What better way to chase away the doldrums of winter than planning a future vacation? We are barely into 2023 and I am already thinking about Spring Break and summer vacations. We try to change up the vacation options each year. Some years, we definitely spend a decent chunk of change on a vacation such as spending more than normal on where we stay. Last year was a trip to Gulf Shores, Alabama. That was expensive both in hotel costs, food, and an unexpected hospital trip for a kidney stone (that was NOT on the itinerary!). Other trips have been to the coast at various hotels or to the in-laws’ cabin in a certain mountainous state Texans love to visit.
Two years ago, however, we opted to try a new type of adventure: camping at Texas state parks! We do not have an RV and tent camping holds no appeal to me so we opted to try out screened shelters. They appealed to my frugal budget while giving the kids that outdoor camping experience where we had a fire pit and no air conditioning. Have you ever priced reservations for the state parks? They can be quite reasonable with the state park pass! We’ve had the pass before in years past but it was mostly because we frequented the Lake Mineral Wells State Park near our home with its excellent walking trails and fishing opportunities.
When my husband had the grand idea to try camping at state parks, it was partially to see new areas of the state and to give the kids opportunities to do new things like geocache and fish. Last year’s trip started off at Lake Tyler State Park, which has a spring-fed lake and was truly beautiful. We had a screened shelter where it was 50% enclosed, 50% screened and it was really nice. We did a LOT of walking, swimming, and fishing while we were there as well as enjoyed doing the “camping” things like making smores and playing card games. Even when a particularly wet storm system rolled through one night, we stayed comfortable and dry. A couple of box fans kept the air circulating at night and we were out and about during the day exploring the park. I have a spiral notebook we write down what we loved or disliked about our stay, both at the park and a particular camping space. The boys like to contribute their thoughts and they never fail to entertain at the very least.
We ended the trip at Fort Parker State Park which also entailed a screened shelter; this shelter, however, was only 25% enclosed and 75% open screen. Thanks to the above referenced storm system, half the concrete pad of the shelter had water on it. This was supposed to be a two-night stop but after seeing the water on the shelter floor, I questioned if we shouldn’t just go ahead and head home. The prospect of so much of the shelter being exposed to the elements was less than appealing. However, Fort Parker had a couple of cabins and one was available for the exact amount of time we were going to be there. We opted to upgrade to a cabin and that was amazing! Air conditioning, four walls, and just a little higher price. Well worth it over the screened shelter! We had an amazing view looking out over the lake and although the playground was not available for the kids, we still managed to explore some of their trails and get a bit of fishing done. Their gift shop was pretty top notch, too. We spent way too much there!
This year, I’ve booked us spots at Lake Whitney State Park and Lake Bob Sandlin State Park. My husband’s family would often do family reunions at Lake Whitney years ago; I remember attending a few while we were in the dating years but that was RV camping. Our boys will be experiencing shelter camping! I did manage to snag us a cabin at Bob Sandlin so that will give us the best of both worlds. I hope. Weather, please be kind and cooperate! My boys are already talking about fishing and geocaching. My eldest kept asking, “Are we staying close to the water?” My priority was a mix of bathroom proximity as well as lake proximity. Hopefully both of us will be satisfied when we arrive and experience it for ourselves.
One of our goals as a family is to try and camp – or at least visit – every state park in Texas. The 90th state park will be opening up north of us soon so … three down and 87 to go! Being able to experience the parks as campers in the shelters certainly adds an extra little level of immersion in the environment. Maybe someday we’ll have a small RV to haul around but in the meantime, it is quite the adventure to find parks with accommodations that work for us: cabin or screened shelter with at least 50% coverage during the dates we can travel.
What type of vacation do you enjoy most? Getting back to nature or more thematic parks?
Going Green In Texas 