Canoeing/Kayaking

San Marcos River Resort

186 RV Sites, 18 Cabins, 21 Tent Sites, 3 Treehouses

San Marcos River Resort in Fentress, Texas, offers 186 full-hookup RV sites, 21 cabin and treehouse units, and 21 tent sites among pecan trees on the San Marcos River, with 20, 30, and 50-amp service and rigs accepted to 60 feet. Covered Elite, Prime Elite, and Riverview Elite categories join standard back-in and pull-through tiers, with a pool, mini-golf, and fitness center. One hundred eighty-six sites span covered Elite, Elite back-in, Elite pull-thru, Prime Elite, Riverview Elite, and standard categories, all carrying water, sewer, and electric on 20, 30, and 50-amp with site WiFi, sized to 60 feet, with fire pits and picnic tables. The covered Elite sites put a shade structure over the pad — a real benefit through a Central Texas summer — and Riverview is worth requesting. Twenty-one cabins and treehouses and 21 tent sites round out the lodging. A general store, laundry, propane fills and exchange, restrooms, showers, and firewood handle the practical side. RV and tent check-in is 1pm, cabins 3pm, with checkout at noon for everything. An outdoor pool anchors the summer, with mini-golf, a fitness center, clubhouse, sports courts, basketball, horseshoes, walking trails, a playground, pavilion, and dog park filling the grounds. The river carries swimming, fishing, canoeing, and kayaking. The San Marcos is one of the clearest and most consistently beautiful rivers in Texas, spring-fed and cool year-round. The resort was known for decades as Leisure Resort. Summer river season drives demand hard. Reserve well ahead.

from $51/night

River Bend Bliss

4 RV Sites

Thirty minutes southeast of Austin along the Colorado River, River Bend Bliss in Cedar Creek offers full hookup RV sites with direct Colorado River access, a private viewing deck, fire pits, yard games, and the kind of natural riverbank setting that is increasingly rare in the rapidly developing Austin metropolitan corridor. Located on the Colorado River banks in Bastrop County, the property sits at the edge of the Lost Pines—a relic population of loblolly pines isolated from the main East Texas pine forest by geological history—in a landscape that combines the green, shaded character of piney woods with the open waterfront that makes the Colorado River so appealing through this stretch. The result is an intimate riverside retreat within easy reach of Austin's full array of amenities. Full hookup RV sites include 30 and 50-amp service, water, sewer, and high-speed fiber WiFi that supports remote work and streaming. A fire pit, BBQ grill, and yard games create the relaxed outdoor social environment that defines the Texas riverfront camping experience, and the viewing deck positioned over the Colorado River provides a dedicated perch for sunrise coffee, evening wine, and the wildlife observation—herons, kingfishers, river otters—that the Colorado corridor delivers reliably throughout the year. Pets are welcome on the property, and the riverbank access extends the walk-in-the-water experience to dogs whose owners don't want a formal pet park. The River House—a furnished three-bedroom, two-bath home sleeping up to ten—is available separately for groups wanting a full accommodation package on the river. The Cedar Creek stretch of the Colorado River flows through Bastrop County's Lost Pines landscape, where the combination of sandy acidic soils and a buried aquifer created the isolated pine forest that stretches between Austin and the river communities of Bastrop County. The pines recovered remarkably well following the catastrophic wildfires of 2011 that burned 34,000 acres of the Lost Pines forest, and the regenerating forest now provides the canopy and understory that supports the bird diversity and wildlife activity that make the area so ecologically interesting. White-tailed deer, wild turkeys, armadillos, and the river's corridor of aquatic wildlife create a natural neighborhood the Colorado River camping experience inhabits deeply. Bastrop State Park, 15 miles east, offers the heart of the Lost Pines hiking and camping experience alongside the remarkable story of the 2011 fire recovery, now a decade-plus into a landscape regeneration process that park naturalists document and interpret. McKinney Roughs Nature Park, managed by the Lower Colorado River Authority, provides additional hiking, cycling, and river access trails nearby. Lake Bastrop, with its fishing, swimming, and water recreation, lies within easy reach. Austin's South Congress and East Sixth Street districts, Barton Springs Pool, and the full range of Austin's cultural and culinary offerings are 30 minutes north. River Bend Bliss operates year-round, with the Colorado River and the Lost Pines accessible in every season. Spring bluebonnet season in April draws visitors who combine the river experience with the wildflower displays that cover the highway medians and roadside pastures of Bastrop County in extraordinary numbers. Fall brings comfortable temperatures and excellent fishing conditions on the Colorado. Summer evenings on the viewing deck, with the river below and the trees cooling the air, are among the most pleasant outdoor experiences the Austin area offers. Book your site at River Bend Bliss and let the Colorado River and the Lost Pines put Austin's frenetic energy in proper perspective.

from $70/night

Buda Place

79 RV Sites

Buda Place in Buda, Texas, offers 79 full-hookup RV sites on 30 acres along Interstate 35, with 30 and 50-amp service and rigs accepted to 60 feet. Lakeside premium and luxury lakeside back-ins join premium pull-throughs and a color-coded Boulevard East category, ten minutes from downtown Austin. Seventy-nine sites span Boulevard East back-in, lakeside premium back-in, luxury lakeside back-in, premium pull-through, and standard pull-through categories, all carrying water, sewer, and electric on 30 and 50-amp, sized to 60 feet. Cabins round out the accommodations. A general store, laundry, restrooms, and showers handle the practical side, and the bathrooms draw specific praise in guest reviews — a hotel-quality standard that is genuinely unusual at a campground. A pet washing station is on site. An outdoor pool and hot tub anchor the warm months, with a catch-and-release fishing lake, fishing pier, and beach on the property supporting paddle boats, paddle boarding, canoeing, kayaking, and boating. Mini-golf, horseshoes, ping pong, walking trails, a clubhouse, barn, dog park, and on-site dining fill the rest, with strong stargazing and birding across the acreage. Pets are welcome. Buda sits 0.2 miles off I-35 in Hays County, five minutes from a downtown that has kept its small-town character against the suburban push south from Austin. Doc's Drive-In Theatre is two miles away, with Main St. Pizzeria and Beer Garden and MudBugs both two miles and Willie's Joint bar and grill three. Austin event weekends drive demand hard. Reserve well ahead.

from $61/night

Jellystone Park™ Waller

150 RV Sites, 143 Cabins, 54 Tent Sites, 1 Lodge

Jellystone Park Waller in Texas offers 150 full-hookup RV sites, 144 cabin and lodge units, and 54 tent sites less than an hour from Houston, with 20, 30, and 50-amp service and rigs accepted to 87 feet, open all year. Red Carpet and Preferred Premium pull-through categories join premium, deluxe, and standard tiers, alongside a water park, lazy river, splash pad, and laser tag. One hundred fifty sites span standard pull-thru, deluxe back-in, premium back-in, premium pull-thru, preferred premium pull-thru, and Red Carpet pull-thru categories, all carrying water, sewer, and electric with site WiFi, sized to 87 feet, with fire pits and picnic tables. Eighty-seven feet accommodates the longest coaches with a tow. One hundred forty-four cabins and lodges and 54 tent sites make the lodging inventory larger than the RV side. A general store, laundry, propane fills and exchange, restrooms, showers, firewood, and food trucks handle the practical side. A water park, lazy river, and splash pad anchor the summer, with an outdoor pool alongside. A lake and boat rentals support boating, paddle boarding, and fishing, with mini-golf, laser tag, a jumping pillow, gem mining, an arcade, gaga ball, sports courts, basketball, volleyball, a craft room, recreation center, golf cart rentals, playground, pavilion, dog park, on-site dining, and a bar filling the rest. Forty miles northwest of Houston is close enough for a weekend and far enough to feel like leaving. Summer is decisively the season. Reserve well ahead.

from $59/night

Summit Vacation

66 RV Sites, 43 Cabins, 5 Tent Sites, 4 Wagons

Summit Vacation and RV Resort in New Braunfels, Texas, offers 66 full-hookup RV sites, 43 cabins, five tent sites, and four wagons on River Road along the Guadalupe, with 30 and 50-amp service and rigs accepted up to 88 feet. Deluxe pull-through and full-hookup back-in categories join a water park, marina, hot tub, mini-golf, and fitness center. Sixty-six sites run in deluxe pull-through and full hookup back-in categories, both carrying water, sewer, and electric on 30 and 50-amp with site WiFi, sized to 88 feet, with picnic tables. Eighty-eight feet is exceptional for a river property in the Hill Country and accommodates the longest coaches with a tow. Forty-three cabins, five tent sites, and four wagons make the lodging range unusually broad. A laundry, dump station, and showers handle the practical side. A water park and outdoor pool anchor the summer, with a hot tub and sauna alongside. A marina, lake, and river open the water for boating, canoeing, kayaking, fishing, and swimming. Mini-golf, a fitness center, clubhouse, sports courts, tennis, volleyball, basketball, billiards, shuffleboard, horseshoes, walking trails, biking, a playground, pavilion, dog park, on-site dining, and a bar fill the rest. The property operates as a wedding venue. River Road is the heart of the Guadalupe tubing corridor, where the spring-fed current draws more than a million visitors a year, with Gruene's historic dance hall and Landa Park close. Summer river season drives demand hard, and River Road fills. Reserve well ahead for June through August.

from $36/night

Rio Guadalupe Resort

64 RV Sites, 25 Cabins

Rio Guadalupe Resort in New Braunfels, Texas, offers 64 full-hookup RV sites and 25 cabins on the Guadalupe River, with 20, 30, and 50-amp service and rigs accepted up to 94 feet, open all year. Premiere sites join back-in 30/50, back-in water-and-electric, and pull-through categories, with an outdoor pool, boat and kayak rentals, and a boutique shop. Sixty-four sites span back-in 30/50-amp, back-in water-and-electric, pull-thru 30/50-amp, and Premiere categories, carrying water, sewer, and electric where noted with site WiFi, sized to 94 feet, with fire pits, picnic tables, and BBQ pits. Confirm your tier, as the water-and-electric category does not carry sewer at the site. Ninety-four feet is exceptional for a riverfront Hill Country property. Twenty-five cabins round out the lodging. A general store, boutique shop, restrooms, showers, and a pet washing station handle the practical side. Four dog-friendly cabins are available with a 25-pound weight restriction for all breeds excluding service dogs; there is no weight restriction for dogs staying at RV sites. An outdoor pool anchors the summer, with boat rentals and kayak rentals opening the river for boating, paddle boats, canoeing, kayaking, paddle boarding, swimming, and fishing. A playground, pavilion, dog park, and picnicking fill the rest, and the property operates as a wedding venue. The resort opened in 1976 on 25 acres that German settlers once used as a riverfront park. Summer river season drives demand hard. Reserve well ahead.

from $65/night

Beach Rd RV Park

22 RV Sites

Beach Rd RV Park in Matagorda, Texas, offers 22 full-hookup RV sites at the mouth of the Colorado River, with 30 and 50-amp service and rigs accepted to 42 feet in back-in and pull-through configurations. On-site fishing guides and beach access serve a well-kept family park where the river meets the Gulf. Twenty-two sites carry water, sewer, and electric on 30 and 50-amp in 30/50-amp back-in and pull-through categories, sized to 42 feet, with picnic tables and site WiFi. Note the 42-foot limit before booking a larger rig. A dump station handles the practical side. Pets are welcome. Fishing organizes everything here. On-site fishing guides are available, which matters in water where local knowledge separates a good day from a blank one. Beach access, boating, water sports, canoeing, and kayaking round out the recreation, giving guests both the bay's shallow-water flats and the Gulf shoreline from a single base. Matagorda sits at the end of TX-60 in Matagorda County, where the Colorado River enters the Gulf of Mexico. The geography is unusual and genuinely useful — the freshwater river system, Matagorda Bay's fishing and crabbing, and Gulf beach access all converge within a few minutes of the park. The surrounding community is a small working fishing town rather than a resort development, and the recreational and commercial fishing economy still drives it. The park operates through the Texas coast season. Fishing runs strong across much of the year, with the warm months bringing the heaviest family and beach demand. With 22 sites, reserve ahead for summer weekends and holiday periods.

from $45/night

Rebecca Creek Campgrounds

5 Glamping Sites

On a scenic bend where the Guadalupe River meets Rebecca Creek and Schultz Creek in the Texas Hill Country of Comal County, Rebecca Creek Campgrounds has created a multi-use outdoor destination on more than 15 acres of riverfront property in the community of Spring Branch—a campground that serves the tube floating, kayaking, and river swimming crowd that makes the Guadalupe the most popular river in Texas from May through September with a variety of accommodations ranging from primitive tent sites to fully furnished glamping tents with hotel-style amenities. Full-hookup RV sites, primitive water and electric sites, private bunk rooms, and kayak and tube rentals position Rebecca Creek as one of the Hill Country river campgrounds that thought through the full visitor experience rather than simply providing a parking spot near moving water. Full-hookup RV sites with water and electric connections, primitive sites with covered tables, glamping tents with hotel amenities, private bunk rooms with separate shower houses, and primitive tent camping collectively cover the full accommodation spectrum from the self-contained motorhome to the group of friends sharing a bunk room for a weekend float trip. A fully plumbed bathhouse with showers, an on-site laundromat, and free Wi-Fi throughout most of the campground provide the practical support infrastructure, and tube and kayak rentals with complimentary life vests on a first-come, first-served basis give guests immediate river access without requiring personal watercraft. The Guadalupe River's convergence with Rebecca Creek creates the campground's most natural recreational asset—a swimming, floating, and fishing location where the cold spring-fed Guadalupe stays refreshingly cool through the summer heat that makes July and August float trips the most popular outdoor recreation in Comal County. White bass runs in the early spring, catfish fishing year-round, and the swimming that the campground's river frontage enables give the property a multi-season fishing and aquatic character beyond the summer tube-floating crowd. A horseshoe court, volleyball area, and children's playground with a small rock wall complete the recreational infrastructure for guests who want activity beyond the river. Canyon Lake, about 12 miles west on the Guadalupe River upstream from Spring Branch, provides the flatwater reservoir recreation that complements the river camping experience—an 8,230-acre Corps of Engineers reservoir with swimming beaches, boat ramps, and the whitewater release below the spillway that activates the Guadalupe's most exciting paddling when the Army Corps releases water through the dam gates. Guadalupe River State Park, about 14 miles east, preserves four miles of the Guadalupe's most scenic cypress-lined corridor in a managed natural environment. New Braunfels, 15 miles southeast, offers Schlitterbahn Waterpark, River Road's tubing outfitters, and the German heritage Wurstfest celebration each November. The Texas Hill Country's mild climate makes Rebecca Creek functional from spring through fall, with the peak floating season running from Memorial Day through Labor Day when the Guadalupe's spring-fed cool water provides an escape from intense Hill Country summer heat. Spring brings the white bass run and wildflower season to the Hill Country landscape, with the Comal County limestone hills flowering in Indian paintbrush and bluebonnets in late March and April. Fall provides more moderate river temperatures and the shift in the Hill Country's recreational calendar toward hiking and family camping that summer crowds the Guadalupe's swimming holes, making September and October the most enjoyable months for an extended riverfront stay.

from $10/night

Waterside RV Resort

11 RV Sites

Opened in June 2022 along the sheltered canal system threading through the Texas Gulf Coast community of Sargent, Waterside RV Resort brings boutique resort sensibility to a working waterman's corner of Matagorda County. Eleven oversized sites claim a combined 360 feet of private canal frontage, where the protected, flat water gives anglers direct access to a fishery teeming with redfish, speckled trout, flounder, and blue crab. The family-owned resort was designed from the ground up for serious fishing travelers and coastal explorers who want luxury pad infrastructure without trading the authenticity of a genuine Texas salt marsh address. Each of the eleven sites features an 18-by-50-foot concrete pad with full hookups, high-speed internet, and a wide concrete drive that accommodates maneuvering even the longest fifth-wheel or Class A rigs without drama. A guest-only fishing dock extends over the canal for anglers who prefer casting from the bank, and the dock's position—flanked by cornhole and horseshoe areas—creates a natural gathering point as the afternoon light drops toward the Gulf horizon. The resort's 350 feet of waterfront also accommodates guest vessels directly at the site, so boat owners can tie up park-side and walk from the recliner to the captain's chair in seconds. The canal system at Sargent connects to East Matagorda Bay's expansive shallow flats, which rank among Texas's most productive wade-fishing destinations for speckled trout. Redfish prowl the shoreline grass, flounder stage in the channel edges, and blue crab move through the canals in numbers that make a crab trap an effective dinner supplement. Kayakers launching from the resort's waterfront access protected paddling routes winding through marshland channels rarely encountered on the crowded upper Texas coast, with wildlife viewing of roseate spoonbills, great blue herons, and occasional alligators throughout the season. The Sargent area lies roughly 90 minutes southwest of Houston along FM 457, placing it within easy reach of the greater metro while maintaining the seclusion of a genuine backwater Texas fishing destination. Matagorda Bay forms one of the most biologically productive estuaries on the Texas coast, feeding a sport fishery and commercial shrimping industry that supplies coastal restaurants from Galveston to Corpus Christi. The nearby Colorado River delta and Matagorda Beach on the Gulf provide additional day-trip options for guests seeking open surf or freshwater fishing in the lower river reaches. Fishing is productive year-round in the Sargent canal system, though the cooler months of October through March bring particularly consistent speckled trout action as fish concentrate on the warmer shallow flats near the bay margins. Summer heat is the trade-off for warm-season visitors, though early morning and late evening sessions on the water beat the midday temperatures effectively. With just eleven sites, Waterside books quickly for the peak fall fishing season—reserve at least four to six weeks in advance to secure a spot at this premier Texas Gulf Coast fishing retreat.

from $45/night

Copano Bay RV Resort

On the shores of Copano Bay in Rockport, Texas—in Aransas County on the Texas Coastal Bend where the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge's whooping crane winter habitat, the Rockport-Fulton area's redfish and trout sport fishing, the Key Allegro marina's private island community, and the Rockport Beach Park's Texas Blue Wave-certified swimming beach create the year-round coastal resort that artists, anglers, birders, and the Houston-San Antonio corridor's weekend outdoor community have built into one of the Gulf Coast's most consistently rewarding destinations south of Corpus Christi—Copano Bay RV Resort provides full hookup RV sites with water, electric, and sewer on the bayfront property, cabin rentals, a waterfront pool, a fishing pier, a kayak launch, a dog park, a fitness center, a game room with pool table, ping pong, and poker tables, a 16,000-square-foot clubhouse with a library and full kitchen, sports courts, volleyball, basketball, walking trails, laundry, and year-round operation in a bayfront resort whose Copano Bay fishing pier, kayak launch, and whooping crane proximity create the Rockport birding and angling base camp that the Texas Coastal Bend's most complete RV resort provides. Bayfront fishing pier. Kayak launch to Copano Bay. Whooping cranes 35 minutes north. Full hookup RV sites with water, electric, and sewer alongside cabin rentals on the Copano Bay waterfront provide the accommodation infrastructure at the resort whose 3101 FM-1781 bayfront position creates the direct-water-access that the fishing pier and kayak launch translate into operational bay and creek access from within the property. The waterfront pool's heated operation and the fitness center serve the daily health and recreation routine, and the 16,000-square-foot clubhouse—with the full kitchen, the library's book and media collection, the billiards room, ping pong tables, and poker facilities—creates the resort's social gathering infrastructure at a scale that the winter snowbird and extended-stay community genuinely occupies across the Aransas County season. Sports courts, volleyball, basketball, walking trails, the dog park, and the comprehensive laundry complete the resort's daily practical and activity inventory. Rockport sits in Aransas County on Aransas Bay and Copano Bay, in the coastal community where the Live Oak Peninsula's protective bay position and the historic fishing village identity—the Rockport Art Center, the Texas Maritime Museum, and the Fulton Mansion State Historic Site's 1877 French Second Empire mansion—create the cultural and historical depth that the birding and fishing community's primary visit adds outdoor recreation to. The Rockport Art Association's nationally recognized artist colony, whose concentration of coastal painters working the bay and live oak landscape has made Rockport the Arts Capital of the Texas Coast, creates the gallery and studio culture that the Rockport weekend visitor accesses alongside the Copano Bay's fishing. Aransas National Wildlife Refuge, 35 miles north, provides the coastal marsh wintering habitat for the world's entire natural whooping crane population—the 500-plus birds that winter here from November through March represent the recovery from just 15 birds in 1941. The refuge's 115,000 acres support 400-plus bird species during fall and winter, and the Rockport whooping crane boat tours operate November through March. Copano Bay RV Resort operates year-round in Aransas County's subtropical coastal climate, with the November through April birding and fishing season the most popular period—the whooping crane arrival, the winter duck hunting, the redfish and trout concentration in the cooling bay water, and the mild coastal temperatures create the Texas Coastal Bend's peak outdoor recreation quarter. Reserve your bayfront site or cabin at Copano Bay RV Resort and let the fishing pier, the kayak launch, and the Aransas whooping crane flyway deliver the Texas Coastal Bend resort experience that Aransas County's most completely equipped bayfront campground provides.

from $69/night

Lake Conroe RV Campground

8 RV Sites

Lake Conroe RV Campground in Willis, Texas, provides a premier waterfront camping and marina destination on the north shore of Lake Conroe—a 21,000-acre reservoir in Montgomery County approximately 50 miles north of Houston—where full marina services, boat docks, a private beach, and a pool deliver a complete lake resort experience for boating, fishing, and water recreation enthusiasts seeking the Houston metro area's most accessible large-lake destination. The campground's combination of marina infrastructure, lakefront amenities, and resort-caliber facilities makes it one of the most comprehensively equipped waterfront campgrounds in the greater Houston region. The campground's water-centric infrastructure reflects Lake Conroe's boating and fishing culture: a full marina, boat docks, boat ramp, boat storage, and RV storage serve guests who bring their own watercraft to Conroe's waters, while canoeing and kayaking provide non-motorized lake access within the campground's own footprint. A beach for swimming, outdoor pool, hot tub and sauna, fitness center, recreation center, pavilion, laundry, and general store serve the resort amenity needs of extended-stay guests, and a pond supplements the lake fishing with on-property still-water access. Personal mailboxes and open year-round operations support the extended-stay residential and snowbird community that Lake Conroe's year-round climate encourages. Lake Conroe was created in 1973 by impounding the West Fork of the San Jacinto River to serve as a water supply reservoir for the City of Houston, and has since developed into one of the most heavily used recreational lakes in Texas—a body of water where largemouth bass tournaments, water skiing, and pontoon boating on summer weekends create the energy of a popular Texas reservoir at full seasonal activity. The lake's year-round warm water temperatures, consistent fishing productivity for largemouth bass and white crappie, and the well-developed marina infrastructure around its perimeter have made it particularly popular with Houston area boating families who drive the 50-mile corridor from the city for weekend lake outings. Sam Houston National Forest, which surrounds Lake Conroe on three sides, provides 163,000 acres of East Texas piney woods with 128 miles of hiking trails including the Lone Star Hiking Trail—the longest hiking trail in Texas at 96 miles through the national forest's longleaf pine and mixed pine-hardwood uplands. Huntsville State Park, within the national forest boundary approximately 20 miles north, offers developed camping and paddling in a second, quieter lake environment for campground guests who want to combine the Lake Conroe marina experience with the more natural piney woods setting. The Conroe city arts and dining scene provides the commercial infrastructure expected from one of the Houston area's fastest-growing cities. Lake Conroe RV Campground operates year-round in the east Texas Piney Woods' subtropical climate, with mild winter temperatures making it a viable snowbird destination and the spring bass spawn from February through April representing the lake's most intensely competitive fishing period when largemouth bass concentrate on the spawning flats and professional bass tournament anglers join the recreational fishing community in competing for limited prime casting positions along the lake's productive shoreline structure. Summer's swimming and water skiing season drives family vacation demand, and the campground's marina storage and launch access make it the most functionally complete waterfront option for guests who bring their own boats to Lake Conroe's waters.

from $50/night

Water's Edge RV Resort

94 RV Sites, 11 Cabins

Water's Edge RV Resort in Willis, Texas, offers 94 full-hookup standard back-in RV sites and 11 cabins on Lake Conroe, with 50-amp service and rigs accepted to 40 feet. A marina, boat ramp, beach, outdoor pool, hot tub, and fitness center serve a Roberts Resorts property an hour north of Houston. Ninety-four back-in sites carry water, sewer, and electric on 50-amp, sized to 40 feet. Two things to check before booking: service is 50-amp throughout, so bring an adapter if your rig runs 30, and the 40-foot cap rules out larger coaches. A single standard category means every guest gets the same spec. Eleven cabins round out the lodging. A laundry, boutique shop, and clubhouse handle the practical side. The marina and boat ramp anchor the recreation, opening Lake Conroe for boating, fishing, canoeing, kayaking, and paddle boarding, with a beach on the property. An outdoor pool, hot tub and sauna, fitness center, recreation center, sports courts, basketball, ping pong, a playground, pavilion, dog park, on-site dining, and a bar fill the rest, with live music and planned activities through the season. A state park is nearby. Lake Conroe covers 21,000 acres on the West Fork of the San Jacinto in Montgomery County, and its million-plus annual visitors make it one of the most popular lakes in Texas — close enough to Houston for a day trip, far enough into the Piney Woods to feel like a destination. Summer lake season drives the heaviest demand. Reserve well ahead for warm-weather weekends.

from $40/night