winter campground, is texas warm enough?

[buckeyebob]

ok i plan on heading south next winter and cant decide between florida and texas.im leaning toward texas as it seems to be a lot cheaper and less crowded.my main concern is will it be warm enough,and where is the best rv park?dont want to spend 3 years finding it so please give some advice .went to texas for 16 days in feb and was shocked at prices!florida keys 2600 a month and fort meyers 1000 for a start.really crowded sites and traffic constant.thanks for any advice!buckeyebob

 

[olcoon]

Re: winter campground,is texas warm enough?

We prefer Texas, if you go into the Rio Grande Valley it will be warmer, but it is a lot more crowded. From what we've seen the parks are older & seem to be pretty close together. The Rockport/Fulton, Port Aransas area is almost as warm, and there don't seem to be as many people there. There are some newer parks in that area that don't seem as close together. There are a lot of Heartlanders in both places that get together for different activities. We've gone to TX for 2 winters now and will go to both areas, and enjoy both of them, for different reasons. One thing that makes them so enjoyable is getting together with the other Heartlanders. It seems that the folks that go to the Valley, will stay there for a while, then migrate up to the Rockport/Fulton Port A. area. One thing for you to think about is going to the Sweetheart Rally in Kerrville. It's put on by the RV.net forum and is a lot of fun. We've been for the past 2 yrs. & will be going back. Right now we are gate guarding near Pleasanton, TX, and the weather here has gone from the upper 90's to the mid 70's. Hope this helps, I'm sure there will be a bunch of people chiming in.

 

[pegmikef]

Re: winter campground,is texas warm enough?

and if you are interested in seeing some of the big country, there are many state parks, corps of engineer parks, and private RV parks all over TX. Most of the ones we visit always have snow birds in them in the winter months . . . warm enough is kind of a relative term . . . what might be very warm to some might seem cold to others.

 

[Ray LeTourneau]

Re: winter campground,is texas warm enough?

We've spent 4 years in TX for the winter. 3 years in Corpus Christi at around $375/mo and a year in Mission at around $450/mo. Most places rates get cheaper the longer you stay.
We've spent the last 2 years in FL. We're just beginning our trek north now and stopping for 3 Heartland Rallies on the way.
The park we stayed at in Port Richey has a 6 month rate at $2100 which translates to #350/mo.
Both areas TX and FL are on the Gulf so the humidity is always a factor but it seemed to be less in FL. Also in FL, we were able to leave our awning extended for the entire stay. Not once did we bring in the awning. TX along the gulf is pretty much always windy.
Fl is overall greener than TX.
Both states have friendly people and plenty of things to do. My preference is FL.
Yes, the keys and areas farther south are more $$$ but we spent our first year park hopping and found the place we like.
In Corpus it was Colonia del Rey and Port Richey it's Suncoast RV Resort.

 

[simsfmly]

2nd year in Texas, we're also from Ohio. Texas IS less expensive than Florida we've found. Not just the park rates, but the cost of living (fuel, groceries, etc.).
We decided on the Corpus Christi area vs. the Rio Grande Valley because we didn't see the benefits of the extra 3 + hour drive one way.
You have to get used to the wind. You have to get used to brown vs. green. Beaches are just as nice as Florida. Port Aransas is a wonderful little beach town.
As far as parks, it really depends on what you're looking for. Basic (from $275/month) to wonderful ($650/month). We've looked at pretty much all of them, and they've all got their good and some bad points. IM me and I'll be happy to give you my thoughts.

 

[scottyb]

Speaking as a native Texan, the gulf coast is the last place I would recommend for anybody to go. Too humid, too much wind, and the sand and salt gets in everything. There are much prettier and nicer parts of the state. Unfortunately we are somewhere in the middle of a 10+ year drought, and the winters have been very brown. Normally, the winters are very green and mild, especially in central Texas.

BTW, I planted my tomatoes on St. Patricks's Day.

 

[EandJ]

I'm not so sure about that brown part. I spent Saturday mowing - third time this year so far. And it was about 8" high in places - kept bogging down the lawn tractor. (course it had been about 3 weeks).


I do agree about the variety of places to see in Texas besides beach/sand. I always find it interesting to read about the northern RV's putting their rigs up for the winter and pulling them out in the spring. And what is this "winterize" stuff?

We've been going at least once a month/sometimes every other weekend year round with our old trailer. Now that we have our new one back from the dealer - we are starting up the same way. If those little distractions called work and school didn't get in the way, maybe we could do more - but oh well - that will wait till I hit the lottery. But there are enough parks and sights in Texas that are just a few hours drive away to keep one busy most of the winter.

 

[jtwhites85]

Depends on what “warm enough” means! No winterizing required is common even in the Houston area. Rig is at Lake Livingston and have not winterized this one or last one in 7 years. Most folks pull out as it is a recreational area but it is still close enough to Houston for a day trip. This is not where we are but it is right down the road: http://koa.com/campgrounds/onalaska/

 

[jayc]

Another native Texan here. We full time and spend time in both the Rio Grande Valley, for more to see and do, more entertainment, trip(s) to Mexico for meds and dentist visits. Rockport/Port Aransas has better and cheaper seafood restaurants. Both offer a great value for the dollar.

And don't forget the HOC events in both places. Check the portal page for the list.

 

[jmgratz]

To talk some more about wintering in Texas. Since we work for SE Publications doing site maps for RV Parks we have stayed at many of the Texas RV parks. Right now we are staying at Mustang Hollow Campground (formerly Lake Corpus Christi KOA) in Mathis TX. Mathis is about 40 miles north of Corpus Christi. Corpus Christi has a population of over 200000 and is right on the Gulf of Mexico so there is plenty to do and see there. There is any type of shopping there too. It is warm in the winter there. We work several parks in the Houston area from Lake Livingston (75 miles north of Houston) to La Marque which is 10 miles north of Galveston. All of the parks we work are nice and some have more amenities than others but they all look forward to having Winter Texans. Anywhere in the Houston(pop 2.5 million) Galveston (pop 60,000) offer any type of shopping and tons of activities. Prices for RV parks will run from $350 to $500 per month with some that include electricity in their price. The $400 mark is about average. The RGV has a ton of campgrounds and that area is within 15 miles of the Mexican border so day trips to Mexico are common. Most of the RV park that cater to Winter Texans offer organized activities for their customers. Staying at any of the parks in the Beaumont/Port Arthur area are within day trip driving to the casinos in Louisiana such as Delta Downs, Coushatta and Harrahs. We like Delta Downs (no rv park) and the Coushatta (beautiful RV Park) and the Paragon (beautiful RV Park). Come and down and see Texas. We love visitors and their money LOL

PS - our home is about 75 miles north of Houston and we have never winterized our RV. Winter temps range from the low 40s to the 60s. Maybe we might get a handful of days below freezing but it warms above freezing during the day. On rare ooccasions it will hit 20 but won't stay that way during the day. Our winterization consists of turning off the city water and disconnecting the hose for the night if it gets below 30. And you will get plenty of warning if you watch the weather on TV

 

[jassson007]

Just semantics but Harrahs was destroyed by Rita. I think you mean l'auberge du lac. Btw...construction is moving along in the new casino resort right next door to it. Please feel free to come make deposits to our local economy at will.


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[jmgratz]

Didn't know about Harrahs. Seems like we were there not long ago but time flies. l'auberge du lac is very pretty and even has a few RV sites. Great food too. BTW we have help the LA economy alot.

 

[jassson007]

Didn't know about Harrahs. Seems like we were there not long ago but time flies. l'auberge du lac is very pretty and even has a few RV sites. Great food too. BTW we have help the LA economy alot.

Yes sir. Now isle of debris I mean Capri...lol...is still around on the westlake side. But yes LDL is nice but expensive not sure how much the RV sites are but my 20th reunion is being held there so we will pull the BC up there so we will not be on the road that weekend.


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