We want to go camping one weekend in June. We are looking for places with all amenities like bathrooms,....preferably a lodge. We have never gone camping before and I would truly appreciate recommendations of camp sites and what to pack/ to do etc. The plan is to take my Mom and my 10 year old nephew with us. I have a 2 and a 1/2 year old and we prefer not to go too far from DFW....somewhere drivable. I have heard Arkansas is pretty. Look forward to your suggestions.
Thank you,
A.
My family and I just got back from camping over the Memorial Day holiday. We went to Lake Whitney and had a blast. They have cabins that you can rent and the ones that we stayed in was close to the swimming area. Here is the website. www.lakewhitneymarina.com
Turner Falls in Oklahoma
Several places to rent cabins and a wildlife park nearby - also not too long in the car.
Try Inks Lake. It is on the cusp of the hill country and not too far of a drive. It is a Texas State Park and you have to make reservations to stay. They have cabins if you don't want to use a tent or trailer. We went last year with our 6 yr. old and 1 yr.old. They had a blast! Swimming, hiking, fishing and lots of bike riding. It was our first camping trip with the kids and it was the perfect place to go! Have fun!
Lake Ray Roberts in Pilot Point, Tx, just north of Denton is nice and well patroled. We just got back from a state park in Okla., this past weekend and evidently their park laws must be alittle different than ours. There were 17 in our group of which 9 were under the age of 14. The people next to us were drinking, loud and obnoxious. About 1:30AM we nicely ask could they quieten down and naturally they again were obnoxious. We went to the park host and were told to go away and call the number outside on the sign, which we did (it was for the sheriff's dept., no one showed up). About 4:00AM they passed out. I guess in saying all that make sure it is secure, patroled and that kind of activity is not allowed. Blow up mattresses a must, take a batheing suit & flip flops for showering, strand lights and Off. If you place ice in large gallon size baggies to lay over the stuff in you ice chest, the ice will last longer and then when it melts, it doesn't get everything saturated. We also placed everyting in plastic totes, helps to organize. These are just a few tidbits of information. Hope it is helpful.
Before we had a child, DH and I would do lots of camping. We tended to go east where it was more woody (I grew up in Michigan, so I have this expectation of big trees and lots of nature).
Agree Cooper Lake State Park, also Livingston SP, Dangerfield SP - just use the interactive map on the TX Parks website.
Our DD is 2.5 and we took her camping for the first time over memorial day. We camped on Lake Lewisville at a state park. I was really impressed! Lots of trees and you would have never guessed a wal-mart was a 2 minute drive away. It was great b/c we didn't know how well it would go with a 2 year old or the heat (I'm nearly 7 mo pg). Might want to try that out before you haul up and drive several hours away.
Arkansas is great and I reccomend Lake Catherine. It has a lodge and beautiful setting. It's close to Hot Springs and also have a golf course. Also great for bike riding and a little fishing. It has a pool and the lodge has a nice resturant. If you want some place really close to DFW, I would reccomend Hickory Creek Park just accross Lake Lewisville. It is tucked away in a beautiful wooded area and right on Lake Lewisville. There is no lodge, just camping. It has a great play area and great facilities (bath room, showers, electric hook-ups as well as water). Good luch and have a wonderful time.
C.
Lake Murray in OK is just over the state line; about 1 1/2 hr drive up I-35 from the Metroplex. It has a swimming pool & beach, horseback riding, golf, tennis, boating, fishing, and best of all, indoor cabins & even a lodge with hotel-type accomodations with a restaurant. I've always had a lot of fun there. Here's the website for all Oklahoma state parks:
Hello,
My children are pretty much grown, but when they were younger, we would go to Lake Murray in Oklahoma. They have a lodge there as well as cabins or tent/rv sites. They have many things to do there so it will just depend on what you want to do and how many amenities you are looking for. The drive is like 1-1 1/2 hours away from the DFW area.
As for what to take, we always did the tent thing so I packed just about everything that we used at home. If you are going to be at the lodge you won't need anything for cooking or the likes, but I would recommend good sturdy clothes, great walking shoes, sometimes, just depending on the time of year, warm pjs :) For the kids, take their sturdiest clothes and shoes. Nothing fancy since most everyone there will be in trail/camping clothes or even just swimsuits/beachwear.
Good luck and I hope this is a help.
G.
I too was going to recommend the cabins at Cooper State Park. We are frequent campers, so I have some ideas for you. I did not grow up camping, so clean restrooms are a must for me. I sometimes take two showers a day camping. The Texas State Parks are surprisingly clean. My experience is that they are cleaned twice a day. The best lake to go to in Texas (in my opinion) is Possum Kingdom, but the camping spots are not that great. And, the cabins are old and HEAVILY used (avoid those). Tyler State Park is great. INKS Lake and Pedernales Falls near Austin are beautiful and that on a great lake too. My cousins love Garner State Park, which is near San Antonio. There is the Frio river to float. The Texas Hill Country is beautiful. I hear that Turner Falls in Oklahoma is wonderful, but I haven't been there. You can reserve sites on www.reserveamerica.com. If you have more questions, feel free to email me.
Cooper state park ( a couple hours east of here) has cabins you can rent that have beds, kitchennette, back deck with grill, and bathrooms. We went once with friends when our son was 2, and it worked out well. He could play on the back deck because it without fitting though the rail slats - we just had to watch he wasn't playing in ashges in the grill! It was a little chilly when we went, so we mostly just hiked the trails and looked at the lake, but I'm sure there is more to do out there! It was I think $80 a night. They have a litmited number of cabins, so you may have to book early.
National Parks are the way to go they are not state funded so they are much nicer and well taken care of. We just came off a camping trip 3 days ago and loved it! We went to Buffalo National Park in Arkansas. I am in Dallas but am from AR and so have lived there long enough to say you heard right...it is beautiful. The Buffalo is glorious and the mountains are wonderful there is hiking, fishing, bike trails, swimming, and you can float it by tubing, rafting, or canoeing. We went to camp then rain helped us to change our mind. we ended up in a cabin 11miles from our original camping sight. The cabin rental owner was soooooo sweet and we were able to rent a family cabin that slept 4 for 3 nights at $120.00 a night. It was so worth it and the best price too. It was fully stalked and had satellite TV the, so call, “top quality cabins” will ran you $280.00 a night they had less history and were too expensive. Our cabin was a historical sight and had been redone by the original owners great, great, grandson. They are lawyers and full furnished it will all the top quality appliances and furnishings all while keeping the history intact.
We took 7 people 4 adults and 2 children and a small infant. Our stay was wonderful and we want to go back soon.
The name of the cabin rental places was Bear Creak Cabin Rentals. Look Buffalo National Park up on line and go from there. You are sure to fall in love!
Regards,
C. Lewallen
Owner of Classy Chasy’s Art Studio
Located in: Garland, TX
I agree about Turner Falls, it's beautiful and lots of things to do. It's in/near Sulpher, Oklahoma...
http://www.sulphurokla.com/Chickasaw-National-Recreation-...
We've also gotten a cabin by Lake Eufala which was really nice, too. Not as much to do there, but if you want the relaxing trip of hanging out in the cabin and fishing, it's perfect...
I've also heard wonderful things about Lake Fork.
Pack clothes, food you will need (unless there is a grocery nearby), lantern/flashlights, a bug home for kids to put the bugs they catch into (lightning bugs, perhaps), first aid kit, bug spray, life vests (if on the lake), sunblock, hats for everyone, flip-flops or boat shoes, etc...the standards. Also, pack a few games if the weather is icky.
Have fun!
Have fun!
Oklahoma is beautiful (I really love Lake Murray) but I also love Dinosoar State Park in Glen Rose TX........beautiful and lots to do - swimming, looking for tracks.....this is tent camping though.....you did not say what kind of camping.....have fun!
For tent camping, I think you will find that most of the Texas State Parks are really nice and well cared for. We really like Cooper State Park, Purtis Creek State Park and Mineral Wells State Park. They are all just two hours from Dallas.
One of the most fun places to go is Glen Rose, TX. Again, only two hours away and LOTS to do. There is a camping area called Tres Rios that rents camp sites and cabins. We have not stayed there, but our neighbors go every year and love it. We usually stay in the Best Western in Glen Rose, which is VERY family friendly. In Glen Rose, they have the Fossil Rim drive through animal park. Which is great if your kids are really into animals. I think you can also stay in a Lodge there. My kids were not impressed with driving in a car and seeing animals from a distance, but they are not big on zoos either and most other people have loved it. I have two boys and they LOVED Big Rocks Park in Glen Rose. It is just a city park on the side of the road - FREE! It is full of "big rocks" to climb on. It is beside the river and you can wade in the water and swim. I believe you can also rent canoes or inner tubes. My kids also love Dinosaur State Park which is about 30 minutes from Glen Rose. They have large statues of dinosaurs and several areas where you can see dinosaur footprints. Also, lots of nice clear river and rocks to wade and swim in. One year we stayed at a hotel in Granbury which is also close by. They have a Drive-In movie theater. We scheduled a fossil hunt, but it was rained out. It sounded like fun. With the cost of gas, it is nice to have something so fun, that is so close by. Check out the Glen Rose and Tres Rios websites. I know that Tres Rios fills up quickly.
We have tent camped at many of the Texas State Parks. If you go to the Texas Parks and Wildlife site, it will give you a map and you can choose which area you want to go to. Then it lists the parks and amenities. Many parks have cabins and lodges as well as the traditional camping/RV sites. A pretty park near the DFW area is Bonham State Park, but it doesn't have lodges. Oklahoma also has great state parks. Likewise, you can go to the state website and look up the parks and amenities. I'm sure Arkansas has something similar.
Many of the parks also offer summer programs (usually on weekends) for kids. The rangers will offer identifying animal tracks, recycle art classes, etc. Sometimes these are posted on the website. If not, be sure to ask when you check in. My kids (14 and 7) have loved these programs over the years and we've all learned something each time.
As far as what to pack: close-toed shoes and jeans for hiking or walking in the woods, flip-flops for showers, towels and wash cloths, extra changes of clothes, toiletries, flashlights. We pack a whistle for each girl. When they go to the play area or are playing around the campsite, they have the whistle on in case they get lost. Then they can hug a tree and blow their whistle until we find them. Keep the food simple if you're cooking - hot dogs, hamburgers, fresh fruit and veggies. Lots of water. Foil packets on coals are also an easy way to cook meals - wrap up chicken, thin sliced potatoes, and other veggies w/ a pat of butter (and whatever seasonings you like)in foil (seal and leave some air space) and put directly on the coals. Cooks in about 15 -20 min. We've camped in tents with both girls from the time they were about 1 year old. Both love camping! And each now helps with the set-up of camp as well as camp chores. =) Enjoy!
Beaver's Bend in Oklahoma (Broken Bow, OK). IT is great- very clean, green, quiet, and so pretty. There are cabins or tent camping, pretty clean restrooms (just make sure if you are tent camping that you get a site next to the real restrooms- a lot of camping sites have pit toilets, the cabins have full bathrooms, kitchenettes, 1 and 2 bedrooms, plus foldout futons/sofa). Our experience is that the cabins are clean and well kept and it is so restful!
In Beavers Bend there is fishing, canoeing- very fun, horseback riding, swimming in the river, paddle boats, nature hiking on very nice trails, a nature/wildlife museum, and the lake is nearby.
