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Old 01-26-2016, 09:50 PM   #1
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question for cental/hill country Texans

March kids off for spring break, camped in san marcos last year and it was nice but would like to find a good campsite in a nice area not too close to a city but something kinda close by to take kids to do something. When we went to san marcos went visted some caves (really cool my first time) and went too the zoo in tyler, so any suggestions
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Old 01-26-2016, 09:53 PM   #2
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March kids off for spring break, camped in san marcos last year and it was nice but would like to find a good campsite in a nice area not too close to a city but something kinda close by to take kids to do something. When we went to san marcos went visted some caves (really cool my first time) and went too the zoo in tyler, so any suggestions
Fredricksburg and Llano come to mind. Have spent a lot of time in both towns but never in an RV. I would love to visit them again with my TT.

Let us know what accommodations you find.
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Old 01-26-2016, 09:56 PM   #3
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Ok ya i usually try to look up placea on good sam but i know there little gems not on there either, dosent think it matter but im from the houston area and would like to keep it to a 1 day drive but i dont think that should be a problem.
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Old 01-27-2016, 08:34 AM   #4
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No problem getting to some VERY nice hill country destinations one (easy) day out from Houston. Fredericksburg has some nice places; I will stay at Lady Bird Johnson RV Park my next time out. It's a little ways out of town, but not too far, and there's space and the park itself has some activities including various play grounds and some nature trails. We stayed at Oakwood RV Resort last time, and it was just okay; I think the term "Resort" is a bit of a stretch. I've heard the National Museum of the Pacific War is a good stop, but haven't been there. If your DW likes shopping, she'll love Main St. If you're into wine, there are MANY wineries and vineyards in the area that offer tastings and tours. We toured some of them many years ago and had a really good time.

For Kerrville, I have been to Guadalupe River RV Resort, and Kerrville-Shriner Park. Both have their advantages and disadvantages IMO. Try to get a spot away from the roads, the road noise is surprisingly bad in both parks depending on where you're staying. Kerrville-Shriner gets the nod for water activities since it's right at the top end of "Kerrville Lake". It's worth it to drive up the road to Ingram and see Stonehenge II. It's only about a 15-20 minute excursion, so plan additional items for that day. And I would definitely make a stop at Gibson's General Store.

Don't discount the state parks in the area, there are a few to look at. Keep in mind this area fills up during Spring Break. Camp grounds fill up, restaurants fill up, the rivers fill up... It gets pretty crazy out in the Hill Country that time of year.

Good luck! And let us know how it goes!
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Old 01-27-2016, 08:42 AM   #5
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Guadalupe River State Park and Pedernales Falls State Park are great places if you want to be closer to Austin, but they fill up for Spring Break. I've stayed at both parks MANY times in my life and always had a good time. Inks Lake is very popular, and is likely already full for Spring Break, but if you can find a spot, it's supposed to be a great place to stay. I haven't been able to get there yet. I've also wanted to get out to Colorado Bend State Park, but if memory serves, they don't have RV spots? Looks like a nice place to visit anyway...
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Old 01-27-2016, 09:32 AM   #6
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We like Top of the Hill in Boerne, Pecan Park in San Marcos and Oak Creek in Weatherford. A bit further South is On the Beach in Port Aransas.
Near Lake Travis (Austin area) is La Hacienda which is a big park and a bit $$ but is an ok location.
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Old 01-27-2016, 11:39 AM   #7
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Thanks bob and red, very helpful, ya last time we went, we stayed at pecan park we liked it very peaceful and i think a nice park.
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Old 01-27-2016, 02:05 PM   #8
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There's also a Jellystone near Canyon Lake if you're into that kind of park. Close spots but lots of kid activities. I second the Fredericksburg area. Museum of the Pacific War is awesome. So is the Lyndon Johnson ranch (E of Fredericksburg) and there is a working historic farmhouse and stuff there that is great.


We've also stayed at Pioneer RV Resort in Bandera. Park is just OK, but it is next to the river so you can walk to the water. The kids had fun fishing and just playing. The water is pretty shallow at that spot so it is easy to mess around in the water.


If you are military or take someone with you who is there is a nice military only place at Canyon Lake.
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Old 01-29-2016, 09:12 AM   #9
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You might want to consider New Braunfels on the East side of San Antonio. Not really "hill country" (although some there think so). The advantages are Schlitterbahn Water Park (unlike any water park you'll find), tubing on the Guadalupe River and you're less than an hour to San Antonio and Austin where there are many other things to do for kids and adults.

We just stayed at Hill Country Cottage & RV Resort and found it very pleasant. Plus there is an amazing kid-friendly outdoor pool and 2 indoor pools. Seems to have lots of activities on their calendar and many facilities. New Braunfels and Gruene are quaint towns that we really enjoy.
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Old 01-29-2016, 09:15 AM   #10
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You might want to consider New Braunfels on the East side of San Antonio. Not really "hill country" (although some there think so). ....................
Well said and why I did not include it on my things to do. Austin and the surrounding area is nice but I too feel its not really part of the hill country, despite what the maps tell you.

To me, the hill country has a rocky bareness to it IMO. Old country roads to explore and take a bunch of bikes or sports cars around on.

On foot, it is challenging, a bit tough, with cactus and things to stick you. But beautiful to me. I love to spend my time outdoors in it. The wildlife more than makes up for its rugged beauty and they do not seem to mind.
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Old 01-29-2016, 10:38 AM   #11
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You might want to consider New Braunfels on the East side of San Antonio. Not really "hill country" (although some there think so). The advantages are Schlitterbahn Water Park (unlike any water park you'll find), tubing on the Guadalupe River and you're less than an hour to San Antonio and Austin where there are many other things to do for kids and adults.

We just stayed at Hill Country Cottage & RV Resort and found it very pleasant. Plus there is an amazing kid-friendly outdoor pool and 2 indoor pools. Seems to have lots of activities on their calendar and many facilities. New Braunfels and Gruene are quaint towns that we really enjoy.
I'd have to agree with most of this assessment. Except for the assertion that New Braunfels and Gruene are "quaint towns". That may have been the case as little as 5-7 yrs ago, but the area has EXPLODED in recent years. And during spring break (the OP's target time window) the place is anything but quaint. More like a fraternity house mixed in with a zoo. Between the extremely popular tubing rivers, (the Comal and the Guadalupe), and Schlitterbahn, it's a wreck. Everywhere is PACKED with intoxicated college kids. The whole area is almost as much a magnet as South Padre Island for the local universities (UT Austin, Texas State, Texas A&M, UTSA, etc...) As locals, we tend to steer clear of the area during Spring Break, and most times during the summer, it just gets too crazy for our taste.

This all thins out as you move further West, away into the "Hill Country", but not a whole lot. The popular places are all packed during that time, and it's difficult to find the nice little pockets of sanity.

Spring Break is smack in the middle of our busiest time at work, so we don't get to go out during that time, but that works out just fine for us most of the time; we don't like the crowds anyway.
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Old 01-30-2016, 06:36 PM   #12
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I would second the Lady Bird Johnson Park in Fredericksburg. Its a no frills park but a lot of stuff to do in the area.

I would also second Jellystone Park just outside of Canyon Lake. Easy access back to New Braunfels, etc.

I also thoroughly enjoy Guadalupe River State Park. May be hard to get into for spring break. Many SP book up real early.
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Old 01-30-2016, 07:21 PM   #13
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Well we ended up with a place called summit vacation and rv resort, its real close to caynon lake and had good reviews so ill guess we'll see how it goes, plus lot of cool stuff to do with the kids near by, also would like to add just booked our coloardo trip for june right next to pikes peak. I think im more excited than my kids are, gonna be a long drive, about 1000 miles
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Old 01-31-2016, 09:16 AM   #14
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Forgot about that one. River Road is a nice area along the Guadalupe River. Have Fun!!
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Old 02-15-2016, 07:21 PM   #15
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We are from Friendswood and really enjoy the State Parks. Guadalupe State Park outside off Spring Branch is great! We went over Christmas break and enjoyed the park, River, fishing, and hiking. We are going back in the near future. Huntsville State Park is another favorite! Have fun on both trips and keep us posted.
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Old 02-15-2016, 07:36 PM   #16
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We just got back a couple of hours ago from Pendernales SP. This is now one of our new favorite parks! Lots to do at the park and surrounding area. Wife was happy because we were about 1 hour from San Marcos outlet mall...I was happy because we were 20 minutes from Deep Eddy's Vodka distillery in Dripping Springs. We drove over to Fredericksburg (about 45 mins) and spent the day there and did some wine tasting/touring. My favorite park about this SP was that my cell service (AT&T) was not at all good...which meant, I got very few calls and emails from work!!
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Old 02-16-2016, 09:59 AM   #17
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We just got back a couple of hours ago from Pendernales SP. This is now one of our new favorite parks! Lots to do at the park and surrounding area. Wife was happy because we were about 1 hour from San Marcos outlet mall...I was happy because we were 20 minutes from Deep Eddy's Vodka distillery in Dripping Springs. We drove over to Fredericksburg (about 45 mins) and spent the day there and did some wine tasting/touring. My favorite park about this SP was that my cell service (AT&T) was not at all good...which meant, I got very few calls and emails from work!!
Glad to hear you had a good time!! That's always been one of my favorite spots!
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