 Sunset on Lake Texoma
Who goes SOUTH in the Summer??
If you’re going to be in the south in the summer, you should really be on a lake. Lake Texoma has made it to our Top 5 Summer Lakes list. The warm temperature of the water makes it ideal for swimming, boating, paddle boarding, tubing, or any other water activity. Most full-time RVers head north in the summer months to chase the cooler weather. We, on the other hand, scooted south in late August. We knew it was going to be warm, but our friends reached out and said they had a boat and some time off and invited us down to come play on the lake. They don’t call Lake Texoma “The Playground of the Southwest” for nothing. Boy, are we glad we went just in time to catch the tail-end of summer. We spent most of our time out on the water with perfect weather, great friends, and made memories to last a lifetime.  Calm water on Lake Texoma at sunset.
What about Lake Texoma??
Lake Texoma is situated only about 75 miles north of Dallas, Texas and about 120 miles south of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Nearly 80% of the reservoir resides on the Oklahoma side, while the other 20% resides in Texas; hence the name “Texoma”. The close proximity to both the Dallas-Metro area and Oklahoma City has made this lake a premier tourist destination, hosting more than 6 million visitors each year. The impressive 89,000 acre lake is warm in the summer months, making it easy to enjoy any water activity. It is also one of the nation’s largest water reservoirs with nearly 580 miles of beaches and shoreline. Fishing is also known to be a popular and attractive sport on Lake Texoma with several coveted species available for catching and is open year round for the enthusiasts. Lake Texoma is also known to be a great boating and sailing lake, given its vast shoreline and acres of open water. There are also many coves and islands to anchor out on and explore along with great places to enjoy a spectacular sunset. You Camped Where??? There are numerous ways to camp if you are visiting Lake Texoma. The beautiful Army Corps of Engineers parks offer 15 different campgrounds around the lake and according to recreation.gov, they offer more than 800 individual campsites. There are state parks, private resorts and campgrounds, and membership parks to choose from too. All provide a little something for everyone. During our time there, we camped with our Grand Design 312BHTS at Burns Run West Campground which is run by the Army Corps of Engineers near Cartwright, Oklahoma. This park is right on the water with spectacular views and direct access to swim beaches and boat ramps. The sites were beautifully maintained and large enough for most RVs. This campground also offers full-hook-up sites, partial hook-up sites, tent sites, clean restrooms, and three dump stations. The easy access to the lake and the spacious RV sites are what we loved most about this campground. While visiting the area, we also spent 10 days at Lake Texoma RV Campground Thousand Trails in Gordonville, Texas. We are members of Thousand Trails but non-members can also book reservations if they are looking to stay on the south side of the lake. This RV campground offers 285 sites, has full-hookups, two swimming pools, an 18 hole mini-golf course, a clubhouse, a boat ramp/dock, and many weekend activities. We had a great time relaxing and soaking up the sun at this perfectly located Thousand Trails campground. Some other great options for camping around the lake include:
What Else Is There To Do?? Among the amazing water activities that there are to do on Lake Texoma, there are also a plethora of fun and exciting things to do around it as well. We are lucky enough to share a few of the “locals” favorite places. Ole Reds: The Doghouse in Tishomingo, Oklahoma is Blake Shelton’s entertaining grounds and offers some great scratch-made food that pairs well with live music. Most every night, there are rising talents on stage and is a local’s favorite place to eat and be entertained. The Island Bar and Grill has become our personal favorite place to stop in for music, food, and drinks. We rode the boat out there, docked it at the marina, and danced up to the grill for several great nights overlooking the water with spectacular sunsets. If you don’t have a boat, that’s fine too. You can drive over and enjoy the atmosphere just the same. 
The marina at The Island Bar and Grill on Lake Texoma.
A few other places that the locals recommend include:
If you are a hiker or have horses, there are many miles of hiking trails and over 25 miles of equestrian trails to explore all around the lake. The wildlife is also abundant and bird watching and photography attract hundreds of bird enthusiasts each year. If you enjoy golfing with stunning views, Texoma offers several excellent golf courses. They are suitable for all skill levels and your time near the lake will surely be memorable. If you are interested in learning more about the culture and history of the area around Lake Texoma, there are museums, historical markers, and picturesque views to get an up close and personal perspective of the area. See For Yourself Lake Texoma has become one of our favorite summer lakes. We spent enough time on and off the water to confidently say that it is in fact, a must-do attraction. The lake itself offers more than enough fun for everyone, but to add the entertainment options when you are off the water is enough to land Lake Texoma on our Top 5 Summer Lakes list. If you need more convincing, we will show you around ourselves; check out the link below.  Photo op. on the Presidential Trail at Mount Rushmore. South Dakota completely rocked us!! We first rolled in to South Dakota in early summer of 2020 and had zero expectations of what it would be like. We didn't even have an image in our minds of what to expect. I think that's what made it so memorable and exciting. I remember rolling in to the Black Hills getting goosebumps and feeling like I could NOT wait to get out and explore. The rolling green hills and the huge dark green forests that give off an almost black color from afar were like open arms waving us in to welcome us. That was our first impression. And it kept getting better and better. We spent close to four weeks in the Black Hills exploring Rapid City, Sturgis, Deadwood, Spearfish, Keystone, and much more. We were blown away by how much there is to do there. We are a family with two kids, ages six and eight at the time, and there was more than enough to keep them entertained. Though we did a lot, we didn't even come close to doing it all. Here is a LIST of the things we were lucky enough to be able to do while in the Black Hills:
We had a great time exploring all of these places but there is still so much that we didn't get to check out. We fully plan a return to the Black Hills to check these places out.
During our travels, we try to document as much as we can on our YouTube channel (Road Ventures) as well as on Instagram. If you would like to see and follow along on our journey to these amazing places, we would welcome you to subscribe to our channel or Instagram (@road_ventures). We love connecting with you so let us know that you subscribed by dropping a comment and we will be sure to greet you. Have you been to the Black Hills? Is it a bucket list place to visit? Drop us a comment and let us know. |
Categories
All
ROAD VENTURES USAAfter over 10 years of marriage, 0 vacations, we decided to sell it all and hit the road fulltime with our Two kids and our dog Bailey. We enjoy sharing full-time RV Life with others and hope to inspire others to Venture out and Get out and Explore.
|
RSS Feed