Texas is an enormous state ranking 2nd just behind Alaska for the greatest land area in the U.S. With a substantial amount of places to visit and things to do one could spend months here just visiting and sightseeing. Unfortunately (but not really 😃) we plan on visiting Colorado and attending the Balloon Festival in New Mexico this year so were limited to four weeks in the state. To get an idea of what Texas was all about we chose the Fort Worth area near the top of the state and San Antonio near the bottom.
When visiting the Fort Worth area, Twin Coves Park located in the suburb of Flower Mound is a must! Eighteen of 22 RV sites are located directly next to the shore of Grapevine Lake. Site 10 where we stayed was perfectly nestled on the bank so that we could walk down for leisurely swims to cool off in the oppressive August heat wave we so bravely drove into. Sites are spaced adequately apart to give breathing room between your neighbors and are concrete paved widely enough to park your vehicle next to the 5thwheel or RV. The concrete pad also encircles a firepit located toward the back edge making everything neat and tidy. The grounds are well maintained with trash cans located every other site or two. There are 19 cabins inside the park and 6 tent sites available to rent also. If you bore of swimming, the lake is calm enough for kayaking and paddle boarding. If you prefer walks there are several nature trails within the park. It was a beautiful place and we absolutely loved staying there!
If you decide to leave the park the Stockyard in Fort Worth provides historical and educational entertainment along with shopping and dining. Brick walkways lead you down to the center of the national historical stockyard area where you can visit the cattle pin to view large cattle up close and learn interesting facts about the cattle/history of the stockyard inception from cowboys and cowgirls dressed in historically accurate attire. After that you can walk to the cattle drive located in front of the Livestock exchange building where the cattle are herded down E. Exchange Street by cowboys and cowgirls as was done long ago. Cattle drives are performed at 11:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. every day weather permitting. Cooling off in the shops located in the Exchange Building is an option after the cattle drive has ended. Here you can find leather goods, beef jerky galore, cowboy hats, boots, western jewelry, knick-knacks, souvenir’s, candy and more. We were lucky enough to witness a cowboy shootout performance which I believe they stated was a new thing they were trying out. If you prefer lunch or dinner Cattlemen’s steak house, 97 West Kitchen and Bar located in Hotel Drover, Billy Bob’s Texas Honkey Tonk Kitchen and Love Shack are just a few of the many restaurants at the Stockyards within walking distance. If you’re ready to leave and don’t mind a short drive, Joe T Garcias which has been open since 1935 offers excellent tex-mex food and two dining rooms! It opened with a 16-seat capacity. If the weather is nice ask to dine in the beautiful courtyard. Make sure to bring cash as only cash is accepted but if you forget there is an atm on site.
Speaking of good food if you have the opportunity Hard Eight BBQ located in Roanoke Tx about 35 minutes from Twin Coves Park has the best BBQ meat I have ever eaten! The meat is smoked onsite and offered in shredded, rib and steak cuts. When entering the covered outdoor smoke pit area leading into the building entryway you tell the server what cut and weight of meat you want which is placed on a large tray that you carry inside to choose your sides, drinks, and any sauces you may like. The cream style corn made with Mexican cream and small chopped jalapeño peppers is excellent! My husband said the mac n cheese is one of the best he has eaten. He’s a picky guy!
From Twin Coves we drove to Lakehills TX about an hour southwest of San Antonio for a two week stay at Medina Lake RV campground within the Thousand Trails system. Covered in mesquite trees and prickly pear cacti the 153-site campground is laden with deer that can be viewed almost anywhere in the park during early morning or evening hours. Be aware that Medina Lake’s website still shows a lake image with lake amenities and has not been updated. There are no lake amenities due to the lake being dried up. Although the lake is now covered in pasture grasses it is still a nice area to relax, take walks, swim or play put-put. If you typically like COE campgrounds this is comparable with different sites offering 50- or 30-amp, water, and sewer or dump station options.
Our goal here was a visit to San Antonio and we had a great time there. The Alamo was interesting place with much history. There are self-guided and guided tours available throughout the day. We opted for the self-guided Free Alamo Entry Timed Tour with the added Victory or Death Audio tour ($9.00 per person) which granted free access into the Exhibit housing artifacts. Individuals dressed in period clothing perform weaving, feather writing, and soldier camping and gun practice reenacting among other historical daily life tasks in the back courtyard. This is a great place to visit for families with school age children.
Couples will love the San Antonio River Walk which offers guided riverboat cruises by Go Rio Cruises from 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. daily. With the river walk encompassing 5 miles of downtown San Antonio you can spend quite a bit of time there; just be prepared for stairs that cross over the river at certain intervals. Both sides of the river are lined with sidewalks that allow access to shops and restaurants. With a plethora of restaurants to choose from, stopping for a bite to eat is very accessible at just about any time. Stairs every so often lead in and out of the riverfront to above streets and intersections. It is an interesting and pretty place. San Antonio is known for its independent and distinct take on barbecue and tex-mex foods. There were several options at the River Walk but after a hot afternoon we were ready to head back to the RV. We wanted to try several eateries but ended up at the home of the puffy taco and were glad we did. Rays Drive In, open Tuesday through Sunday 11 am to 7 pm is located at 822 SW 19th street, started as a drive-in showing movies and serving burgers, fried chicken, beer, and lemonade. The puffy taco was born from an experiment in deep frying corn masa dough by Ray Lopez and his brother Henry in the 1950s. Restaurants Rays Drive In and Henry’s Puffy Tacos now both serve the delectable crispy puffy taco so if you only have time on a Monday Henry’s is currently open 10:30 am to 8:30 pm. Did we mention you can choose the filling? If you decide to go and try them let us know what you think. Enjoy and safe travels!
Roaming Rays 