Family Camping??? - Wild Texas Forums: Parks, Travel & Recreation

04-17-2003, 08:50 PM

Hi! I have lived in Texas my entire life. Grew up in San Antonio, now live in Corpus with my husband and three sons ages 7, 4 and 3 in June. We are wanting to go camping in May sometime. We have heard wonderful things about Garner State Park! Of course anything in the Hill Country is nice!

...My boys dont like to swim, but it would be nice to have water nearby for cool downs...We have not yet decided if wwe want to do this in a tent or a cabin. Any suggestions for a family friendly place to camp would be much appreciated. Thanks

Shannon · 04-19-2003, 02:29 PM

The Garner "cabins" are actually screen shelters (roof, concrete floor, windows, but no A/C or restroom built-in) and they go quickly in the summer which is Garner's busy season. Camping in a tent's just fine out there -- indeed, it's what the majority of folks do. That, or you could rent a pop-up or other trailer and live in veritable luxury.

We rented a pop-up camper a couple years ago for a week-long camping trip in Big Bend National Park and it was quite enjoyable for the two of us. Plenty of room for a couple kids, if we'd rented a slightly larger pop-up or hard-body camper. It might be worth considering!

Other parks that families find very enjoyable, due to the number and variety of amenities/recreation opportunities, include:
Choke Canyon State Park -- boating, fishing, swimming pool, basketball court, screened shelters,etc), Bastrop State Park -- small but beautiful park in the "Lost Pines" of Texas; swimming pool, 12 cabins, a pond for fishing & pedal boating, Guadalupe River State Park -- tubing down the Guadalupe, fishing, hiking, lots of campsites but no cabins. There are others but these are the first off the top of my head. Oh yes, on par with Garner (and just as busy, so get reservations ASAP) is Inks Lake State Park -- pink granite like Enchanted Rock but with a lake as the focal point; hiking, swimming, etc.

Have a terrific summer!

10-12-2003, 09:22 PM

I just went to garner state park last fall and the cabins are equipped with a bathroom, kitchen with stove and oven, and a refrigerator. we stayed in one that had 4 beds. we opted for no fireplace but you can get one with a fire place if you want and if i remember right, ours had central heat. They are better than a shelter. There are a few skunks living in close proximity but they seemed to not be bothered by us (thank god)

we almost had the park to ourselves, we went in sept.

Shannon · 10-12-2003, 09:29 PM

Thanks for posting that info, critterluv. I must have had a "brain murmur" when I replied that there were no cabins at Garner. Indeed, there are seventeen cabins at the park, in addition to the screened shelters I mentioned. So, much obliged on the more accurate info -- I goof big-time, sometimes!