{Texas Tuesday // Eckert James River Bat Cave Preserve // A Hidden Gem in the Texas Hill Country}

If you're seeking a unique and awe-inspiring natural experience in the Texas Hill Country, look no further than the Eckert James River Bat Cave Preserve near Mason, Texas. This remarkable site is home to one of the largest maternity colonies of Mexican free-tailed bats in the United States, offering visitors a rare opportunity to witness millions of bats in flight during their nightly emergence.

{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.

{Texas Tuesday: Exploring Fort Mason – A Hidden Gem in Hill Country}

On Tuesdays (when I have something to share), I shine a light on a special Texas town, trail, or treasure,  and this week’s Texas Tuesday takes us to the heart of the Hill Country, where history runs deep and the views stretch for miles. Welcome to Fort Mason in Mason, TX...a place where the past meets peace, and where stories still whisper on the breeze.

{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.

{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!

{Mason, TX // Annual Memorial Day weekend trip}

Memorial Day weekend was our annual trip to the good ole Texas hill country for camping at Mason TX. Or, "The Garrison Family Reunion" as the signs said when we pulled up. I love it! One of my favorite weekends with some of my favorite people.

{Memorial Day Trip to Mason, TX}

Another May event that I need to get on the blog...since this is our family scrapbook. Our annual Memorial Day trip to Mason, TX. One of our favorite trips of the entire year. We just love that part of the Texas Hill Country, the people and the relaxing fellowship! And the food too. It's just an all-around great long weekend we look forward to each year. This year did not disappoint. We had an amazing time.

{Memorial Day weekend trip // Mason, TX}

Way back in May we checked 'travel to the Texas Hill Country for our annual Memorial Day camping trip in Mason, TX' off of our Summer Bucketlist. We camp here every Memorial & Labor Day weekend and I don't think we could love it more. Every year it's pretty much the same group of people...somewhere between 10-18 campers...and it's a time of good food, good adventures and great fellowship! It's two of our favorite weekends of the year!!

{Catch-up Post // Mason's birthday week, new puppy, ladies night, road tripping}

Testing....testing...is this thing even still on? I have neglected this space something fierce lately. I hate to glorify busy, but I really am trying to stay afloat at best. I always seem to forget how crazy the month of May gets for us. And despite my best efforts, I just can't seem to juggle it all. And because of that this blog is the first to go. But hey, looking on the bright side I have so much to catch up on around here. Here's a small snippet of what has kept us so busy lately...

{Labor Day Weekend // A Trip to the Hill Country}

Just like last year we road-tripped to the Texas hill country for some Labor Day weekend camping fun in Mason, TX! TimeHop told me that we have been traveling to Mason for three years now. I can't believe Mason was barely three years old when we started camping here! We visit Mason, TX every Memorial Day and Labor Day {with the exception of May 2015 when we went to Disney}. It is one of my favorite camping trips, hands down.

{Memorial Day camping trip to Mason, TX}

When someone asks me what my favorite holiday is I naturally say Christmas or Thanksgiving. Then Memorial Day rolls around and I am quickly reminded that Memorial Day weekend ranks pretty high on that list, too. It's one of my most favorite weekends and camping trips.

Each year we road trip about 4 hours to the Texas Hill Country for a weekend of camping with some pretty amazing people. We camp at a little park right next to a golf course in Mason, TX. This time we had 12 campers in our group. In September we will have 18 campers with us! It's a weekend mixed with both relaxing and playing. During the day we normally split up into groups and do various things. Some will go shopping in Fredericksburg, some will golf, some will go to museums, some just hang out at the campsites, etc. During the evening we all come together for supper and games. We have a theme for each night and then it's potluck style. It's some really good eating! And we always call the police department to come out and eat, and they do. I think that's so cool and has become one of the neatest traditions.

Mason, however, does more playing than relaxing, though. He plays from sun up until sun down while we are there. The playground is in the middle of where we camp and since we have so many in our group we span the length of the park. So, there are always more than enough eyes on them. He had about 10 kids to play with this time and was in little boy heaven. I love camping here because he can be a total boy and we don't have to worry so much. He may come in each night with dirt in every crevice of his body, but he comes in ready to do it all over again the next day.

We had a pretty smooth and easy road trip there. I always pack Mason a goodie bag for trips that are over 2 hours long. I fill it with snacks, little toys and activities to keep him busy on the way down. He hung out in the backseat and only piped in every so often to request a song.

  

  We arrived in Mason around 2 pm on Friday. Most everyone was gone doing things so we let Mason play at the park while we unloaded our stuff into the camper.

      
Everyone started coming back to the campers about an hour and a half later so we visited and hung out until supper. Mason played his little heart out at the playground and riding his bike.

   After we ate we made a split decision to go check out the bats. We have always wanted to watch the bats emerge from the cave, but have never seemed to make it over. We left pretty late, so we weren't sure what our adventure would hold. But, what an adventure we had. It was such a pretty drive to the cave...out in the middle of nowhere. We saw so much wildlife; cows, horses, turkeys, jackrabbits, deer, a tarantula and a snake. Nate got some pretty cool footage on the GoPro of the tarantula and the snake. I'm including the video at the end of this post.

    After hestitantly crossing over this river we made it to the bat cave in time. The bats didn't emerge until after 8:45 pm. And then it was almost too dark to get pictures or take video. Nate did get some footage, though. It was a neat experience, but I am not a fan of bird type things. I may have screamed a few times when they looked like they were flying right at our faces. Eeek!

Saturday a group of us went to Fredericksburg for a little shopping and ice cream before heading over to Johnson City, TX. We wanted to hike Pedernales Falls. We went last year and it was so beautiful. It was a blast, but it sure was hot on those rocks. And the hike back up is torture. But, it was worth it. I took photos and Nate took video on the GoPro.

         Sunday was spent hanging out at the campers all day, We had some whiffle ball games as well as our traditional water balloon fight. It was the best way to spend our last full day and evening at Mason, TX.

   When we got home on Monday we weren't ready to end the weekend, so we grabbed some stuff to throw on the grill. We played outside, ate some burgers and watched the Rangers.

      Such a good one!! I've attached the video below that has all of the pictures and video footage from the weekend. It's pretty long, but has some neat videos!

Memorial Day at Mason, TX from Crystal Hall on Vimeo.
Hope your Memorial Day was pretty spectacular, too!