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Who better to ask than fellow Texans.

I'm looking for ideas for weekend getaways, preferable within 2.5 / 3 hours of San Antonio. So far, we're scouting La Grange, the Inks Lake area, a few spots in the Hill Country, etc.

Have RV, will travel.

We're looking for fun, small towns. Places that may have a lot of outdoor activities, stuff for two little ones (2 and 3), great restaurants, etc.

From San Antonio, I would recommend Corpus Christi. It has plenty of beaches both in town and out out on the islands. There is the Aquarium and the Lexington as great activities. There are a bunch of decent restaurants and plenty of condo/hotels where you can cook your own meals. I understand that there are plans to construct a version of Schlitterbahn out on N Padre Island. It was a nice area for us to take our kids to visit when they were younger. One other plus are movie theaters in the event of bad weather.

Port Aransas would be my choice. Park your rig on the beach for $15 for three days, use the dump station at the city campground. Golf carts are a little pricey to rent, but the kids will love it and you can run into town if you don't have a toad.

rwg3 wrote:From San Antonio, I would recommend Corpus Christi. It has plenty of beaches both in town and out out on the islands. There is the Aquarium and the Lexington as great activities. There are a bunch of decent restaurants and plenty of condo/hotels where you can cook your own meals. I understand that there are plans to construct a version of Schlitterbahn out on N Padre Island. It was a nice area for us to take our kids to visit when they were younger. One other plus are movie theaters in the event of bad weather.

I used to live in Corpus. I left in 2004 and haven't been back since. I swore I would never step foot in that town again...

But now I have little ones, so maybe it'll be different...I'll at least know how to get around.

pbwalker wrote:I used to live in Corpus. I left in 2004 and haven't been back since. I swore I would never step foot in that town again...

But now I have little ones, so maybe it'll be different...I'll at least know how to get around.

Is Corpus a bad place to live? Always liked vacationing there but have never lived there.

Might not be ideal with little ones, but there are some good wineries in Hill Country around the Highland Lakes, and of course lake-related activities, and great barbecue "Cooper's" in Llano.

You answered your own question: We're currently on Flathead Lake in NW Montana. In Texas, Inks Lake State Park is our favorite.

Be safe!

tomtexan wrote:

pbwalker wrote:I used to live in Corpus. I left in 2004 and haven't been back since. I swore I would never step foot in that town again...

But now I have little ones, so maybe it'll be different...I'll at least know how to get around.

Is Corpus a bad place to live? Always liked vacationing there but have never lived there.

My $0.02...

This was the first town in TX I ever lived in. I moved to CC sight unseen. I was in Minnesota looking for work in TX (I had been down in San Antonio during my time in the military) in the SAT / Austin / Houston areas. A great opportunity popped up in CC and I went there. I was 23, unmarried, and not a lot of responsibility. Corpus was horrible (for me). There was little to do there. I love fishing, but only knew fresh water, and didn't have a boat, so I never took it up down there. I'm not a drinker, so bars didn't do it for me. I'm not a clubber, so that didn't work either. I'm also not a beach going type. Give me mountains, fresh water streams, tall trees, etc. I found myself going to San Antonio and Austin each weekend (or going down to Progresso, Mexico..before it became unsafe). The job market is horrible, and crime is high.

Now, I have good friends that grew up there and loved it. From what I can gather, it's a great place to grow up, but not move to as an young 20 something.

Fredericksburg is a great place and has a couple of really nice RV parks.

pbwalker wrote:

tomtexan wrote:

pbwalker wrote:I used to live in Corpus. I left in 2004 and haven't been back since. I swore I would never step foot in that town again...

But now I have little ones, so maybe it'll be different...I'll at least know how to get around.

Is Corpus a bad place to live? Always liked vacationing there but have never lived there.

My $0.02...

This was the first town in TX I ever lived in. I moved to CC sight unseen. I was in Minnesota looking for work in TX (I had been down in San Antonio during my time in the military) in the SAT / Austin / Houston areas. A great opportunity popped up in CC and I went there. I was 23, unmarried, and not a lot of responsibility. Corpus was horrible (for me). There was little to do there. I love fishing, but only knew fresh water, and didn't have a boat, so I never took it up down there. I'm not a drinker, so bars didn't do it for me. I'm not a clubber, so that didn't work either. I'm also not a beach going type. Give me mountains, fresh water streams, tall trees, etc. I found myself going to San Antonio and Austin each weekend (or going down to Progresso, Mexico..before it became unsafe). The job market is horrible, and crime is high.

Now, I have good friends that grew up there and loved it. From what I can gather, it's a great place to grow up, but not move to as an young 20 something.

I wouldn't argue your assessment of the situation one bit. I'm not sure I would want to live there either. I started doing some work there in the early 90's and have seen the boom and bust, the summer madness and the winter texans. None of it really appeals to me, but you asked about a place where the kids can have some fun. We stayed out on N Padre in a rented condo. a few steps down to the beach, a barbeque facility and swimming pool gave options on meals and recreation for them. A day of sun and water and they were out like light bulbs at the end of the day. You said it earlie,r things change with kids along for the ride. There are many great places for enjoying yourself in Texas. This one just happened to work for us and usually resulted in a pretty low stress break with the kiddo's. Good luck in your choices.

It is a bit farther than you may want to go, but I spent the Memorial Day weekend motorcycling through Marfa, Alpine and Fort Davis. Marfa is a cool town if you want to get away from the crowds and I appreciated the quiet.