{Camp Around Texas // Fort Mason City Park}

If you're searching for a peaceful, family-friendly retreat in the heart of the Texas Hill Country, look no further than Fort Mason City Park Campground in Mason, TX. Whether you’re a weekend warrior, a full-time RVer, or someone just looking to unplug for a few days, this scenic destination offers the perfect mix of nature, comfort, and small-town charm.

Nestled among rolling hills and lush greenery, Fort Mason City Park feels like a hidden gem, yet it’s just minutes from downtown Mason, where you’ll find local shops, charming restaurants, and a warm, welcoming community. Whether you're here to fish, hike, relax, or simply soak up some sunshine, you'll find plenty of reasons to settle in and stay a while.

{Back to Our Favorite Hill Country Tradition – Memorial Day Weekend at Fort Mason City Park}

If you've been following along for a while, you might remember a tradition near and dear to our hearts...camping at Fort Mason City Park in Mason, TX every Memorial Day and Labor Day weekend. It was something we looked forward to year after year...packing up the RV, hitting the road, and spending the long weekend surrounded by good friends, good food, and the peaceful beauty of the Texas Hill Country.

But as life often does, it got busy. Our last trip to Fort Mason was back in 2017, and somehow the years slipped by faster than we realized. That is, until this year. We finally brought back the tradition, and y’all… it was everything we remembered and more.

{Fourth of July Camping // Blue Sky RV Cedar Creek}

 This year for the 4th of July, we camped with Nate's family at Blue Sky Cedar Creek. It's a new RV resort near Cedar Creek Lake. It's just minutes down the road from my family's lakehouses!  Two of my aunts, and my parents all have a lakehouse on the same street (4 houses total between them all). And because of this, we got to spend some of the 4th of July weekend with both sides of the family! It was brutally HOT but we survived and had a great time! 

{Mineral Wells State Park}

On our way home from Strawn, we stopped in Mineral Wells to check out Lake Mineral Wells State Park. We had heard lots of great things about it. Side note - Nate and I love to drive through state parks to check them out! We like to see if it's somewhere we'd enjoy camping one day. Anyhow, the state park was kind enough to let us do a drive-through. 

{Palestine 2022 // Camping & Around town}

We have been traveling to Palestine, TX since 2015 for a weekend full of Christmas fun! We camp (in the camper), shop the antique stores, have lunch at the same restaurant, visit the Grinch, and ride the Polar Express! Each year brings new memories and fun. It's one of my favorite weekends of the year.

  

{Halloween Spooktacular Camping By the Numbers // 2022}

 Anytime we go on a trip I like to document the trip by numbers. I'm not sure why, but these posts always intrigue me. Here's a look at our Halloween Spooktacular camping trip in numbers.  

{Camping at Stillwater RV Resort // CampAroundTexas}

 We headed to Tyler, TX for a weekend of camping at Stillwater Resort. We went back in back in May but due to unfortunate circumstances, we didn't get to enjoy the pool/water amenities. This was our redemption run! 

{Camping at StillWater Resort in Tyler TX}

For Memorial Day, we went camping at a brand new RV resort in Tyler TX. We were so excited about this campground and its amenities. This RV Resort has a lazy river, pool, adult-only pool with a swim-up bar, a pond with obstacle courses, an arcade, a restaurant, and so much more. However, unfortunate events happened the week we were supposed to camp and closed down many of the amenities.  There was some flooding that washed sod off into the lazy river, family pool, and pond. The only thing open was the adult-only pool & arcade. Such a bummer, but we made the most of it.

{Port Lavaca - the video}

As I do with most trips we take, here is the video from our camping trip to Port Lavaca. 

{PORT LAVACA // DAY 4 // BACK TO MATAGORDA}

 On the fourth day of our Port Lavaca vacation, we decided to go back to Matagorda to spend the day at the beach. We enjoyed it the night before and knew we wanted to come back...with swimsuits this time. 

{Port Lavaca // Day 3 // Matagorda}

 On day three of our trip, the morning started out rainy. We played some card games in the camper until the rain passed. The crew was hungry for some seafood, so that landed us in Matagorda! There wasn't much in the small town our KOA was at, so a quick Internet search took us to a place called Waterfront in Matagorda. 

{Port Lavaca // Day 2 // Magnolia Beach, Casa Jalisco, Snow Cones, 4th of July Festivities}

 On day 2 of our Port Lavaca camping trip, we decided to hit up the beach. We searched a couple that were close and decided on Magnolia Beach. This was our first time in this area, so we were not too familiar with the nearby beaches. Magnolia sounded like it would be nice...

{Port Lavaca // Day 1 // KOA, Swimming & Danny's Seafood House}

 Nate's parents booked a camping trip for the 4th of July weekend down in Port Lavaca, TX. Some good family friends of ours joined us as well. Nate's parents, Ty & Michelle got there on Thursday afternoon and we met them there that evening. Nate worked a half day and I worked until 4pm. We were packed and ready to go the minute I got off work!

{Camping in Abilene for Memorial Day Weekend}

 We spent Memorial Day weekend camping with friends and family in Abilene, TX. One of Mason's requests for his birthday was to go camping, so his awesome Nana and Papa made that happen! Our friends were already camping in Abilene and were so kind to let us join them! 

{MEMORIAL DAY TRIP TO FREDERICKSBURG, TX}

After our annual camping trip to Mason, TX  (Thanks #Corona) was canceled we found a spot to camp in Fredericksburg, TX. We were so bummed to not be able to go to Mason. It's one of our most favorite weekends with some of our favorite people. But, we had an amazing time making new memories in Fredericksburg, TX.

{Spring Break 2020 // Camping in the Texas Hill Country}

Our scheduled spring break for 2020 was March 9th through the 13th. Nate's parents were headed to the Texas Hill Country to camp for a few days and invited us to come along. We love the hill country and will take any opportunity to go there! We weren't able to stay the whole week but were able to go Friday through Tuesday. It was a great amount of time to escape and just enjoy family and a beautiful area.

{The Grinch's Lair // Palestine 2019}

We all know that a trip to Palestine is not complete without a trip to the Grinch's Lair! I think this was our 4th visit to the lair, maybe the 5th. Whatever the number might be, it never ever disappoints. Mason looks forward to visiting his favorite Grinch each time we are in the area. It's so fun and festive and the perfect way to spend a Saturday afternoon!

{Camping in Palestine, TX // annual Polar Express & Grinch weekend}

This past weekend was our 5th annual trip to Palestine for all things festive and magical! It's literally one of my favorite weekends of the year. Every time I try to explain this weekend the only word I can come up with is magical, and it truly is. From camping in a magical forest to visiting the Grinch's Lair, and then capping it off with a trip to the North Pole via the Polar Express, it really is a feel-good-get-in-the-spirit time! I'm forever grateful for this weekend with my people and for all of the special memories we have made in Palestine, TX.

⛺ 15 CAMPING ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS - PART 2 ⛺

I recently shared 15 activities to do with kids while camping. And I wanted to share 15 more. We love camping and finding new things to do with Mason each time. Camping is one of our favorite things to do as a family. It's such a great bonding time!!

{Annual camping at Mason, TX // Labor Day weekend}

This past weekend was our 5th annual camping trip to Mason, TX for Labor Day weekend. We have been going every Memorial Day and Labor Day with the same group (plus new additions along the way) since Mason was just four years old. And with each trip, we love it more and more. This trip was a little more special because Nate's best friend (& his family) since he was just five years old was able to join us!! They recently bought a camper and Mason TX wasn't too far from them! We were so ecstatic they were able to join us and hope this was just the first trip of many!