Have You Been There?

There are tons of beautiful sights to see close to home as well as far away. Here are a few places that we've camped at as well as some recommendations by some of our renters. Please let us know if you have somewhere you'd like to recommend.

Lake Bob Sandlin State Park - Lake Bob Sandlin State Park is a 639.8-acre park located on the heavily-wooded shoreline on the north side of the 9400-acre Lake Bob Sandlin, located southeast of Mount Pleasant, Texas in Titus County. There is evidence of prehistoric Caddoan people which occupied East Texas from 200 B.C. to 1700. Popular fish include largemouth bass, catfish, and crappie. Rainbow trout are stocked at the park in the winter.

Bob Sandlin

Cedar Hill State Park - Cedar Hill State Park is a 1,826 acre urban nature preserve located on the 7500 acre Joe Pool Reservoir just Southwest of downtown Dallas, Texas. You would never know you were this close to the city! Features 355 mostly wooded campsites with a shade shelter over some of the picnic tables. Each site has water, electricity, a fire-ring, a lantern pole, and a picnic table. Great hiking and biking trails.

Cedar Hill State Park

Carlsbad Caverns - Carlsbad, New Mexico. Rocky slopes and canyons, cactus, grass, thorny shrubs, and the occasional tree, who could guess at the hidden treasures deep underground? Beneath this rugged land are more than 117 known caves - all formed when sulfuric acid dissolved the surrounding limestone. While there are a variety of cave tours available—from the self-guided areas of the Big Room to crawling through narrow passageways on the Hall of the White Giant Tour or in Spider Cave—there are also opportunities for hiking and backcountry camping, attending programs in the visitor center, and watching the incredible exodus of Mexican free-tail bats out of Carlsbad Cavern at dusk in the summer. Nearby the caverns is Brantley Lake State Park with great fishing and full hookups just 12 miles North.

Carlsbad

South Padre Island - Texas. Located on the tropical tip of Texas, South Padre Island is bordered by the Gulf of Mexico and the Laguna Madre Bay. Beautiful beaches, warm Gulf waters, fishing, boating, bird watching, shopping, and a diversity of year-round activities await every visitor. The 34 mile-long barrier reef is about a 1/2 mile at its widest point and has about 5,000 inhabitants and about one million visitors annually. Great fishing!! Bay or offshore, from a boat, flyfishing, surffishing, guided or by yourself, you will be surprised by the variety of exciting options laying just below the surface! For the family, Schlitterbahn Beach Waterpark on beautiful South Padre Island is the the tropical destination for family fun! With interconnecting water rides and slides, a huge 5-story tall Sandcastle, thrilling uphill water coasters, a man-made surfing wave, and direct access to the Gulf of Mexico, Schlitterbahn Beach has all the ingredients for a great summer getaway! South Padre Island offers one of the most fantastic beach vacation destinations in the world.

South Padre

Grand Canyon National Park - Grand Canyon National Park encompasses canyons, river tributaries, and surrounding grounds. The Grand Canyon is situated in Arizona's northwestern quadrant. With five million visitors making the trip to the canyon each year, Grand Canyon National Park is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the United States. In addition, the park has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1979.
The Grand Canyon had a long and arduous road to becoming a national park, beginning in the 1880's with several failed congressional bills. After making multiple visits to the area, Theodore Roosevelt declared the Grand Canyon a National Monument in 1908. The bill to grant national park status to the area was passed in 1919 and signed by then-President Woodrow Wilson.
There are two public areas of Grand Canyon National Park, the North and South Rims. At 7,000 feet above sea level, the Grand Canyon South Rim is the most accessible section of the national park, with numerous places where visitors can pull over to admire the views. The Grand Canyon North Rim, 1,000 feet higher than its southern sibling, isn't as popular because it is harder to get to, especially when harsh winter weather closes access roads. By car, the trip from one rim to the other is 220 miles. However, if traveling by foot, the distance across the canyon is 21 miles via the Kaibab Trails.
Grand Canyon

Galveston Island - We recently stayed on Galveston Island and had a fantastic time. Galveston Island is located on the coastline of Texas just 50 miles south of Houston. Explore the treasures it has to offer – 32 miles of beaches, relaxed atmosphere, abundant leisure activities, excellent medical facilities, first-rate restaurants, numerous attractions and a vibrant historic downtown that offers cruising, shopping, arts and entertainment. Although there are many great RV resorts on the island, we personally stayed at Dellanera RV Park right on the beach and thoroughly enjoyed our stay. Tip: Unless you prefer the "personal" method, we would suggest packing vinegar just in case you run into any jellyfish.

Galveston

Crater of Diamonds State Park - Murfreesboro, Arkansas. Only 4 hours northeast is the only diamond-producing site in the world open to the public. Here you can experience a one-of-a-kind adventure hunting for real diamonds. You'll search over a 37 1/2-acre plowed field, the eroded surface of an ancient volcanic crater that 100 million years ago brought to the surface the diamonds and some of the semi-precious stones lucky visitors find here today. Bring a shovel or you can rent one there along with screens and many other digging tools. You never know, you could be the next diamond tycoon!

Crater of Diamonds

Inks Lake State Park - 1,200-acre Inks Lake State Park is located on the pink granite outcroppings of the Llano Uplift. The park is characterized by scenic vistas overlooking expansive granite hills and 803-acre Inks Lake. Over 7 miles of hiking trails are available. Extremely popular year-round, the park offers recreational opportunities such as camping, fishing, picnicking, wildlife observation, SCUBA diving, swimming, boating and water sports. Boat ramps, two fishing piers, a playground, and a 9-hole golf course are also available. Since the park's group facilities, mini-cabins, developed (RV) and tent campsites are often in high demand, reservations are highly recommended.

Wildlife includes white-tail deer, wild turkeys, various lizards, snakes, ospreys, and numerous songbirds. Birding opportunities in winter are excellent as red-breasted mergansers, common loons, and bald eagles congregate in the area.

Inks Lake

Palo Duro Canyon State Park - Palo Duro Canyon State Park opened on July 4, 1934 and contains 29,182 acres of the scenic, northern most portion of the Palo Duro Canyon. The Civilian Conservation Corps of the 1930's constructed most of the buildings and roads still in use by park staff and visitors.

The Canyon is 120 miles long, as much as 20 miles wide, and has a maximum depth of more than 800 feet. Its elevation at the rim is 3,500 feet above sea level. It is often claimed that Palo Duro Canyon is the second largest canyon in the United States. The largest, the Grand Canyon, is 277 miles long, 18 miles wide, and 6,000 ft. deep.

Palo Duro Canyon was formed by water erosion from the Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River. The water deepens the canyon by moving sediment downstream. Wind and water erosion gradually widen the canyon.

Early Spanish Explorers are believed to have discovered the area and dubbed the canyon "Palo Duro" which is Spanish for "hard wood" in reference to the abundant mesquite and juniper trees.

Palo Duro

Have a place you'd like to suggest? Send us the destination and some details at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and we'll let 'em know!