest. They were delicious. and I used lime juice from a bottle, HEB’s Rio Red Grapefruit juice, Espolon Silver tequila, and didn’t bother with garnish because we were taking it out to the beach.

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Pictures From Our Trip Because I’m a Photographer

On Mustang Island near my parents’ beach rental

Mustang Island

Mustang Island near my parents’ beach rental

That’s how I feel about ice cream too. Shout out HEB.

Iphone Picture edited with Lightroom Mobile @ Padre Balli Park

Iphone photo unedited @ Port Aransas, Texas

Iphone Photo edited with Lightroom Mobile @ DQ in Pleasanton on the way home

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Share with Me

As usual I have no idea how to wrap all of this up. That was all kind of random, but that’s just kind of our life right now so… it is what it is.

Feel free to share your favorite restaurants in the area in the comments, tell me where you’ve found fish tacos that don’t suck, or let me know if you tried that margarita recipe. Seriously they are so delicious, especially if you’re into spicy alcoholic beverages.

Happy Camping,

Monica

60+ RV Parks & Resorts on the Texas Coast

My three favorite things currently are camping with my family, Texas, and the beach… and coffee… and wine… and tacos (not necessarily in that order).

So naturally when we got our RV, I wanted to know where all the beach RV parks are in all of my favorite Coastal Texas towns and bonus points if they are family friendly (I mean like not the 55+ parks) and were near tacos. I didn’t really know how to go about figuring all of this out and figured most newbies, like me, are probably a little lost and let’s face it, it’s nice when someone can kind of simplify it for us because… mom life.

With the help of AllStays.com, I was able to put together a pretty extensive list of RV parks in Texas along the Coast. I’m not saying they’re all amazing (some really are fantastic), but they’re here and they range anywhere from “welp, there’s nowhere else to stay and I really want to go to the beach for 4th of July and it’s in 2 weeks” to “This place is freaking awesome and I’m never leaving”. Minimum requirements were water, electricity, and either sewer hookups or a dump station and tacos close by (just kidding about that last one. I’ll just make my own, but if you have a killer recommendation for fish tacos, please leave it in the comments). If it didn’t have those things, it for sure didn’t make the list. I like to camp, but I also like the comforts of home and am totally cool if my camper basically functions as a beach house on wheels when at the coast. I personally don’t need to boondock nor do I yearn to do so. To each their own. Maybe one day when my kids are older we’ll give it a try.

This list includes some basic amenities for each Park/Resort. Some of these places (a lot of them actually) have much more than what is listed here. For example; clubhouses, splash pads, playgrounds, laundry rooms, bath houses, walking trails, restaurants, boat launches, fishing piers, etc.. You’ll be able to click to visit their website for a full list of amenities and of course to book your stay when you find a winner. You’ll find over 60 total RV parks/resorts to choose from in Kemah, Galveston, Freeport, Bolivar, Matagorda, Aransas Pass, Rockport, Port Aransas, Corpus Christi, and South Padre Island and more (organized from northern most area to southern most area). Yes, this took me a good long while to put together and I’m happy it gets to get used by more than just me. And I’m happy that when you decide you want to go to the coast last minute on a holiday weekend that you’ll have a place to go desperately look for RV parks with availability. You’re welcome.

Side note: Can you even say, read, or type you’re welcome without thinking of Dwayne Johnson? if you could, I probably just ruined it. You’re Welcome.

Kemah RV Resorts

Home to the Kemah Boardwalk and less than 20 minutes to the Space Center. Kemah is on my RV camping bucket list.

Brickhouse RV Resort

1029 Marina Bay Drive
Kemah, Texas 77565
(281) 334-0333

http://brickhouservresort.com

• Full Hookups

• Pool

• Wifi in Business Center

• Cabins available for rent

Marina Bay RV Resort

925 Marina Bay Drive
Kemah, Texas 77565
(281) 334-9944
http://www.marinabayrvresort.com

• Full Hookups

• Pool

• Lake Front

• Wifi

• Cable

• Dog Walking Areas

• Cabins Available for Rent

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Bolivar Peninsula

Just a short ferry ride from Galveston and you’re only agenda is to relax or maybe pick up a fishing pole or a beer.

Paula’s Vinyard RV

1250 N Crystal Beach Rd
Port Bolivar, TX 77650
(409) 684-9970
https://paulasvineyard.com

• Full Hookups

Lazy Pelican

996 Sea Spray Dr.
P.O. Box 1396
Crystal Beach, TX 77650
409.684.9909
http://lazypelicanrvpark.com

• Full Hookups

• Short walk to beach

• Wifi

Bolivar RV Resort and Storage

731 Hwy 87
Gilchrist, TX 77617
(409) 974-0064
http://www.bolivarrvresort.com

• Full Hookups

• Pool

• Beach Access

• Bay Access

• Wifi

• Beach Home Available to Rent

REEL Paradise RV

1123 North Rd.
Crystal Beach, TX 77650
409-502-7909
http://reelparadiservpark.com

• Full Hookups

• Bay Access

• Covered RV sites with boat lift

Lazy D&D RV

681 Hwy 87
Crystal Beach, TX 77650
409-684-1900
http://lazydanddrvresort.com

• Full Hookups

• Pool

• Bay Access

• Wifi

• Satellite TV

• Waterfront Canal Site

Stingaree RV

1295 N. Stingaree Rd
Crystal Beach, Texas 77650
409-684-2731
https://www.stingaree.com/RV-Park

• Full Hookups

• Bay Access

• Canal Sites with Boat Tie Ups

Beach Side RV Park

1280 Hwy. 87
Crystal Beach, TX 77650
409-996-3288
http://www.beachsidervandstorage.com

• Full Hookups

• Short Walk to Beach

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Galveston / Freeport

The place rich in history with a little something for everyone and home of some of the most upscale beach RV resorts along the Texas coast. The beaches aren’t known for their beauty in town, but head west just a little ways and the beaches become quite charming and quaint. This is one of my favorite places in all of Texas.

Visit https://www.galveston.com to see all Galveston has to offer.

Galveston Island State Park

14901 FM 3005
Galveston, TX 77554
(409) 737-1222
https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/galveston-island

• Water/Electric Sites

• Dump Station

• Beach Access

• Bay Access

• Waterfront Sites Available

• Note: Beach side of park is getting ready to undergo a 3 year renovations during which the entire beach side of the park will be closed and only sites on the bay side will be available.

Galveston Island RV Resort

23700 Termini-San Luis Pass Rd
Galveston, TX 77554
(409) 200-2745
https://galvestonrv.com

• Full Hookups

• Pool

• Wifi

• Cable

• Short Walk/Drive to Beach

• On site cottages

• Dog Park

Jamaica Beach RV

17200 Termini-San Luis Pass Rd
Galveston, Texas 77554
(409)-632-0200
https://www.jbrv.net

• Full Hookups

• Pool with swim up bar / Lazy River

• Beach access across the street

• Wifi

• Cable

• Dog Park

Stella Mare RV Resort

3418 Stella Mare Ln
Galveston,TX77554
(409) 632-7017
https://www.stellamarervresort.com

• Full Hookups

• Pool / Tiki Bar

• Beach access across the street

• Dog park

• Homes available to rent

• Wifi

Dellanera RV

10901 Termini San Luis Pass Rd
Galveston, TX 77554
(409) 797-5102
https://www.galvestonbeachinfo.com/Dellanera_RV_Park.asp

• Full Hookups

• On the Beach

Galveston RV Resort and Marina

6310 Heards Lane
Galveston, TX 77551
888-744-2837
http://galvestonrvresortandmarina.com

• Full Hookups

• Bay Access / Marina

• Wifi

Sandpiper RV

201 Seawall
Galveston, Texas 77550
409-765-9431
https://www.sandpiperrvresort.com

• Full Hookups

• Pool

• Rooms available to rent

• Beach access at Stewart Beach

• Very close to downtown and all the action

Tiki Toms

333 Jones Lake Rd.
Tiki Island, TX 77554
409-935-5599
http://www.tikitomsrv.com

• Full Hookups

• Bay Access

• Wifi at Clubhouse

• Waterfront sites available

Bluewater Resort

11511 Bluewater Highway
Freeport, TX 77541
(979) 239-4301
https://www.bluewaterrvpark.com

• Full Hookups

• Beach access across the street

• Pool

• Bay Access

• Cottages available for rent

• Wifi

• Cable

• Waterfront Sites

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Matagorda

Not much happening around here, but that’s kind of the appeal. Another one of those places to just be and soak up some quality family time in the outdoors. It’s also on my RV camping bucket list.

LCRA Matagorda Bay Nature Park Camp

6430 FM 2031
Matagorda, TX 77457
855-392-7638
979-863-2603
https://www.lcra.org/parks/Pages/matagorda-bay-nature-park.aspx

• Full Hookups Sites

• Water/Electric Sites

• Dump Station

• Beach Access

• Colorado River Front Sites

• Airstream Campers Available to Rent

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Port Lavaca

Just a small Texas town along the coast. A perfect place for bird watching and fishing.

KOA Port Lavaca Matagorda Bay

1348 Co Rd 302
Port Lavaca, TX 77979
Reserve: 800-562-8635
Info: 361-893-5120
https://koa.com/campgrounds/port-lavaca/

• Full Hookups

• Pool

• Bay Front Park

• Wifi

• Dog Walk

Lighthouse Beach and Bird Sactuary RV Park

700 Lighthouse Beach Road
Port Lavaca, TX 77979
361-552-5311or 361-552-1234

• Full Hookups

• Pool

• Bay Access

• Wifi

• Cable

• Note: I wasn’t actually able to find a website for this park. Info may not be accurate.

Oceanside RV Park

1818 Broadway St
Port Lavaca TX 77979
361-552-4814
http://www.oceansidervparkandpier.org

• Full Hookup Sites

• Water/Electric Sites

• Dump Station

• Cable

Texas Lakeside Resort

2499 West Austin Street
Port Lavaca, TX 77979
361-551-2267
http://www.texaslakesidervresort.com

• Full Hookups

• Pool

• Cable

• Dog Run

• Waterfront sites available

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Palacios

Where? I’ve lived here all my life and this is kinda what I was thinking when I came across this RV park. Anyway, I’m not going to tell you where to vacation and this is another place perfect for a fishing getaway.

Serendipity Bay Resort RV Park and Marina

1001 Main St
Palacios, TX 77465
361-972-5454
http://www.serendipitybayresort.com

• Full Hookups

• Pool

• Bay Access

• Wifi

• Cable

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Rockport / Fulton

I’m going to personally name this one the RV Capital of the Texas Coast. Holy moly there are a ton of RV parks. There is a ton to do here too; roam the shops, visit their beach (which is on the bay), hit up a museum or the aquarium, or go fishing. I always think of fishing when I think of Rockport simply because that’s what we always did there when I was growing up.

Blue Lagoon RV Resort

717 N Fulton Beach Rd
Fulton, TX 78382
361-729-1100
http://www.bluelagoonsrvresort.com

• Full Hookups

• Pool

• Bay Access

• Wifi Available at Rec Building

• Cable

Ancient Oaks RV Park

1222 Hwy 35 South
Rockport, Texas 78382
(361) 729-5051
https://ancientoaksrvpark.com

• Full Hookups

• Pool

• Wifi

• Cable

• Dog Run

Anglers RV Retreat

1012 N. Moline Street
Rockport, Texas
361-205-4737
http://www.anglersrvretreat.com

• Full Hookups

• Wifi

Bahia Vista Waterfront RV Park

5801 FM 1781
Rockport TX 78382
(361) 729 - 1226
http://www.bahiavistarv.com

• Full Hookups

• Pool

• Bay Access with Peir and Boat Tie Ups

• Wifi

Bay View RV Resort

5451 HWY 35 NORTH
ROCKPORT, TX 78382
(361) 400 6000
RESORT@BAYVIEWROCKPORT.COM
http://www.bayviewrockport.com

• Full Hookups

• Pool

• Wifi at Clubhouse

• Cable at most sites

• Walking Distance to Copano Bay and Aransas Bay Fishing Piers

Goose Island State Park

202 S Palmetto St.
Rockport, TX 78382
(361) 729-2858
https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/goose-island

• Water/Electric Sites Only (20/30 amp)

• Dump Station

• Bay Access

• Note: Some parts of park are closed due to Hurricane Harvey damage. Please check for updates before booking.

Beacon RV Park and Marina

301 Fulton Beach Road
Rockport, TX. 78382
(361) 729-3906
http://www.beaconrv.com/
beaconrvpark@gmail.com

• Full Hookups

• Bay Access

• Wifi

• Cable

Circle W RV Ranch

1401 SMOKEHOUSE RD
ROCKPORT, TX 78382
(361) 792-3687
https://circlewrvranch.com
STAY@CIRCLEWRVRANCH.COM

• Full Hookups

• Pool

• Wifi

• Cable

• Cottages available for rent

• Short drive to bay

Coastal Breeze RV Resort

3025 Loop 1781
Rockport, TX 78382
(361) 444-4131
https://coastalbreezervresort.com

• Full Hookups

• Pool

• Bay Access

• Wifi

• Dog Park

• Claims to be newest in Rockport

Copano Bay RV Resort

3101 FM 1781
Rockport, Texas 78382
(361) 790-9373
copanobayrvresort@gmail.com
https://copanobayrvresort.com

• Full Hookups

• Pool

• Bay Access

• Wifi

• Dog Park

• Cabin Rentals Available

Drifters Resort RV Park

4401 Hwy 35 South
Rockport, TX 78382
(361) 727-9105
info@DriftersResort.com
http://www.driftersresort.com

• Full Hookups

• Pool

• Short Drive to Bay

• Wifi

• Cable

• Cabins/Cottages available to rent

Estes RV Park

140 Estes Drive
Rockport, TX 78382
(361) 386-2539
http://estesrvresort.com

• Full Hookups

• Pool

• Short Drive to Bay

• Wifi

• Cable

Hidden Oaks RV Park

221 Palmetto (Lamar)
Rockport, Texas 78382
361-790-8581
LIVE@HiddenOaksRVResort.com
http://www.hiddenoaksrvresort.com

• Full Hookups

• Wifi in Clubhouse

• Cable in Clubhouse

• Short drive to bay

Lagoons RV Resort

600 Enterprise Boulevard
Rockport, Texas 78382
(361) 729-7834
http://www.lagoonsrv.com

• Full Hookups

• Indoor Pool

• Short Drive to Bay

• Wifi at Clubhouse

• Cable

• Dog Walking Area

• Cottages available to rent

The Last Resort

4321 Business Hwy 35 S.
Rockport, TX 78382
info@thelastresortrockport.com
361-727-1958
https://www.thelastresortrockport.com

• Full Hookups

• Short Drive to Bay

• Wifi

• Cable

• Motel rooms, cottages and cabins available to rent

Majestic Oak RV Resort

298 State Hwy 188
Rockport , TX 7838
361.727.0034
info@majesticoakresort.com
https://www.majesticoakresort.com

• Full Hookups

• Pool

• Short Drive to Bay

• Wifi

• Cable

• Cabin Rentals Available

Palm Harbor RV

170 Port Ave
Rockport, TX
361-729-0113
http://www.palmharborrv.com

• Full Hookups

• Short Drive to Bay

• Wifi in Clubhouse

• Dog Walking Area

Rockport Retreat RV Resort

175 Nell Ave
Rockport, TX 78382
361-500-9975
https://rockportrvretreat.com

• Full Hookups

• Pool

• Wifi

• Cable Available

Route 1069 RV park

606 W. Market
Rockport, TX 78382
(361)790-7600
http://www.rockportrv1069.com

• Full Hookups

• Pool

• Short Drive to Bay

• Wifi

• Cable

Saltwater Flats RV Resort

4221 TX Highway 35 South
Rockport TX 78382
361-386-2403
https://www.saltwaterflatsrvresort.com

• Full Hookups

• Pool

• Wifi

• Cable

• Cabin Rentals Available

Sandollar Resort

919 N. Fulton Beach Road
Rockport, TX 78382
361-729-2381
http://www.sandollar-resort.com

• Full Hookups

• Pool

• Bay across the street

• Motel Rooms Available to Rent (currently under renovations and not available)

• Wifi

• Cable

Seaport Villiage RV Park

5340 Hwy 35 North
Rockport, Texas 78382
361-727-0866
http://www.seaportvillagervpark.com

• Full Hookups

• Pool

• Bay Access 750 yards from park

• Wifi

• Satellite available for additional fee

Shady Oaks RV Park

1301 Jims Smokehouse RD
Rockport, TX 78382
361-729-6511
https://rockportshadyoaksrvpark.com

• Full Hookups

• Pool

• Cable

Taylor Oaks RV Park

707 S. Pearl St.
Rockport, Tx. 78382
Phone: 361-729-5187
tayloroaksrvpark.com

• Full Hookups

• Wifi

• Cable

• Short Walk to Downtown and Bay

Wilderness Oaks RV Park

4851 N. Highway 35
Rockport, TX 78382-9603
(361) 729-2307
www.wildernessoaksrv.com

• Full Hookups

• Pool

• Wifi

• Cable

• Dog Run

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Aransas Pass

Apparently there is a water park in Aransas Pass. Who knew? The dolphin encounters also rank high on Trip Advisor and of course, it’s another fishing town. Take the ferry over to Port Aransas for a beach day, shopping, and restaurants.

Aransas Bay RV Resort

501 North Avenue A
Aransas Pass, Texas 78336
830-423-4322
aransasbayrv@yahoo.com
http://aransasbayrvresort.com

• Full Hookups

• Bay Access

• Wifi

• Short Drive to Bay

Marshall’s Landing RV Park

2707 Hwy 35 N
Aransas Pass, Texas 78336
817-946-6571
http://www.marshallslandingrvpark.com/index.html

• Full Hookups

• Waterfront Sites

• Wifi
  

Ransom Road RV Park

240 E. Ransom Road
Aransas Pass, TX 78336
361-758-2715
http://www.ransomroadrvparkinc.com/index.php

• Full Hookups

• Bay Access within Minutes

• Wifi

• Cable

RV Haven

922 Mack Road
Aransas Pass, TX 78336
361-230-4440
https://rvhavenrockporttx.com

• Full Hookups

• Wifi

Southern Oaks RV Resort

1850 Texas Highway 35 Bypass
Aransas Pass, Texas 78336
361-758-1249
https://www.sorvresort.com

• Full Hookups

• Pool

• Wifi

• Cable

• Dog Park

The Palms RV Park

2135 W Wheeler Ave
Aransas Pass, TX 78336
(361) 758-4000
https://www.thepalmsrvpark.com/home.html

• Full Hookups

• Pool

• Wifi

• Cable

• Dog Park

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Portland

Portland is small town on the bay just outside of Corpus Christi. Stay in town or make the quick trip to Corpus and take advantage of all they have to offer.

Sea Breeze RV Community Resort

1026 Seabreeze Lane
Portland, TX 78374
361-643-0744
http://seabreezerv.com

• Full Hookups

• Pool

• Bay Access

• Wifi

• Fenced Dog Walk

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Port Aransas

Another one of my favorite beaches from childhood and adulthood. Gulf Waters is arguably the most luxurious and upscale beach RV resort in all of Texas and the town itself is just charming. Lots of good memories made here and it’s also just a hop, skip, and jump to Corpus Christi so you can advantage of all it has to offer as well.

Port A RV Resort

2600 HWY 361
Port Aransas, TX 78373
(361) 416-1405
https://portarvresort.com

• Full Hookups

• Pool

• Wifi

• Cable

• Short Drive to Beach or Bay

Gulf Waters Beach Front RV Resort

5601 State Highway 361
Port Aransas, TX 78373
(361) 749-4978
http://gulfwatersrvresorttx.com

• Full Hookups

• Pool

• Beach Access

• Wifi

• Cable

Pioneer RV

120 Gulfwind Drive
Port Aransas, TX 78373
888-480-3246
https://www.pioneerrvresorts.com

• Full Hookups

• Pool

• Beach Access

• Wifi

• Cable

Mustang Island State Park

9394 State Highway 361
Port Aransas, TX 78373
(361) 749-5246
https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/mustang-island

• Water/Electric Sites (50 amp)

• Dump Station

• Beach Access

• Note: Website states it’s only open for day use currently due to Hurricane Harvey Damage.

Surf Side RV and Resort

1820 S 11th St
Port Aransas, TX 78373
(361) 749-2208
http://surfsiderv.com

• Full Hookups

• Pool

• 2 blocks to beach

• Wifi

• Cable

On The Beach RV Park

907 Beach Access Rd 1A
Port Aransas, TX 78373
361-749-4909
http://onthebeachrvpark.com

• Full Hookups

• Beach Access

• Wifi

• Cable

I.B. Magee Beach Park

1000 Lantana Dr
Port Aransas, TX 78373
361-749-6117
http://nuecesbeachparks.com/ibmageebeachpark.html

• Water/Electric Sites

• Dump Station

• Beach Access

• Note: Currently closed due to Hurricane Harvey. Check website for updates.

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Corpus Christi / North Padre Island

The RV parks in Corpus are less impressive, but there’s so much to do. Corpus is home of the USS Lexington, The Texas State Aquarium, Padre Island National Seashore, and word on the street is there is even a Selena Musuem. We’re getting ready to stay at Padre Balli Park for the first time and I’ll be sure to share our trip when we get back. Look out for that post coming soon.

Padre Balli Park

15820 Park Road 22
Corpus Christi, TX 78418
(361) 429-4191
http://nuecesbeachparks.com/padreballipark.html

• Full Hookups

• Beach Access

Colonia Del Rey RV Park

1717 Waldron Rd
Corpus Christi, TX 78418
(800) 580-2435
(361) 937-2435
https://www.ccrvresorts.com

• Full Hookups

• Pool

• Cable

• Wifi

Padre Palms RV Resort

131 Skipper Ln
Corpus Christi, Texas 78418
(800) 552-6250
(361) 937-2125
https://www.ccrvresorts.com

• Full Hookups

• Pool

• Minutes to Bay

• Wifi

• Cable

Laguna Shores Villiage

3828 Laguna Shore Rd.
Corpus Christi, TX 78418
361-937-6035
https://www.lagunashorevillage.com

• Full Hookups

• Wifi

• Cable

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Port Isabel

Just this side of the causeway from South Padre Island (the southern most and prettiest beach in all of Texas). These two RV locations below seem actually really neat and it’s worth clicking into both of their websites to check it out.

Long Island Villiage

900 South Garcia
Port Isabel TX 78578
(956)943-3131
https://www.longislandvillage.com/default.php

• Full Hookups

• Bay Access

• Wifi

• Cable

• Waterfront sites with dock available

Port Isabel Park Center

702 Champion Ave
Port Isabel TX 78578
(956) 943-7340
https://www.portisabelparkcenter.com

• Full Hookups

• Dump Station

• Pool

• Bay Access

• Dog Park

• Wifi and Cable available for stays over 1 week

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South Padre Island

I already said it above, but this is the prettiest beach in all of Texas. By that I mean the water is generally clearer than anywhere else. You can do anything here from dolphin excusions, parasailing, fishing, sunset cruises, and more.

Andy Bowie County Park

7300 State Park Rd 100
South Padre Island, TX 78597
(956) 761-3704
http://www.co.cameron.tx.us/wp/parks-our-parks/parks-coastal-parks/parks-andy-bowie/

• Full Hookups

• Beach Access

Isla Blanca Park

33174 State Park Rd 100,
South Padre Island, TX 78597
(956) 761-5494
http://www.co.cameron.tx.us/wp/parks-our-parks/parks-coastal-parks/parks-isla-blanca/

• Over 600 Full Hookup Sites

• Beach Access

• Bay Access

KOA Campground of South Padre Island

1 Padre Blvd
South Padre Island, TX 78597
800-562-9724
https://koa.com/campgrounds/south-padre/

• Full Hookups

• Pool

• Bay Access

• Wifi

• Cable

• Dog Park

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Any further and we’re in Mexico folks and taking an RV to Mexico sounds like a pretty stupid idea, at least to me. I did finish typing this all out while drinking a spicy margarita though so… there’s that.

Anyway, not really sure how to wrap this thing up so cheers to vacay. Good luck finding a place to park and be sure to let me know in the comments your favorite RV park/resort on the Texas Coast.

-Monica

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5 Tips for Your Very First Trip in Your New RV

Your first trip out in the new RV can seem overwhelming. It feels like stocking a second home, which it kind of is, and surely you’re going to forget at least one thing you really need. Just make sure it’s not the toilet paper. The rest can be worked out.

Tips for Surviving your First Trip in the New RV

1. Stay Close to Home and Camp Near a Walmart - Seriously. Luckily for us there wasn’t anything that we needed to go run and get in an emergency, but it happens all the time for first timers. You forget something you really need and the last thing you need is to be way out in the middle of nowhere and far from home. Our thoughts were that if something went terribly wrong, we could just hook up and be home in 30 minutes. No harm done. Also if we forgot something small that we actually needed like a can opener or bottle opener (if you’re me that’s important), you could just run up to the nearest Walmart and grab it real quick. Some people even choose to camp in their driveway for the first time. If you live somewhere where you can do this, it’s probably not a bad idea.

2. Keep a Notebook or Start Notes in Your Phone - This is for those things you forgot that you got by without, but definitely want for next time. For me this was salt and pepper and also cooking spray. Although I’ll be totally honest with you, I left the cooking spray in the camper and I’m currently questioning that choice. It’s starting to get hot here and I’m afraid the next time I go in my camper it may have exploded. Fingers crossed my kitchen isn’t covered in cooking oil spray. Also this is great for keeping track of campsites. Drive around and find your favorites and write them down so you remember them for you next trip.

3. Use your Phone To Communicate While Backing Up the Camper - If cell service is non existent, you could also use walkie talkies. Our camper is 39 ft. long. I tried the whole use hand signals to help my husband back it in thing and it was bad for our marriage. I was never in the right spot and we were both super frustrated. Cell phones allow me to be anywhere I think I need to be and moving regularly to check clearance and I can still direct my husband into the campsite. It’s so much less stressful this way and who wants to start their trip off with stress?

4. Expect anything or expect nothing - Your first trip is likely going to be a shit show. Or at least peices of it. Expect nothing to go as planned. Expect anything to happen. Setting appropriate expectations can make a not so great trip no big deal at all. Just remember you’re learning and remember this first trip is all about working out the kinks.

5. Just Enjoy!

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Just before our first trip I polled a Facebook group I’m in to have them tell me that one thing they forgot on their first trip. I want to share the top responses with you before I wrap this post up just so you can make sure you have the most commonly forgotten things.

• Can Opener

• Cork Screw

• Toilet Paper

• Garbage Bags

• Spices (Salt & Pepper)

• Dish Soap

• Pillows

• Scissors

• Table Cloth

If you have any great tips and tricks to add or want to share the thing your forgot on your first trip, please feel free to share in the comments.

Also if you want to check out my RV camping items on Amazon, click the button below. Maybe you’ll find something else you haven’t thought of yet.

Disclaimer: The Amazon link is an affiliate link and I do earn a tiny commission for any items purchased as a result of clicking this link. If you purchase, THANK YOU!! This allows me to keep bringing you quality content on a regular basis.

Happy Camping!!!

-Monica

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What To Do About That Terrible RV Mattress

Photo by Kalegin Michail on Unsplash

If you’re reading this I’m guessing you just spent the night on quite possibly the worst mattress you’ve ever slept on (if you even slept at all). No worries, I’ve got you. Let’s talk about that horrible RV mattress and the best and most affordable way to upgrade it.

It happens to the best of us. We buy our new or new to us camper, we buy all the things to go with it, and then set up our maiden camping trip just to find out ain’t nobody sleeping good on that poor excuse for a mattress that comes with the thing. You just spent all this money and a new mattress is the last thing you have room for in the budget. What do you do? Do you fork out the cash for a new one anyway? It’s a shame to spend all this money on something that’s supposed to bring you joy only to be sleep deprived with an achy back. We fixed this issue for under $100, which by comparison seemed like the perfect alternative to buying a new mattress.

This is NOT a sponsored post. I’m simply sharing what worked for us and helping out my fellow RVers.

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What we bought

Lucid 3 Inch Gel Memory Foam Mattress Topper

This particular mattress topper had great reviews everywhere I found it online and was available at many stores for so much less than comparable models. I ended up buying mine from Home Depot because at the time they had the best deal. I like to shop around. I’m going to link it below on several sites so you can find the best deal at the time you’re looking at this. I did see it on more sites (JC Penny, Bed Bath and Beyond, etc.), but those others had a much higher price point and I didn’t see the point of adding them here.

LUCID 3-inch Gel Memory Foam Mattress Topper - Queen Buy on Amazon

Other Buying Options

Disclaimer: The Amazon and Home Depot links are affiliate links and if you do purchase through one of those links, thank you! I will receive a super small commission, but that commission keeps me producing quality content for you. That being said, I’m a firm believer and finding the best price most of the time. If it’s not at Home Depot or Amazon, please choose the option that’s best for you.

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What else you need to know before purchasing your mattress topper

I didn’t just purchase ours blind hoping it would work for us. I thought about our sleep needs and the level of firmness we typically prefer. If you like a super plush and soft bed, maybe the 4 inch model would be a better fit for you. If you love it super firm, you may consider the 2 inch model. We chose the 3 inch topper simply because we sunk into the super thin camper mattress directly down to the plywood below. We like it mostly firm, but felt for our needs that the 3 inch might provide a little bit more of what we were looking for. Check out this graphic from Lucid. Maybe it’ll help you decide which model will work best for you.

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Hopefully you found this helpful and you can start getting a better night’s sleep on your next trip. This thing really has made a huge difference for us.

Interested in my other blog posts for beginner RVers? Check them out below.

Happy Camping,

Monica

Best Coffee Maker for the Camper

What is the best coffee maker for the RV?

This is a question I see asked by newbies all the time in RV camping Facebook groups. Now I’m still kind of a newbie myself, but I want to share with you what I bought, why I bought it, and a couple other options I see mentioned a lot.

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Edit to add pour over

This blog post required a little edit in that none of the original products shared are what we currently use to make coffee while camping. Since writing the original post, I’ve taken up intermittent fasting which means I drink my coffee black and have now for about 2 and a half years. This mean k-cups weren’t doing it for me (they’re mostly only good when you can add a little cream and sugar) and since I’m the only one drinking coffee, I decided to go with pour over. These days I use an electric kettle and one of the pour over drippers that sit directly on top of the coffee mug. I use a #2 filter for the sake of easier cleaning, but it’s not necessary with this particular dripper.

Hamilton Beach 40864 Electric Tea Kettle, Water Boiler & Heater, Cordless, LED Indicator with Built-In Mesh Filter, Auto-Shutoff & Boil-Dry Protection, 1.7 L, Clear Glass Buy on Amazon

Pour Over Coffee Dripper Stainless Steel LHS Slow Drip Coffee Filter Metal Cone Paperless Reusable Single Cup Coffee Maker 1-2 Cup With Non-slip Cup Stand and Cleaning Brush Buy on Amazon

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Mainstays Single Serve K-Cup Coffee Maker

We use this Mainstays Single Serve K-Cup Coffee Maker from Walmart.

Why?

• It’s only $19.99, about half the price of other off brand k-cup coffee makers on Amazon.

• It has a super small footprint so it doesn’t take up a ton of counter space. We all know RVs are generally lacking in this area.

• It’s easy to store away when traveling.

• I’m the only one who drinks coffee so no need to brew a whole pot.

• It now comes in 4 colors (black, red, mint, and iris)

The Downside of The Mainstays Single Serve K-Cup Coffee Maker

• You wait in between cups for water to heat. But for that price and considering I’m the only one who drinks coffee in my camper, I can handle that.

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Now what if you don’t have electricity?

So far we haven’t been somewhere without it and we have a generator, but I know people camp without electricity all the time and don’t have a generator. Also some just prefer an old school way of doing things especially when they camp and I totally get that, not to mention the folks concerned about the waste of a k-cup. All of this really just depends on your level of coffee snobbery and environmental concern and there isn’t really a right or wrong answer, but here is how you do it without electricity.

Use a Percolator or French Press When Electricity isn’t Available

I’ve found a few percolators on Amazon with 4+ star reviews that won’t break the bank. For these you’ll either need a campfire or a propane stove. At the time I added these to this blog post, they ranged from $17-$36 (all affordable).

Granite Ware F6006-1 Coffee Boilers, Graniteware, 100 oz Buy on Amazon

Coletti"Bozeman" Percolator Coffee Pot - 9 CUP Stainless Steel Buy on Amazon

Farberware 50124 Classic Stainless Steel Yosemite 8-Cup Coffee Percolator, Buy on Amazon

And these two French Presses were also super affordable with 4+ star reviews on Amazon. I’ve never used a french press before, but I’ve been curious. Everyone always raves about coffee made with a french press. I’ve read you don’t want your coffee to be too finely ground with these or it’ll end up in your drink so keep that in mind. At the time I added these to this post, both options were about $25.

Secura Stainless Steel French Press Coffee Maker 18/10 Bonus Stainless Steel Screen (1000ML) Buy on Amazon

French Press Coffee Maker (8 cup, 34 oz) With 4 Level Filtration System, 304 Grade Stainless Steel, Heat Resistant Borosilicate Glass by Cafe Du Chateau Buy on Amazon

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EDIT

Bodum 1543-01US Brazil French Press Coffee and Tea Maker, 12 Ounce, Black Buy on Amazon

I ended up buying this Bodum 12 oz. French Press from Target for the house just because I’ve always wanted to try one and I’m the only person who drinks coffee in my house. I may even start taking it with me in the camper. I cheat and use my Kurig without a K-cup to boil water and then just have it dispense directly into the french press already containing my coffee grounds. You just wait 4 minutes and then press. Coffee is ready. This is cheaper on Amazon so that’s what I’m linking for you, but I was actually able to find this in my local Target store just in case you’re a buy in person kind of person.

Pro Tip: Go for a bolder coffee. I tried a medium boldness which is usually fine for me, but it came out weak. I bought a bolder coffee and I it’s perfect.

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And of course there is nothing wrong with a good old coffee pot, if that is the route that makes the most sense for you…

These two are basic and affordable with great reviews.

Mr. Coffee 12-Cup Coffee Maker, Black Buy on Amazon

AmazonBasics 5-Cup Coffeemaker with Glass Carafe Buy on Amazon

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I know this seems super simple, but for whatever reason, the coffee maker can be a tough decision to make. Hopefully this gets you thinking about your coffee needs and what makes sense for you in your camper and makes this whole owning an RV thing a little less complicated. If you’ve got one you love in the camper, feel free to share it in the comments. Fellow RVers help each other out.

This blog post contains affiliate links and I may receive a small commission for purchases made by clicking on links in this post. If you choose to purchase any of these items by clicking on the link, thank you! This is part of how I can continue bringing you quality content on a regular basis. Please know that I posted these links with care and either own the product or read reviews prior to linking it in this post. Happy Camping!

Banner Image Photo for this post by Jéssica Silveira on Unsplash

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24 Rainy Day Camping Activities for Kids

I know I’ve talked about it before, but I’ve got a knack for planning camping trips on rainy or poor weather weekends. My talent for doing this is incredible actually. Just ask my family. You want to know when it’s going to rain? Just ask me for my camping schedule and you’ve got the answer. We’re headed to the coast in July and I’m already planning for hurricane weather because that would be my luck. You can bet I’ll be keeping a real close eye on the forcast during that time.

So since it’s obviously going to be raining for my next camping trip and the one after that and the one after that, here is the big question. What kind of rainy day activities can we do to keep the kids busy in the camper? I mean, we’ve watched every single movie in our camper at least 5 times and we haven’t even been camping for all that long. There are only so many times you can watch Sing or the Minions Movie over and over again. I’ve seen this question asked over and over again on camping forums so I’ve compiled the ultimate list of rainy day camping activities for your young kids.

The Ultimate List of Rainy Day Camping Activities For Your Kids

Markers and coloring books

1. Watch Movies - Yes it’s screen time and that’s not what camping is about, but for me camping is family time so if we’re all enjoying a movie together with a little popcorn, then I’m cool with that. Our camper favorites lately seem to be Sing, Minions, and The Lorax.

2. Play Board Games - Candy Land, Monopoly, Guess Who, Battle Ship, Connect 4, Chutes and Ladders, Sorry, Trouble, Checkers, or any board game you already have hiding in a closet somewhere will do.

3. Play Card Games - A whole family activiite sure to please. We love Uno and Go Fish. My almost 6 year old daughter would probably play all day. Don’t forget about games like Skip-Bo, Old Maid, War, Apples to Apples, Crazy 8, or Charades for Kids.

4. Color - We prefer a couple of coloring books and some markers that stay in our camper. Both of my kids love to color. Crayons can melt if they get too hot so I wouldn’t suggest keeping them in the camper if it gets hot in storage.

5. Paint - I’ve seen suggestions of painting rocks which looks like a ton of fun. Some people have also mentioned leaving them behind for the next set of campers to discover. I love that idea. Seems like a fun way to put a smile on someone’s face. Also some old school water colors and paper are easy to pack and always a fun activity for kids.

6. Play outside (if it’s safe to do so) - Just make sure you have a couple of kid size ponchos on hand (or swimsuits if it’s warm enough) and pack their rain boots (or crocs) and you’re good to go for a little rainy day outdoor adventure. Of course if there is lightening near by or dangerous wind, don’t do this. Use common sense folks, but have fun.

7. Play-Doh - cheap and easy to bring along.

8. Fort Making in the Bunks - If you have bunks that is and plenty of blankets or sleeping bags, pillows or just anything that can be used for a fort. I haven’t met a kid that didn’t enjoy fort making yet.

9. Learn Origami - Keep a stash of paper around and maybe grab an inexpensive book off Amazon for learning origami.

10. Make Slime - You can buy a slime kit or just have the ingredients you need on hand. There are endless recipes for slime on the internet. Just google it and choose a recipe that looks interesting or easy or whatever you want it to be.

11. Bake Cookies - Our favorite ones to make come from the Magnolia Cookbook. Oddly they’re better after they cool off which is unlike any cookie recipe I’ve ever tried. A premade dough works just fine as well, but from scratch will give you more to do and can be a great family activity for a rainy day.

12. Legos - Bring a tub or just a small set. You’re never too old for legos.

13. Read - Grab some books that your kids can read on their own or bring along some to read to them. I went to college to be an elementary school teacher so I’m a fan of reading to kids anytime, not just when it’s raining.

14. Seek and Find Books - Think Where’s Waldo or the I Spy books. Both of my kids love these.

15. Puzzles - I love that this can also be an individual thing or a family thing. Bring along all kinds of puzzles ranging from 24 pieces all the way to 500 pieces (depending on how rainy it’ll be or on ages and number of participants).

16. Jenga - Because this one also never gets old.

17. Tic-tac-toe - This is our go to at restaurants, but why not on a rainy day in the camper too.

18. Visit Local Indoor Attractions in nearby city- Museums, Children’s Museums, Aquariums, Kid friendly brewery or winery, trampoline parks, bowling, etc. Just google indoor activities for whatever city you are near and get out and explore.

19. Craft Kits - you can create your own kit or buy one ready to go. This can be as simple as beads and string or that super cool dream catcher kit in my Amazon list for rainy day activities.

20. Science Experiments - Honestly even I’d have to just google this one. I wouldn’t know where to start, but I’ve seen it mentioned in forums so I thought I’d include it here.

21. Dominos - I haven’t played dominos in years and would totally have to figure it all out again, but I do remember having fun. Seems like a great game for kids and adults alike.

22. Paper Doll Books - I’ve never done paper dolls with my daughter, but I’d bet if I pulled this out on a rainy day, she’d be in heaven.

23. Joke Books - This is for when you’re desperate and everyone is getting on each other’s last nerve. Hopefully a joke or two will get everyone smiling again.

24. Magnatiles - We don’t have magnatiles, buy I’ve almost invested in them several times. Everyone who has them swears they’ll keep their kids busy creating for hours.

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Just after the sun came back out, looking at birds on the water.

Get everything you need to entertain your kiddos on a rainy day in the RV on Amazon. Click the button below to go to my Rainy Day Shopping List created specifically for this blog post.

This link is an affiliate link and I may receive a small commission for any items purchased by clicking this link. If you choose to click and purchase, Thank you! This is how I can continue to bring you quality content on a regular basis.

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A cold day spent inside at Moody Gardens Rain Forest Pyramid while camping in Galveston.

Do you camp? What are some of your favorite rainy day camping activities? Share them with me in the comments for others to see.

Thanks for reading my post!

-Monica

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Oven S'mores in Under 5 Minutes

Have you ever wondered how you can make s’mores at home in the oven? We have. We technically have 3 months between our last camping trip and our next one and we’re already missing the camping life with over 2 months to go. It’s funny really because the first time we did s’mores with our kids they hated them. I bought the jumbo marshmallows and it was just too much marshmallow (as if there is such a thing) and they didn’t like how messy it was. They’ve since come to love them and we’ve found a way to have them on any ole night at home in under 5 minutes without having to fire up the grill. This is literally the quickest and easiest s’more you ever made and I’d say it’s just as good as the ones we make on the open fire (I’m sure I’m being judged for this statement by campers everywhere and I’m okay with that). Seriously it’ll take you longer to read this blog post than it will to make the actual s’mores.

Now, I know that I’m not generally your recipe girl. I’m only sorta a decent cook. Basically I can follow instruction really well, but cooking really isn’t my thing, but also I’m not sure you can actually call this cooking so I think we’re good there. Plus this is so easy my kids can do it.

What you’re going to need

• a cookie sheet

• foil (optional)

• graham cracker squares (2 for each s’more you plan to make)

• medium size marshmallows (1 per s’more)

• Hershey’s chocolate bar (2 individual pieces per s’more)

“Cooking” Instructions

• set oven to a high broil (our options are high and low, but I think high is 550 degrees).

• cover cookies sheet in foil if you’re like me and like the easy cleanup of just rolling up the foil and throwing it away.

• set one (1) graham cracker square down for each s’more you plan to make.

• add one (1) marshmallow to the top of each cracker.

• Put in oven for 1-2 minutes or until the tops of the marshmallows are at your desired level of burnt (we’re all different so you do you). Just keep a close eye on it because broil can sneak up on you real fast.

• Remove from oven and add 2 individual chocolate square to the top of each marshmallow.

• Add top graham cracker to each s’more and give it a little squish.

• enjoy!!!!

A Dreary Weekend at Lake Bastrop South Shore Park

So first things first, I’m just letting you know that if you’re showing up at Lake Bastrop South Shore Park after 4pm on a Friday with your camper, you need to call ahead and let them know. I’m not always the best at reading the fine print, but fortunately we knew our site number and the park host made sure we were good to go. In my defense, I originally planned on showing up at check in time, but life happens and it didn’t happen.

Where’d we go camping?

Lake Bastrop South Shore Park (an LCRA Park)

Lake Bastrop South Shore Park is one of a collection of parks located along the Colorado River in Texas operated by the LCRA (Lower Colorado River Authority). We paid $22/night to stay in a water/electric RV site and then paid an entry of $5/day for just the adults. The park does have a dump station and I believe they also have just a few full hook up sites. If you don’t have an RV, cabins are also available for rent and of course you can bring your tent.

Site Number?

Site number 4. We made our reservations kind of late and I wasn’t actually excited about this site at the time of reservation. Turns out it’s (in my opinion) one of the best campsites in the park. It’s super spacious with a sufficient enough pad for our monster of a camper and it has a little trail right down to the water. You can actually see the water from the campsite when you’re looking down the trail. This site would be perfect for anyone planning to bring kayaks along as there is plenty of room and an area perfect for launching kayaks just at the end of the trail.

What did we do there?

So we have a running joke already in our household about my ability to choose camping weekends. This was only our 4th trip, but each trip has come with some kind of weather. The first one was cold and a little rainy, the second one was cold and super duper windy, the third was actually mostly okay, but it was a little cold in comparison to the weekends on either side of it, and this one came with the promise of legit storms, flash flooding, and potential for 2 inch hail. Yep, I sure know how to pick them. That being said we didn’t really get to take too much advantage of our time at the park this go around. I think we watched every movie in the camper at least once.

We spent some time down by the water near our campsite watching fish swim around, listening for and finding frogs, and just playing. We also explored the other community areas of the park which included fishing docks, a playground, boat rentals, and mini golf. Of course with the weather we didn’t get to do all of those things, but we were impressed with the amount of activities available. Hiking of course is also on the list of things you could do. You could even hike all the way to the North Shore of the park to the LCRA park there.

Campsite 4. This was our first night and the best weather and light of the entire trip.

Pre bedtime exploration on night 1. This is the area just at the end of the trail from the campsite that would be great for launching a kayak or canoe.

Messy eater didn’t get cleaned up before setting off to explore.

Do you see the frog? This little guys were hanging out all over near the water. It was so fun to spot them.

Looking for fish swimming around. There was actually a bass just off the shore. Would have been a great fishing spot.

Next time bubba.

My heart.

Fishing pier at the RV loop.

Part of the park playground.

Swimming area. It was a little cold for swimming though.

Love this quiet moment.

More from the swimming area at the main community area where the playground, mini golf, and boat rentals are located just off a large parking lot.

The Clean Explorer Disposable Rain Ponchos with Hood and Drawstring: Extra Thick (4 Pack) Buy on Amazon

After this last photo we headed back to our campsite for lunch and Corbin’s nap. By the end of Corbin’s nap, the weather was starting to approach and any plans we had were out the window. We stayed inside the rest of the time and watched movies and waited on storms to pass.

Leaving the next morning was quite eventful. Check out is noon and all we saw on the radar was one storm after another. We packed up the inside of the camper and waited for a break and weather and then hooked up as fast was we could and hit up the dump station in the rain with thunder off in the distance not all that far away.

Ponchos are a definite must have to have on hand in your camper. If you don’t have them, go to the dollar store or jump on Amazon and order some now.

-Moninca

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Other Products seen in this blog post

Disclaimer: These are affiliate links.

YEMYHOM 100% Polyester Spillproof Tablecloths for Rectangle Tables 60 x 84 Inch Indoor Outdoor Camping Picnic Rectangular Table Cloth (Dark Blue and White Checkered) Buy on Amazon

Bon Brasserie 20-Piece Stainless Steel Flatware Silverware Cutlery Set - Black in Petite Size, Include Knife/Fork/Spoon, Dishwasher Safe, Service for 4 Buy on Amazon

Spring Break at Inks Lake State Park

You know what Saida and I fought about just before heading out with the camper to Inks Lake State Park? She didn’t want to go and and kept telling me we should just stay home. Homegirl junior. Not that she cares, but I had to pull the “well mommy and daddy don’t spend too much money a month on this camper to not go anywhere so do you think we should go camping or do you want to sell the camper?”

Obviously we went camping. I won’t say she didn’t cry about it for an hour and half on the way there though because she totally did.

Where’d we go?

Inks Lake State Park (and Longhorn Cavern State Park for a couple hours)

Site number?

West Loop, Site 43. I’d highly recommend this site especially if you like being right on the water and you like having the park store nearby with boat rentals and such. It is very close to the park store though and when they did fishing with a park ranger, there was a lot of foot traffic on the trail between 42 and 43. We didn’t mind, but if you do, consider a different site. And also fair warning, someone did mention to me on the Texas RV Camping Facebook page that they had seen a rattlesnake and some water moccasins in this particular area. We kept and eye out, but never saw anything.

What we did while we were there

Camped, hiked, paddle boated, made memories with family, made s’mores and hamburgers, watched movies in the camper (we’re real people), fished, hit up the park store for ice cream, made a quick trip to Longhorn Cavern State Park to take a cave tour.

Other Things you can do there

They have at least 2 playgrounds, a Kona Ice truck, kayaks, canoes, more hiking trails, swimming in the lake & events depending on the day. Also I had my eye on a winery up Park Road 4 called Perissos Vinyard and Winery, but we didn’t actually go there.

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Around the campsite

Campsite 43. You can see the canoes from the park store behind the camper.

Golden hour behind our campsite looking towards the park store.

From our campsite (43) looking out over the cove.

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Hiking

My kids aren’t exactly experienced hikers so when picking out a hike, we went for something that appeared manageable. We chose Lower and Upper Fisherman’s Trail and essentially made a loop. We ended up on the dark green trail for a few minutes so we walked a little further than originally anticipated, but overall this was a great trail for them. They got to climb a little, see the lake, and it wasn’t too long or challenging for them (ages 3 and 5). Corbin fell a few times, but that’s mainly because he’s a little more clumsy than your average 3 year old.

Upper Fisherman’s Trail

Lower Fisherman’s Trail and they were only climbing because the wanted to. This is actually just above the trail.

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Paddle Boats

Anyone curious what happens when I ask my kids to stand next to each other for a picture? THIS! This is what happens. This is why I don’t ask them to do it. Also the only reason I have this sad image is because we were about to buy ice cream and they weren’t taking a chance of not getting it. Also this was after getting off the paddle boats which ended up being a disaster because everyone was tired and both kids (who couldn’t even really reach the peddles) wanted to be able to peddle at the same time. We didn’t even use our full hour and then when I asked Saida what her favorite part of camping was after we’d been home a few days, she said the paddle boats. Blew my mind. I’m like you mean that thing we did where everyone whined the whole time. They really did have a great camping trip overall though.

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Longhorn Cavern State Park

Longhorn Cavern State Park really wasn’t on our list of things to do on this trip, but when we realized it was literally down the street from Inks Lake State Park, we decided why not. To be honest I really wasn’t sure what we were getting into. I thought we could explore a cave on our own for like 20 minute and then go hit some trails (because from what I can tell they have some super easy and kid friendly trails), but turns out this cavern is much more expansive than I originally thought and it’s only accessible by a 90 minute guided tour. Obviously we took the tour and decided against any hiking trails since we were well into nap time by the time we finished. The kids absolutely loved it. Corbin was a litte over it about an hour in (because it was nap time) but overall he did really well (thank goodness).

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We’re only three camping trips in, but so far we’ve really enjoyed each one. I think the kids are anxious to come back here again sometime soon. My final thought is that it’s a fantastic park for families and next time we look forward to bringing bikes for the kids as well. Maybe I’ll even hit up that winery and report back.

-Monica

Galveston Island Camping Trip: More of My Happy

If you’ve known me for more than 5 minutes, you probably know that the beach/bay is the place my soul craves. Our latest camping trip to Galveston Island State Park was gloomy, windy, and cold. I didn’t care. It rained all weekend at home so gloomy, windy, and cold with a bay view seemed just fine to me. The sun came out on our last morning just as it was about time to start packing up. We decided to spend just 30 more minutes exploring before we had to leave and the dunes on the beach side of the island is where we ended up. They called it their mountain. They were in thier own kind of heaven and I can’t even explain to you how overwhelmingly happy and at peace I was in this moment. It’s the kind of happy and peaceful you forget exists until it sneaks up on you. There isn’t a worry or a care in the world because in that moment nothing else matters except being present and completely soaking it in and storing it in a place to keep you content until that feeling sneaks up on you again.

Beachside at Galveston Island State Park

Leaving was the hardest thing. Nobody wanted to go.

More of my favorites from our trip below.

Galveston Island State Park Hiking Trail

Lensbaby detail in the camper

Saki Monkeys inside the Rainforest Pyramid at Moody Gardens

Outside Moody Gardens Rainforest Pryramid

Inside Moody Gardens Rainforest Pyramid

Walkways over the intercoastal at Galveston Island State Park

Hiking at Galveston Island State Park

Camper window light with a lensbaby

We stayed with our RV at Galveston Island State Park on the bayside in site 55. I feel like sites 58-64 would be ideal in terms of a killer view of the bay. That’s my goal for next time. I think I acutally prefer the bayside to the beachside. The bay has a sense of calm that is totally my jam so I think I’d do that again.

We try to keep things simple. This was a quick trip so Moody Gardens Rainforest Pyramid is the only attraction we spent money on. We did things like drive by port on Saturday while two ships were in and the kids thought that was cool. We didn’t take the ferry this time, but kids also love that and it’s free. Just do it when it’s not crowded. In the past we’ve done the offshore oil rig museum which is pretty cool and affordable and just right there by the cruise ships, just with the wind we skipped it this time. I think Corbin would love it though so I want to take him to do that someday. What I really wanted to do was the oil rig museum at 4pm when the ships left so we could wave to the cruisers on deck as it passed by. That would have been cool, but our go with the flow attitude meant we weren’t around for that. Exploring the park and connecting with nature was priority for me even though we made time for fun in town too.

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The Picture That Sums up Why we Bought a Camper / Our Trip to McKinney Falls State Park

I promised myself I’d start blogging about our camping trips once we actually started taking them. I wasn’t sure what these blog posts would be exactly. I’m pretty sure I was thinking at some point I would become some sort of camping expert and people would flock to my blog to hear about our trips and what cool things I did/cooked that they too need to be doing, but I’m not sure this is where that is going. Big dreams, huh? I feel inspired for like 5 minutes and then it’s gone so…. Also, like, I’m never going to be that person. EVER. I don’t have my shit nearly enough together for that.

This morning I edited a picture from our trip that basically sums up our reason for buying a camper and trying to take a camping trip every month. Do you want to see it? Not that your answer matters because I’m going to show it to you whether you want to or not.

Here it is…

You: But Monica, that’s just a blurry photo of your child swinging on her hammock. How could that possibly sum up your reasons for buying a camper?

Me: Um no, it’s not. That photo right there is a feeling.

But for real, the out of focus element of this image is giving me this out of body experience where time has slowed significantly and I’m just exactly where I’m supposed to be. It’s that thing I was reaching for when we bought our camper. It’s that thing I’ve wasted the past 6 months or so of my life anxiously awaiting. It’s that thing we’ve been missing in this life that doesn’t ever seem to slow down. It just goes faster and faster and faster and we were afraid that before we knew it we’d wake up and our kids would be grown and we would have let the opportunity for these kinds of experiences pass us up.

It’s easy to skip these things over. It’s easy to say, “Well, life is just to damn busy to stop right now.” We live in a world where we have to intentionally schedule time to slow down and so that’s what we’re doing.

Me: You wanna see more of my favorites from this trip to McKinney Falls State Park?

You: Yes, Monica. I can’t think of anything I’d love more.

Where we stayed: McKinney Falls State Park in Austin, Texas

Campsite: 18, (1 of 12 50 amp sites with water and electric). Very large pull through campsite with one site very close by (worked out fine because they never came out of their camper) and next to the bathrooms which turned out to not be a big deal at all. In fact when Corbin pooped in his pull up we were just thankful there was a dumpster nearby.

Think of Someplace Warm

So I love yoga partly because I sometimes get to have these day dreamy moments at the instruction of my yoga teacher and nobody gets to ruin them by asking for fruit snacks or milk. It’s not every time I go, but I hadn’t actually been in over two weeks and my body and mind were screaming for some me time on the mat.

It was 90 degrees yesterday. It’s 45 degrees today so during a pre-class child’s pose Maria (my yoga instructor) asked us to think of someplace warm. 10 times out of 10 when you ask me to think of someplace warm, I’m going to think of my toes in the sand, the sun on my face, and gentle waves slowly lulling me to sleep. It’s my go to. I tried to go there today and you know what? I didn’t want to be there.

Who am I? Why do I not want to be at the beach? What other warm place could I possibly want to go?

And then I had my most favorite day dream of someplace warm to date. It was cold outside in this day dream (much like today), but I was snuggled in close on the couch in our new to us camper in front of the TV and space heater fireplace with the three people who mean the most to me in all the world. Wrapped in blankets we’re happy and warm and just soaking in all the goodness that is family confined to a small space. We’re drinking hot chocolate, the kids are laughing (I can actually hear Corbin laughing in my head and it makes me smile), Tyler and I are beaming with pride for the family we created, and I literally can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather be.

I can’t wait to start sharing our camping adventures with you. I love that we’re calling them adventures. I was showing Saida all the places we’d go and instead of asking where we’d camp next, she asked me to tell her what the next adventure would be. It was painful actually signing the paperwork for the second most expensive thing we currently own, but hearing her put it that way makes me realize I would have gladly paid even more to make these adventures her reality. These are the moments we were absolutely meant to live together and I’m glad we get to start sooner rather than later.

Stay tuned.

- Monica