Outdoor enthusiasts have numerous attractive camping options across Texas for Labor Day weekend, but the best campsites will be claimed by those who make their campsite reservations now, according to a press release.
“We always encourage people to book their reservations early because the best campsites and cabins always sell out first,” said Brian Schaeffer, executive director and CEO of the Texas Association of Campground Owners (TACO).
Schaeffer added that most campgrounds in the Hill Country area suffered little damage during the recent downpours that struck the area.
“People assume Hill Country RV parks were destroyed, but that’s not true. Hill Country parks are both open and eager for business,” he said.
TACO hosts travel planning websites, including TexasCampgrounds.com and TexasCabinRentals.net. The websites are designed to help consumers find the best campgrounds near their intended vacation destinations.
Here’s a sampling of campgrounds across Texas that have vacancies over Labor Day weekend, along with information on things to see and do at each location:
Big Al’s Barefoot Bay in Pittsburg: This park features lakeside campsites and furnished cabins. This park also offers fishing at Lake Bob Sandlin and live music and fantastic food at Castaways Bar & Grill.
Camp Tahuaya Family Adventure Campground in Belton: This campground offers everything from rustic campsites to RV sites, air-conditioned glamping tents and cabins. A variety of outdoor activities are also available, including hiking, water activities, target and range sports, and team-building activities. There’s also an on-site bistro.
Coffee Creek RV Resort & Cabins in Santo: This park has 115 RV sites and 15 cabins. Amenities include volleyball and pickleball courts, an exercise room and a fishing pond.
Forest Retreat RV Park in New Caney: This RV park has almost 100 sites with 50-amp and 30-amp service and lots of amenities, including a resort-size swimming pool, clubhouse and exercise room. This park is consistently rated 10-10-10 by the Good Sam Club based on its immaculate facilities, restroom cleanliness and striking visual appeal.
Fort Amarillo RV Park in Amarillo: This park is often used as a base camp for excursions to Palo Duro Canyon State Park, which features a rugged 800-foot-deep, 110-mile-long chasm that is the largest canyon in the U.S. after the Grand Canyon. Fort Amarillo RV Park has many amenities, including a 4,500-square-foot dog park, tennis courts, an indoor heated swimming pool, and a unique gift store called Lizzie Mae’s Mercantile, which features everything from Texas-themed souvenirs to Christmas ornaments, unique baking mixes and condiments, and home decor items.
Hatch RV Park in Corpus Christi: This family-owned park celebrated its 90th anniversary in 2023, making it one of the oldest RV parks in Texas. Park amenities include a 36,000-gallon swimming pool and spa, pull-through RV sites, restroom and shower buildings and a park store. Nearby attractions include
South Texas Botanical Gardens & Nature Center: The 182-acre garden features a 2,600 square-foot screen butterfly house as well as orchid and bromeliad conservatories. The nature center includes native habitats and natural wetlands that are home to a variety of wildlife. Other attractions include the U.S.S. Lexington Museum. Commissioned in 1943, the U.S.S. Lexington is one of the most famous World War II-era aircraft carriers. Her planes destroyed 372 enemy aircraft in the air and 475 more on the ground.
Hidden Lake RV Park in Beaumont: This campground offers lakeside campsites, catch-and-release fishing, and a nature trail.
Loyd Park in Grand Prairie: Loyd Park is a 791-acre recreation area located in the middle of the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex on the west shore of Joe Pool Lake, featuring 221 campsites, several lakefront cabins, multiple yurts, and an 18-room lodge. Built on a site with large, majestic oak trees just a few steps from Joe Pool Lake, Loyd Park Lodge features a fully-furnished kitchen, a covered porch with rocking chairs, a barbecue grill, a fire pit, big screen TVs and Wi-Fi.
Oak Creek RV Park in Weatherford: This 126-site north Texas park, located an hour west of Dallas, also has three hotel rooms. Amenities include a swimming pool and large hot tub, pickleball courts, horseshoes and an exercise room.
Oakdale RV Resort & Motor Court in Glen Rose: This park, which features RV and tent sites as well as rental accommodations, opened in 1925 as a campground and motor court, built around the 330,000-gallon Oakdale Plunge, the largest swimming pool in Texas at that time, according to the park’s owners. Oakdale is one of only a handful of private RV parks in the country listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A historic dance hall building with enough tables and chairs to seat up to 400 people is used for family reunions, weddings, quinceañeras, RV rallies, music concerts, and dances. Plans are in the works for regularly scheduled dances and an occasional roller-skating return to celebrate the park’s 100th anniversary in 2025. Park amenities include a fire pit, an outdoor stage, a grill by the swimming pool and a dog park.
Trader’s Village RV Park in Houston: This big rig-friendly park has level concrete pads and is adjacent to Trader’s Village, which features weekend flea markets, shopping, rides and special events. Park amenities include a swimming pool, restrooms and showers, laundry facilities, a recreation hall, an ATM, and propane service.
West Bay Marina RV Park in Azle: This 185-site park offers daily, weekly and monthly rates. Amenities include a sandy swim beach, a playground, and a marina with boat slips, as well as boat and cabin rentals. Land storage units are also available.
Woodland Lakes RV Park in Conroe: This campground is a convenient base camp for attractions in The Woodlands area, north of Houston, including Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion.
Schaeffer noted that companies like Malakoff-based Platinum Cottages are also supplying Texas campgrounds with fully furnished park-model-style cabins and cottages with separate bedrooms, kitchens and bathrooms.
Based in Crowley, the Texas Association of Campground Owners is the trade association that represents campgrounds, RV parks and resorts across the Lone Star State. TexasCampgrounds.com also provides links to RV dealers, repair centers and RV aftermarket suppliers, other travel and tourism resources in Texas, as well as the annual RV Travel & Camping Guide to Texas, which is available for free in both digital and print formats.
For more info about camping in Texas, visit TexasCampgrounds.com and TexasGlampingResorts.com.
