Our Family’s Favorite RV Camping Spots In Texas
As a mom of two boys, I’ve had to get on board with the whole camping thing. But - as you know - I have a tee-tiny window of comfort, so tent camping is out for me.
I love the outdoors, but only if the temperature is just right. And if there are no bugs. And there has to be a breeze. But it can’t be windy.
We started RV camping about 10 years ago, and we had so much fun with it, we peer pressured our friends into buying RV’s so we could basically pick up our neighborhood and take it with us for trips around the state of Texas.
As our kids have gotten older, most of our camping friends - not taking our feelings into consideration at all - have sold their RV’s, exchanging that monthly payment for their kids’ college tuition.
Before they chose education over camping, our families spent many weekends together at so many fun different camping spots.
Today I’m sharing our five favorites, along with why we love them so much, and - as a special treat - I’m even sharing the best sites at each park.
Here are our family’s favorite RV Camping Spots In Texas
Jim Hogg Park, Georgetown
We live exactly 10 minutes door-to-door AND including pulling the RV behind us, from our house to this gorgeous park, but it’s worth all the work that goes into packing, buying groceries, even the RV clean-up after the trip’s over.
Located on Lake Georgetown, a small-ish lake fed by the crisp, clear water of the San Gabriel River, the park’s website says fishing is excellent, but we’ve found it to be only so-so.
Still, it’s an easy lake for boating and, as they say, “a bad day of fishing is better than a good day at work,” so it’s still fun to try your hand at bass, crappie, and catfish.
There are 142 sites and they are enormous, with big, beautiful shade trees. Each site has a fully covered picnic table on a concrete pad, electric hookups (20/30/50 amp available), and water hookup (but no sewage!).
Check out how huge these sites are!
Site #39
Not a great picture, but I wanted to show you how many people can fit in these huge covered patios!
Enormous tree-covered spots
Pros:
• Cheap - only $22-$40 per night
• HEB only 9 miles from the park
• Huge, well-treed sites
• Concrete pad with huge covered picnic table at each site
Cons:
• No sewage
Best Sites:
30, 32, 34, & 36 because they back up to the lake and the sites are especially big
Lonestar Jellystone, Waller
We love every Jellystone we’ve ever stayed at, but this one - Lonestar Jellystone - is at the top of the list, because they have an amazing water park that’s included in the price of your stay (not the case for other Jellystone parks), and I do mean it’s amazing: it’s got a lazy river, three different water slides, two pools, and a splash pad.
Located just north of Houston, the grounds of the park are beautiful, with lush landscaping kept clean and tidy, and it feels worlds away from the busy city that’s Houston.
The sites are well-treed, with many of them pull-through, and they have three tiny little lakes w/in the campgrounds, dotted with cabins around the edges.
Jellystone parks are a little pricier than state parks, but they go above and beyond in making the camping experience more of a fun family vacation. They have planned activities every single day like a fire truck that has Yogi Bear or one of the other bears on board, parading through the park to pick up guests along the way.
Or they’ll have movie night and s’mores around a campfire. Or scavenger hunts, arts and crafts, bingo, and checkers. All kinds of fun stuff.
Check out this monster slide!
Cody made a friend, who apparently had something to say! This part of the water park is especially for younger kids.
That’s one of the ponds back there behind Yogi
Morning sack races near the mini golf course
Pros:
• Water park included in camping price
• Fun activities planned daily
• Laundromat
• Two cafes
Cons:
• Kinda pricey: $49 - $69 per night
• The best sites are also a good hike from the water park and other activity areas. Bring bikes or non-motorized scooters with you, or plan to rent a golf cart (you can’t bring your own).
Best Sites:
562, 563, 568, 569, and 570- because they’ve got some trees and they’re enormous sites. If you have friends joining you who have sold their campers to pay for college, have them rent a cabin and you can choose from sites 538-548, which are right across from the cabins, and are all tucked into the trees.
Heads-up! Sites 13-20 and 41-52 are conveniently close to the pools, but there is absolutely no peace and quiet at those sites because of their proximity to the pools.
Texas Wine Country Jellystone, Fredericksburg
Situated right across the street from Grape Creek winery, you can’t ask for a better location. Once upon a time, we even pilled about seven of us on a golf cart and gunned it across the highway for an afternoon of wine tasting under the shade trees, while the older kids babysat the younger ones back at the campsites.
This location has a huge lodge at the front, with a rock fireplace and big, comfy furniture. One year for my birthday, we packed the karaoke machine and they threw me a little party in the lodge, with a birthday cake and karaoke, and board games. It was one of the best birthdays I’ve ever had!
Look at all that room behind our RV, down to the river!
Enormous jumping pillow
Big, roomy sites with lots of trees and picnic tables
So peaceful hanging out while the guys fish down at the river
Fishing for dinner
Frying up the evening’s catch. Luckily, we also brought chicken with us.
Yogi or one of the other characters will come around to visit during the day. The kids love this!
Pros:
• Dog park
• Giant common area with a fireplace - great room for games!
• In the heart of winery country, this park is located along the highway with a long line of wineries
Cons:
• A pricier camping option, with rates from $58-70 per night
Best Sites:
8-17 are beautiful, spacious sites that back up to the creek, but have a wide span of greenbelt in between the creek and the spots. Site 44 is perfect if you have someone in your party who’s renting Park Model #43, a 2-bedroom cabin that sleeps 6 people.
Gulf Waters Beach Front RV Resort, Port Aransas
We’ve stayed at a few different RV places in Port Aransas, and this one is our favorite. It’s got a totally different vibe from the other RV places because it’s small and the sites are privately owned, which means that some of the people you’ll see there are residents. Winter Texans. And some live there year-round.
There’s a boardwalk that takes you right to the beach, and there are four beautifully landscaped ponds, with RV sites around them. Many (most) of the sites have outdoor patios and some even have outdoor kitchen areas with sink and water service.
There’s a heated pool and hot tub and there are TONS of palm trees. This place is just gorgeous.
Pros:
• Boardwalk beach access
• Gorgeous landscaping and most of the sites have paved patio areas
• Quiet and homey
Cons:
• Pricey: $62 - $89 per night
• They’re picky about what type of RV’s rent here. Yours must be fewer than 10 years old, otherwise you have to get management’s approval.
• Sticklers about noise restrictions (this is also a Pro in my book)
Best Sites:
#732 backs up to a pond and has a big palapa
Site map - Gulf Waters will not allow me to share their site map. 🤷Told ya they’re sticklers. 🙄
Canyon of the Eagles
Nestled in the Texas Hill Country on Lake Buchanan. the patio lodge at Canyon of the Eagles flaunts some of the state’s most spectacular sunset views. About an hour and a half from Austin, this park is home to a few endangered species, including the American Bald Eagle, and I’m going to tell you something: If you’ve never seen one of these beauties in real life, there is something magical when you spot one flying over your head!
There is a small pool, but it’s so small and doesn’t have any protection from the sun, so the water is like a bathtub.
This park puts on educational programs on the weekends, like a reptile show, where they pull out snakes and lizards and pass them around so visitors get an up-close-and-personal view, and a dog program, where you go on a guided walk with your dog, and can learn about “dog language.” I love that so much!
This one is a hiker’s paradise.
There are 14 miles of trails that curl around the hillsides and lead down through wildflowers and cactus and down toward the lake.
Funny story: my dad joined us on a trip here one year and when I told the guys to all get together for a picture, he squatted down next to my son, and sat his rear right on a cactus.
Naturally, the picture that went in the album is the one of me and my son pulling thorns out of my dad’s ass.
Super awkward when other hikers passed us on the trail.
I wasn’t able to locate that photo at the time of this writing, but you better believe it’s at the top of my list of to-do’s so I can share it with you. Keep an eye on my Instagram for it!
With the hiking, the views, and the educational programs, this one truly is a favorite of our family’s.
Sunset from the patio at the lodge
That’s the restaurant at the right
It doesn’t get any better than this!
Pros:
• Spectacular views, manicured hiking trails
• Educational programs, including one specifically for dog lovers
• Restaurant on site
• Kayak rentals
• Observatory
• Only $45-$49 per night
Cons:
• Tiny, hot pool
Site Map - Canyon of the Eagles does not have a site map posted on their website and did not respond to my request for one.