Camp grounds win Texas Gulf

[Goin camping]

Meeting a Buddy from FLA in a campground on the gulf in Texas. Probably spring of 2021.

Does anyone have campground info public or private on the beach?

When is tornado season?

Plan on eating Texas BBQ until I burst so killer BBQ places by camping is appreciated.

Anything else I should know?

[BayouBiker]

I presume you mean Hurricane Season. Tornadoes on the gulf are generally small and rare. Hurricanes, not so much. They are very rare and weak in May, Large ones in June are rare. Mid July through mid October is the time to watch out. But hey you have a camper and you get days and days of warning so just move out at least 2.5 days prior and take a backroad route avoiding coastal cities by 100 miles or more (especially Houston, don't go anywhere close if they are in the path) and you are golden. Keep your fuel tanks full and leave at midnight and you are even better off, though the dark is a bit of a hassle.

Driving through West Texas on I-20 or I-40 will put you in tornadoes and hail especially March through May. The hail can be bad. traveling west to east is not a problem because you can see it moving ahead of you, they won't catch you from behind. East to West requires pre-planning. You will want to watch the three day forecasts.

[Iansk]

There are some fun RV parks around Rockport and Corpus Christi, just be sure to rinse your rig off, especially the underside, after leaving.

The best BBQ is up around the hill country with Mueller’s in Taylor being easily one of the best. There is also City Market in Lulling and Smitty’s in Lockhart.
If you’re uninitiated you may find some passable stuff down there or maybe there is a gem I don’t know about. Just don’t judge anything like Bill Miller or Rudy’s to be indicative of real Texas bbq.

What Bayou said about hurricane season is spot on, including the GTFO parts.

Happy travels,

Ian

[cptdzl]

There are several on Galveston Island. All easy to get to. A couple right on the beach others varying distances. We stayed at Jamaica Beach which is just across the road from the gulf and the beach is hard packed. Campground is very nice and has its share of snowbirds.

[Jim J]

LANTANA LOOP - GOOSE ISLAND STATE PARK Rockport Texas is nice


Bay Side RV - Galveston Island State Park is nice, too


Private park not on the gulf but near by: Southern Oaks on 35 Bypass.

Barbecue is everywhere in TX. Try the Boiling Pot in Rockport for seafood.

[rd tighe]

Mustang island dry camping at the national Sea shore by Corpus Christi and state park or Cameron county Park South Padre. All are on or near the water. Enjoy!

[jaybauman]

Originally Posted by rd tighe

Mustang island dry camping at the national Sea shore by Corpus Christi and state park or Cameron county Park South Padre. All are on or near the water. Enjoy!

^This.

The further you get away from Galveston, the better the water gets.

[Boxite]

If you go to Galveston, as soon as you’re solidly on the island, on your right, at 5427 Broadway Avenue J, is Leon’s barbeque. Leon is an elderly black man who operates out of a small white shotgun-house but he’s been called to the White House by LBJ and others because of his BBQ. I hosted a convention in Galveston and Leon catered for us and I got nothing but great reviews. Very enjoyable.
I second IANSK’s recommendations of Mueller in Taylor as one of the very BEST. City Market (Luling) , and Smittys (Lockhart) are “OK” but not in my personal “top ten”. Also “OK” is Southside BBQ in Bastrop, and I actually like Rudy’s (Austin) which I also rate “OK”.
Another slightly over-rated BBQ place is Salt Lick. I’ll never understand why folks are willing to stand in line just to enter the place...so you can sit in line to wait to place your order... so you can sit even longer to get mediocre, overly-salty meat. The interesting surroundings are simply not worth it, especially if the weather is warm or wet. (And the beer situation there is ridiculous, handled like they’re dealing drugs or something, from a separate bldg that gives you another line to stand in...then you have to “take-out” to your table. )

City Meat Market in Giddings, TX is one NOT to be missed. And if you only want a real good sliced brisket sandwich you’ll be hard-pressed to beat “Peter’s BBQ” in Ellinger on Hwy 71 between LaGrange and Columbus. For many years they charged 99-cents for a chopped beef sandwich that was worth $5 and $2 for sliced beef worth $10. They’ve caught up recently in prices but is VERY good BBQ.
In Marble Falls, directly across from WalMart is “Wingman” BBQ.... an excellent taste-bud experience.
If you ever get to Huntsville be certain to eat at Mt. Zion Baptist Church BBQ. (Yes, a real church operation. The story behind it: The little black congregation’s wooden church burned down and a shifty insurance adjuster refused to cover their loss. So they set up a BBQ operation in the yard next door and raised enough money to build a new brick church. They made enough that with the left-over-funds they sued the underwriter and won! They intended to close the BBQ operation but their customers caused enough demand to convince them to continue smoking. All the real work inside is done by the women while the old black men sit around the BBQ pits outside waving fly-swatters and supervise the smoke. Even your clothes will smell like smoke when you leave.)

I agree... do NOT bother with Bill Miller. Or Mikeska’s (two brothers who’ve forgotten what BBQ is with a store on I-10 just East of Columbus and another in El Campo. (Meat cooked in an oven and slathered with Watery tomato sauce.)

The next one to avoid will raise hackles among some: SKip Cooper’s in Llano as over-rated, over-priced, and inconvenient serving practices since covid19.

But, If you’d like to see how Coopers USED to do it, eat at Opies on Hwy 71 in Spicewood, about 40 miles west of Austin. No. You don’t want any “sides”. The delicious pinto bean pot is “help yourself/all you want” and Fridays/Saturdays include “butterbeans”, a local favorite of some.
Hard-8 in Stephenville (west of FtWorth) and other locations is similar... decent quality and pleasant experience.
Otherwise, I can’t advise you about any directly on/near Gulf beaches. I’ve heard good things about “Coastal BBQ” in Matagorda but not had a chance yet.

[Iansk]

Boxite,

Nice write up. I just Opie’s again this past week and it is very good.
I really miss Art’s Rib house on S. Lamar, their country style pork rib was off the charts.
I’ve had great and decent servings at any of the Lockhart joints, but since I did a round the country photo shoot about BBQ for a well known cooler company based in Austin, I realized that even decent BBQ in Texas is leaps and bounds above much of the rest of the country. I think it’s the post oak and passion...

Pardon the thread derailment, but, meat...

Ian

[SailorSam205]

I'll second stopping in Galveston. We were there beginning of June. Stayed at Dellanera RV Park, right on the beach. We "camped" on the lagoon side of this city run park. Several people were fishing the lagoon and catching something. Easy to get into the downtown area if you skip driving along the waterfront and figure out what roads inland will get you where you want to go.

[lemley]

Second on goose island outside of Rockport. If you’re birders book a trip on whoopingcranetours.com. A little pricey but worth it. The place TripAdvisor recommendsfor bbq is not good at all. Stick with seafood or Italian.

We’re in Waco. Uncle Dans or Guest for bbq.

[GOUSC]

Gulf Waters RV Resort in Port Aransus ( near Corpus Christi) is the best RV Resort we have ever stayed in and we’ve been camping 39 years. Pricey but very nice. Check it out.

[oldrich]

For Galveston San Luis Pass County park if you want to be near beach but not on beach this place offers good fishing off dock at night under lights, it is a smaller camp ground but good people, book early and stay in water front sites, Galveston Island State park the beach front side of park is currently closed for construction(2 years) the bay side of park is open, good kayaking and fishing, if you want to stay right on beach I would venture down to Corpus Christi, Padre Island National Seashore more room to roam(boon docking),Kat's BBQ in Santa Fe TX. if you end up in Galveston you will not be disappointed with Kat's, it is a small dive but I would put his BBQ up against anyone else's, he opens at 1100 until sold out usually 1230 to 1 pm closed on Mondays. there are some areas to stay right on beach between Galveston and Surf side(boon docking) another option is just a walk across road to beach is this place that is newer https://www.bluewaterrvpark.com

[Greenjeans]

I third Galveston, I second Dellanera RV Park in Galveston. If you want a back in site with a view of the beach, you need to book as soon as possible. A year in advance. Its pricey, popular, but you can't beat crossing the dunes & being on the beach. Galveston also has lots of attraction and sea food restaurants. Lot to do. The only draw back is the beach is brown, they get whiter as you head down the coast. The gulf current pulls the silt from the Mississippi river down the coast of TX.

We camped there last week and the waves, temps, swimming, perfect. Also remember Dellanera is a county park, Gov ruled. With the virus they can close it in a flash, but they'll work to accommodate you.

[kb0zke]

Texas has five distinct regions, and each has a different take on BBQ. You really need to experience the best of each region. Texans, please help us out here. What's your favorite in each region?